Are there any demos which show how to deploy MATLAB or Simulink to a PC for robotics?

I have a mobile robotics system that I am looking to control using a PC running MATLAB or Simulink. How can I do this? Are there any code examples showing how to do so?

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What I would like to do:

• Run MATLAB/Simulink on the PC in soft real-time
• Acquire video from a USB camera at a specified rate (i.e. 10 fps)
• Communicate using Serial/UDP/TCPIP to other hardware (i.e. micro-controllers, micro-computers, LIDAR)

[MathWorks Student Competitions Team]

The MathWorks File Exchange entry called " Getting Started AUVSI " has examples showing how to run MATLAB and Simulink on a PC in soft real-time.

• In MATLAB, you would use timer objects which execute callback functions at user specified rates.
• In Simulink, the "Real-Time Synchronization" in Windows with Real-Time Windows Target will make Simulink models run in soft real-time.

To acquire video from a USB camera, use the Image Acquisition Toolbox's imaq.VideoDevice method in MATLAB and the "From Video Device" block in Simulink.

vidobj = imaq.VideoDevice('winvideo', 1);

function mytimercallback(~,~)
  frame = step(vidobj);
  // perform image processing on frame
end

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To communicate using Serial/UDP/TCPIP to other hardware, you can use the Instrument Control Toolbox's communication methods and blocks.

s = serial('COM26'); // initialize serial object buffer

fread(s,1); // read 1 byte from the serial port buffer

fwrite(s,22); // transmit 1 byte, 22, to the serial port

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For more information, feel free to reply to this post or take a look at the following resources:

• MathWorks AUVSI Student Competition Page
• MathWorks Robotics