{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,6]],"date-time":"2025-12-06T17:13:34Z","timestamp":1765041214422,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":17,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"3","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,9,16]],"date-time":"2021-09-16T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1631750400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/100014013","name":"UKRI","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["EP\/R026084\/1"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["EP\/R026084\/1"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100014013","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Robotics"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Maintenance and inspection systems for future fusion power plants (e.g., STEP and DEMO) are expected to require the integration of hundreds of systems from multiple suppliers, with lifetime expectancies of several decades, where requirements evolve over time and obsolescence management is required. There are significant challenges associated with the integration, deployment, and maintenance of very large-scale robotic systems incorporating devices from multiple suppliers, where each may utilise bespoke, non-standardised control systems and interfaces. Additionally, the unstructured, experimental, or unknown operational conditions frequently result in new or changing system requirements, meaning extension and adaptation are necessary. Whilst existing control frameworks (e.g., ROS, OPC-UA) allow for the robust integration of complex robotic systems, they are not compatible with highly efficient maintenance and extension in the face of changing requirements and obsolescence issues over decades-long periods. We present the CorteX software framework as well as results showing its effectiveness in addressing the above issues, whilst being demonstrated through hardware that is representative of real-world fusion applications.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/robotics10030108","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,9,22]],"date-time":"2021-09-22T03:47:35Z","timestamp":1632282455000},"page":"108","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":5,"title":["Engineering Interoperable, Plug-and-Play, Distributed, Robotic Control Systems for Futureproof Fusion Power Plants"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"10","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2641-3570","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ipek","family":"Caliskanelli","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Culham Science Centre, UK Atomic Energy Authority, Abingdon OX14 3DB, UK"}]},{"given":"Matthew","family":"Goodliffe","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Culham Science Centre, UK Atomic Energy Authority, Abingdon OX14 3DB, UK"}]},{"given":"Craig","family":"Whiffin","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Culham Science Centre, UK Atomic Energy Authority, Abingdon OX14 3DB, UK"}]},{"given":"Michail","family":"Xymitoulias","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Culham Science Centre, UK Atomic Energy Authority, Abingdon OX14 3DB, UK"}]},{"given":"Edward","family":"Whittaker","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Culham Science Centre, UK Atomic Energy Authority, Abingdon OX14 3DB, UK"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0704-3268","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Swapnil","family":"Verma","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Culham Science Centre, UK Atomic Energy Authority, Abingdon OX14 3DB, UK"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1076-906X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Robert","family":"Skilton","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Culham Science Centre, UK Atomic Energy Authority, Abingdon OX14 3DB, UK"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,9,16]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"187","DOI":"10.1088\/0029-5515\/32\/2\/I01","article-title":"Fusion energy production from a deuterium-tritium plasma in the JET tokamak","volume":"32","author":"Team","year":"1992","journal-title":"Nucl. Fusion"},{"key":"ref_2","unstructured":"Quigley, M., Conley, K., Gerkey, B., Faust, J., Foote, T., Leibs, J., Wheeler, R., and Ng, A.Y. (2009, January 12). ROS: An open-source Robot Operating System. Proceedings of the ICRA Workshop on Open Source Software, Kobe, Japan."},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Maruyama, Y., Kato, S., and Azumi, T. (2016, January 1\u20137). Exploring the performance of ROS2. Proceedings of the 13th International Conference on Embedded Software, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.","DOI":"10.1145\/2968478.2968502"},{"key":"ref_4","unstructured":"Schlesselman, J.M., Pardo-Castellote, G., and Farabaugh, B. (November, January 31). OMG data-distribution service (DDS): Architectural update. Proceedings of the IEEE MILCOM 2004, Military Communications Conference, Monterey, CA, USA."},{"key":"ref_5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"297","DOI":"10.1016\/j.procir.2014.10.042","article-title":"Interoperability between OPC UA and AutomationML","volume":"25","author":"Henssen","year":"2014","journal-title":"Procedia CIRP"},{"key":"ref_6","first-page":"89","article-title":"MQTT Version 3.1.1","volume":"29","author":"Banks","year":"2014","journal-title":"OASIS Stand."},{"key":"ref_7","first-page":"97","article-title":"Distributed programming with ice","volume":"3","author":"Henning","year":"2003","journal-title":"ZeroC Inc. Rev."},{"key":"ref_8","unstructured":"(2021, May 28). Createc Robotics IRIS. Available online: https:\/\/www.createcrobotics.com\/."},{"key":"ref_9","unstructured":"Barr, D. (2004). Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA), Systems National Communications System, Communication Technologies."},{"key":"ref_10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Profanter, S., Tekat, A., Dorofeev, K., Rickert, M., and Knoll, A. (2019, January 13\u201315). OPC UA versus ROS, DDS, and MQTT: Performance evaluation of industry 4.0 protocols. Proceedings of the 2019 IEEE International Conference on Industrial Technology (ICIT), Melbourne, VIC, Australia.","DOI":"10.1109\/ICIT.2019.8755050"},{"key":"ref_11","unstructured":"Cabrera, E.J.S., Palaguachi, S., Le\u00f3n-Paredes, G.A., Gallegos-Segovia, P.L., and Bravo-Quezada, O.G. (2020). Industrial Communication Based on MQTT and Modbus Communication Applied in a Meteorological Network. The International Conference on Advances in Emerging Trends and Technologies, Springer."},{"key":"ref_12","unstructured":"M\u00fchlbauer, N., Kirdan, E., Pahl, M.O., and Waedt, K. (October, January 28). Feature-based Comparison of Open Source OPC-UA Implementations. Proceedings of the INFORMATIK 2020, Karlsruhe, Germany."},{"key":"ref_13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Silva, D., Carvalho, L.I., Soares, J., and Sofia, R.C. (2021). A Performance Analysis of Internet of Things Networking Protocols: Evaluating MQTT, CoAP, OPC UA. Appl. Sci., 11.","DOI":"10.3390\/app11114879"},{"key":"ref_14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Caliskanelli, I., Goodliffe, M., Whiffin, C., Xymitoulias, M., Whittaker, E., Verma, S., Hickman, C., Minghao, C., and Skilton, R. (2021). CorteX: A Software Framework for Interoperable, Plug-and-Play, Distributed, Robotic Systems of Systems. Software Engineering for Robotics, Springer.","DOI":"10.1007\/978-3-030-66494-7_10"},{"key":"ref_15","unstructured":"Burroughes, G., Jonathan, K., Matt, G., David, M.-G., Alexandrine, K., Ed, C., Steve, G., Antony, L., and Rob, B. (2018). Precision Control of a Slender High Payload 22 DoF Nuclear Robot System: TARM Re-Ascending, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Vienna International Centre."},{"key":"ref_16","unstructured":"Hamilton, D., and Preece, G. (2001). Development of the MASCOT Telemanipulator Control System, EFDA, Culham Science Centre. European Fusion Development Agreement Project."},{"key":"ref_17","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"244","DOI":"10.1016\/j.nucengdes.2012.09.036","article-title":"Calculations to support JET neutron yield calibration: Modelling of the JET remote handling system","volume":"261","author":"Snoj","year":"2013","journal-title":"Nucl. Eng. Des."}],"container-title":["Robotics"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2218-6581\/10\/3\/108\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,11]],"date-time":"2025-10-11T07:00:41Z","timestamp":1760166041000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2218-6581\/10\/3\/108"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2021,9,16]]},"references-count":17,"journal-issue":{"issue":"3","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,9]]}},"alternative-id":["robotics10030108"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/robotics10030108","relation":{},"ISSN":["2218-6581"],"issn-type":[{"type":"electronic","value":"2218-6581"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2021,9,16]]}}}