Microsoft Robotics

Getting Started

• Microsoft Robotics Developer Studio Overview
• Microsoft Visual Programming Language Overview
• Visual Simulation Environment Overview
• Concurrency and Coordination Runtime (CCR) Introduction
• Decentralized Software Services (DSS) Introduction
• Tutorials and Samples

Featured Resources

Microsoft Robotics Developer Studio 2008
Microsoft Robotics Developer Studio 2008 is released. You can download the Express Edition at no cost, or purchase the Standard Edition. The Academic Edition can be obtained through MSDNAA. The release contains a number of exciting new features as well as many new samples and tutorials. For a complete list, please see What’s New.

CCR and DSS Toolkit 2008
Microsoft has announced the availability of the CCR and DSS Toolkit 2008. Originally part of the Microsoft Robotics Developer Studio (RDS), the CCR and DSS Toolkit can now be purchased as a separate product. The Toolkit is a set of high-performance class libraries that enable developers to write concurrent and distributed applications. CCR and DSS will still be distributed as part of RDS, but this new product enables the Toolkit to be licensed for non-robotic scenarios. Read more including Case Studies.

RoboChamps Urban Challenge
Microsoft recently announced the launch of the RoboChamps Urban Challenge, sponsored by KIA Motors. Similar to the real-world DARPA Urban Challenge, participants will be tasked with programming a robotic car to navigate to a series of checkpoints in an urban environment. The vehicles must obey traffic lights, avoid other cars and stay on the road. The cars must drive autonomously using only the available sensors, i.e. no human intervention is allowed. The first prize is a real car - a KIA Soul! Second prize is $10,000 and third prize is $5,000.