Development with Aibo is possible using the OPEN-R SDE. The OPEN-R SDE is a set of tools
released by Sony for the development of programs for Aibo. It is composed by the OPEN-R SDK,
the R-Code SDK, the Aibo Remote Framework and the Aibo Motion Editor. This document
describes how to set up a research environment with an Aibo robot for the use of those tools, but it
does not includes instructions about how to use the tools or how to program the robot. For those
other purposes you can consult the official documentation or the other documents released by the
same author of this document

Aibo can be programmed by using the scripting language R-Code or the C++ environment provided
by OPEN-R, but when using Aibo for complex control only the second option is used. Because of
that, this document will focus on the creation of a development environment for the OPEN-R.
OPEN-R is composed of libraries and sample programs that allow a complete control over the Aibo
hardware using a C++ environment. Even that this development kit is mainly targeted to a Linux
platform, it is also possible to use it on Windows platforms by installing the Cygwin application.
The usual procedure to work with Aibo is the following: a program is created on the computer using
OPEN-R and C++. This program is then cross-compiled to target the Aibo platform. Then the
resulting binaries are transferred from the PC to a memory stick. The memory stick is then inserted
onto Aibo.

To set up all the required environment, it will be necessary to install first the OPEN-R SDK on the
PC. Then a installation on the PC of a memory stick reader/writer will also be necessary in order to
transfer programs from the computer to the memory stick. Once the PC is able to use the memory
stick reader/writer, it will be necessary to prepare a memory stick with the OPEN-R base system.
The last step will be to configure the wireless network for communication between the PC and
Aibo.

The used environment for the development of experiments with Aibo was composed of an Aibo
ERS-220a equipped with a wireless LAN card, a computer running Windows XP and a wireless
access point connected to the computer. A second environment was also proved to work perfectly,
consisting of the new Aibo ERS-7 (which has a built in wireless card) and a Linux computer
equipped with a wireless LAN card, working in Ad-hoc mode.

Download