On the Applicability of Docker Containers and systemd Services for Search and Rescue Applications

Abstract: The use of robotics in search and rescue operations has grown in recent years, as these systems have the potential to greatly improve the efficiency and effectiveness of rescue efforts. However, developing and maintaining robotics systems for search and rescue applications can be challenging. These systems often operate in harsh and unpredictable environments, which demands high autonomy and intelligent behavior of the robots. Such robots are developed based on a vast amount of (open source) software solutions, which force robotic engi- neers to focus on systems engineering instead of application implementation. One way to address robot maintenance is to use containerization and service management technologies, such as Docker containers and systemd services, to manage the software and resources on the robotics platform. Docker containers allow applications and their dependencies to be packaged in a portable, isolated environment, while systemd provides a reliable and flexible way to manage system processes. In addition, monitoring tools can be used to track system resources and alert human supervisors to potential issues, while deployment tools can streamline the process of deploying and maintaining the robotics platform. This paper tackles the identification and presentation of useful tools for robotic system maintenance focusing on search and rescue robots. We aim to provide a guideline for the robotic system maintenance process, and explore the applicability of Docker containers, systemd services, and other tools for search and rescue robotics applications. We discuss the benefits and potential challenges of using these technologies, and provide examples for application. Through our analysis, we aim to provide insight into the potential of containerization, service management, monitoring, and deployment technologies to en- hance the capabilities of search and rescue robotics systems. We hope that our study will simplify the development and maintenance procedure for robotic system development.

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@inproceedings{Novotny2023,
  author    = {Georg Novotny and Simon Schwaiger and Lucas Muster and Mohamed Aburaia and Wilfried W{\"o}ber},
  editor    = {Andreas Müller and Manfred Nader and Hubert Gattringer},
  isbn      = {978-3-200-08957-0},
  journal   = {Proceedings of the Austrian Robotics Workshop},
  month     = {4},
  pages     = {19-24},
  publisher = {Johannes Kepler University},
  title     = {On the Applicability of Docker Containers and systemd Services for Search and Rescue Applications},
  url       = {https://www.joanneum.at/fileadmin/ROBOTICS/ARW_Proceedings/2023_ARW_Proceedings.pdf},
  year      = {2023}
}

Recommended citation: Novotny, G., Schwaiger, S., Muster, L., Aburaia, M., & Wöber, W. (2023). On the Applicability of Docker Containers and systemd Services for Search and Rescue Applications. In A. Müller, M. Nader, & H. Gattringer (Eds.), Proceedings of the Austrian Robotics Workshop (pp. 19–24). Johannes Kepler University. https://www.joanneum.at/fileadmin/ROBOTICS/ARW_Proceedings/2023_ARW_Proceedings.pdf