CROP enables seamless interaction among robots and Cloud/Edge devices. With the new capability, distributed robots’ development with Robot Operating System (ROS) is significantly simplified. CROP is highly efficient, secure, fully open source and vendor independent. The topology of the infrastructure is completely transparent to robots under the CROP. Therefore, there is little difference to robot developers that the device is running remotely via the internet on cloud or locally in local area network (LAN).

Video: "CROP"

This repository contains the technical information about different components of the 5G-ERA and proposals for workshops organized by the 5G-ERA consortium.

• Middleware - Middleware for the on demand deployment of the vertical applications
• NetApp - Network Application framework description and description of the in-house Network Applications developed by the 5G-ERA consortium
• Workshops - list of the workshops prepared by the 5G-ERA consortium.
• Resources - folder containing additional resources that help get familiar with the 5G-ERA project.

Please go through the prerequisites and middleware installation tutorial.

Robot Application Developers

I want my ROS application to be deployed in the cloud and Interact with my local robots. 

Problem: Although my ROS code works fine in LAN, it does not work anymore through the Internet.

The Internet has multiple domains and multi administrations. Various security requirements and package inspection kill my existing ROS application.

CROP integrates network function virtualisation into robot deployment. It generates a static virtual LAN for ROS applications, at the same time dynamically adapting the network resources for the virtual network on demand.
Domain knowledge of Robotics and ICT are encapsulated separately.

Step 1: Onboard your custom robot from the onboarding robot tutorial

Step 2: Onboard the ROS network application from the tutorial

Step 3: Trigger the Deployment of your ROS network application

Robot Application Developers

My robots want the best resource and infrastructure. Although, there is no fixed answer to this request. Depending on robot task and location, it could be connected either to 5G or WiFi; either on Local Edge or Remote Cloud; either using eMBB or URLLC slice.

Problem: The task is cumbersome and completely out of my knowledge. At the end, I just use VPN and hard code everything to the robot. 

• Network topology for mobile robots is dynamic.

• Knowledge gap between robotics and DevOps.

Virtualized and portable robot operational environments with dynamic edge switch over and slice switch over on-demand.

Step 1: Register and onboard your robot

Step 2: Tutorial will be added (Configuring of the infrastructure of the testbed) slice manager

Step 3: Configuration of new or existing tasks for utilising slice mechanism

Step 4: Trigger the Deployment of your ROS network application

System administrators

I want a secured communication between robot and ROS application offloaded in the cloud. 

Problem: I have no idea what is running in the robot. I might break the system completely.

Scalability and maintainability of robot applications.

CROP utilises cloud native design to separate vertical logic from horizontal deployment. It enables encrypted end to end communication and provides role-based access at the container networking level which is fully encapsulated from ROS applications. Furthermore, CROP supports infrastructure as code (IaC) to automate the management process of the system administrators.

Step 1(optional): Additional configuration of the middleware (https, domain name)

Step 2(optional): Identity Management tutorial, role based control (RBAC)

Network Applications Developers

I want my network application to be roaming on multiple edges (available in multiple locations), while maintaining real-time ROS communication to the robots.

Problem: The development is time consuming and can hardly be reused. 

• Synchronisation of data.

• Maintain stateless and stateful transactions in operation.

• Integrating robot specific domain knowledge into the resource provision

CROP enables dynamic resource provision through software-defined and portable interfaces. It reduces the developers’ burden by orchestrating robot specific operations together with network resources for the best quality of experience.

Step 1: Go through the Relay network application tutorial

Step 2: Onboard the ROS network application from the tutorial

Step 3: Trigger the Deployment of your ROS network application