SimSpark is a generic simulation system for various multiagent simulations. It supports developing physical simulations for AI and robotics research with an open-source application framework. It is commonly used in academic research and education.

History

The SimSpark project started in 2003 and was based on the building blocks of the ''Spark'' project. It was initially developed by Marco Kögler and Oliver Obst at the

University of Koblenz-Landau The University of Koblenz and Landau (German ''Universität Koblenz-Landau'') is a public university located in Koblenz and Landau, Germany, founded in 1990. History and profile The University of Koblenz and Landau is one of the youngest univers ...

Koblenz Koblenz (; Moselle Franconian language, Moselle Franconian: ''Kowelenz''), spelled Coblenz before 1926, is a German city on the banks of the Rhine and the Moselle, a multi-nation tributary. Koblenz was established as a Roman Empire, Roman mili ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. SimSpark was registered with

SourceForge SourceForge is a web service that offers software consumers a centralized online location to control and manage open-source software projects and research business software. It provides source code repository hosting, bug tracking, mirrorin ...

in 2004 and has an established code base with development increasing year-over-year.https://www.ohloh.net/p/simspark/factoids/3252288

Architecture

Agents communicate with the simulation server via UDP or TCP, and therefore can be implemented in any language that supports such sockets. Multiple software agents can participate in one simulation. Simulations are created within the server using the

Ruby A ruby is a pinkish red to blood-red colored gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum ( aluminium oxide). Ruby is one of the most popular traditional jewelry gems and is very durable. Other varieties of gem-quality corundum are called sa ...

language and text-based RSG files. SimSpark uses the

Open Dynamics Engine The Open Dynamics Engine (ODE) is a physics engine written in C/C++. Its two main components are a rigid body dynamics simulation engine and a collision detection engine. It is free software licensed both under the BSD license and the LGPL. O ...

(ODE) for detecting collisions and for simulating rigid body dynamics. ODE allows accurate simulation of the physical properties of objects such as velocity, inertia and friction.

Use in RoboCup

SimSpark is the simulation engine for the

RoboCup RoboCup is an annual international robotics competition founded in 1996 by a group of university professors (including Hiroaki Kitano, Manuela M. Veloso, and Minoru Asada). The aim of the competition is to promote robotics and AI research by offer ...

3D Soccer Simulation League. In this simulation two teams play

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

with rules similar to regular soccer. The robots use simulated cameras and other sensors such as accelerometers, gyros and touch and audio sensors. Software agents process signals from these sensors (also known as ''perceptors'') and generate control signals for the 22 hinges within each robot's body in order to achieve whatever forms of motion are required to win a game of soccer. The original soccer robot model was known as ''soccerbot'', but since 2008 it has been replaced with a Nao robot inspired model.

References

{{Reflist

External links

SourceForge home page

SourceForge project page

SimSpark Wiki

SimSpark project on ohloh
Robotics simulation software Educational software 2003 software 2003 in robotics