Using A Scripting Language To Script Robot Behaviour

[davidthefat]

Originally Posted by apalrd

1. I would rather take Python because, well, i like it more then Lua.

2. You are cross-compiling a library designed for platforms other than VxWorks for VxWorks. They are not designed to work together, and although they will probably work, it won't be just as simple as cross-compiling Python to a .out file.

3. You probably have no idea how complex the Lua/Python interface is. It's not like you are literally calling a function in another language, and it calls you back. You are passing variables through to the other side, pulling from, and executing script. You are also registering callback functions, etc, and an interface is not a trivial thing to write.

4. Lua is not limited to game development, neither is Python. For example, Blender uses Python for import/export and other scripts.

5. What do you gain as opposed to writing "scripts" in C? C is procedural, can talk to C++, and, well, is a lot less work then Python or Lua. You are not attempting to modify a common low-level engine to be re-used, you know exactly what you want to do and thus don't need to extend the power past compiled code.

6. I have no idea how the cRio would take the giant amount of sensor and motor data flowing through the Python interpreter at 20hz, plus the execution of the script. You may have the problem that Java used to suffer, where it was quite slow because it was interpreted bytecode. I assume it would not like it at all.

7. In my experience with Source engine, many things are actually coded into two DLL's that run the game. Some games/mods use Lua and Python for extensibility, like addon functionality, but that is not really necessary here.

1) Would consider

3) LOL Look at me trying to tackle full automation, can you tell me that I will easily change my mind?

6) that is true, but I was already considering on using an onboard computer to do the logic and imaging

Any better alternates than scripting languages? I can not think of anything may be other than a Config file that just states what prewritten behaviours to follow