MEbots: Integrating a RISC-V Virtual Platform with a Robotic Simulator for Energy-aware Design

TL;DR

This paper introduces an open-source framework that combines a robotics simulator with a RISC-V virtual platform to enable energy-aware, mission-level co-simulation of autonomous systems, improving early validation and design exploration.

Contribution

It presents a novel integration of Webots and RISC-V virtual platforms, enabling comprehensive environment-aware simulation for autonomous system design.

Findings

Enables holistic co-simulation of electronics and environment

Supports energy-aware design exploration

Facilitates early validation of autonomous systems

Abstract

Virtual Platforms (VPs) enable early software validation of autonomous systems' electronics, reducing costs and time-to-market. While many VPs support both functional and non-functional simulation (e.g., timing, power), they lack the capability of simulating the environment in which the system operates. In contrast, robotics simulators lack accurate timing and power features. This twofold shortcoming limits the effectiveness of the design flow, as the designer can not fully evaluate the features of the solution under development. This paper presents a novel, fully open-source framework bridging this gap by integrating a robotics simulator (Webots) with a VP for RISC-V-based systems (MESSY). The framework enables a holistic, mission-level, energy-aware co-simulation of electronics in their surrounding environment, streamlining the exploration of design configurations and advanced power management policies.