kcontrol has been developed to have a testbed for 'real-life' experiments within the field of robotics. It controls a miniature robot via a serial link. Some useful widgets have been implemented to assist programmers to integrate their own ideas within the program easily. It can collect information about the internal state of the robot, monitor parameters and displays them on a common X-Display. Various algorithms or controllers can be written and tested simulteanously. New controllers and their algorithms can be derived from a base object which can supply generalized methods for storing and loading parameters, observing the testrun, displaying spezific parameters and controls or allow the change of parameters while running the experiment. A canvas can be used to display graphic data.

#### Whats new

- the content of the canvas can be saved into a *.xpm file
- to form a presentation the data of the canvas can be recorded into a sequence of images while running an experiment
- the trajectory of the robot can be recorded and lateron used by a simulated run
- user settable parameters can be saved per demo at program exit
- the bounds of parameter sliders can be extended while running the demo
- new demos
  - the competing differential equations -- an approach to increase the reliability of dead reckoning or to serve navigation by landmarks
  - the homeokinesis controller --
  - the sun-compass -- preprocess data from all ambient light sensors into one virtual angle sensor
  - path replay -- simulate a previous recorded run for faster testing of non-controlling algorithms
- a generalized controller object manages the run of a individual demo
- individual demos can be derived from a base demo object
- new demos can be created from a template -- the Makefile recognizes them automatically
- a new "duplex" paradigm and message queueing is used to reduce the bandwidth on the serial line and to refine the granularity of the controller
- some filter functions where added to process the image data from the camera, one can chain up to 4 filter stages

#### new library faeatures

- sensor objects adapt to the range of the specific sensor and return always values between 0.0 and 1.0
- sensor object can also return a average value
- we can have virtual sensors
- uses run-length-encoding to store image data

#### older Features

- controls up to 4 KheperaŽ robots at the same time (there are some restrictions)
- neuronal network demo controller

#### Preview

- apperance
- kcontrol manpage

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