Autonomous Robot Software Design Challenge

We summarize some current trends in autonomous robot software systems design and point out some of their characteristics, such as the chasm between analytical and computational models, and the gap between safety critical and besteffort engineering practices. We call for a coherent scientific foundation for autonomous robot software systems design, and we discuss a few key demands on such a foundation: the need for encompassing several manifestations of heterogeneity, and the need for constructivity in design. We believe that a longterm and continuous research effort is necessary to develop a framework for the rigorous construction of robust autonomous robot software systems.