Robots are machines that exist to perform specific functions or tasks in the physical world. To achieve this, a control software is required on the robot that drives its actuators, perceives the environment with its sensors and makes decisions and executes actions. The Fawkes robot software framework provides an integrated software package to develop such systems.

During the last three years the AllemaniACs have developed a new robot software framework based on their experience in the RoboCup competition and other robot applications.

 The framework follows a component-based approach and provides a hybrid blackboard/messaging data exchange. Functional modules are encapsulated as plugins and can be loaded and unloaded at run-time. Currently, we employ this framework on our RoboCup@Home, the Middle Size League and the Nao robots. It has been optimized for multi-core platforms in use today, but is suitable to run efficiently on a constrained platform as found in the Nao.

 The platform will be released as Open Source software soon after the RoboCup 2009 competition on http://www.fawkesrobotics.org.