The Uli (Unified Link Interface) SDK is an advanced software framework engineered to build highly adaptable functional modules for secure, safe, and reliable robotic systems. At the core of the Uli SDK's architecture is a dynamic, self-configuring infrastructure. This allows functional modules to be discovered, integrated, and utilized at runtime through a set of unified interfaces.
This powerful infrastructure extends beyond individual modules to connect disparate systems—including robots, controllers, AI modules, and data viewers—that have been developed using the Uli SDK. The same unified interfaces are leveraged to allow for the dynamic discovery of these complete systems and their unique capabilities. This architectural approach is what facilitates true interoperability, enabling seamless collaboration between assets across multiple operational domains.
To accelerate development and ensure mission-readiness, the Uli SDK provides a comprehensive suite of production-ready functional modules. This includes foundational pillars for the Infrastructure, Security, Safety, and Reliability, which handle the most critical, non-negotiable aspects of robotic systems. In addition, the SDK offers application-level modules for Operator Control, Data Viewing and Logging, and advanced Agentic AI, which can learn and act based on the real-time data and capabilities exposed by robots connected to the infrastructure.
The primary benefit of this modular, pre-built approach is that it empowers robotics developers to focus exclusively on their unique, value-adding logic—the core functional modules that differentiate their product. By providing a robust, pre-validated solution for the complex, non-differentiating aspects of development, the Uli SDK significantly shortens the development lifecycle, reduces project risk, and accelerates time-to-market.
Here is the high-level view of the Uli SDK architecture:
Agile and Adaptable
Leveraging its DoD MOSA-compliant design with unified interfaces and dynamic modules, the Uli SDK enables the seamless interoperability and rapid reconfiguration of capabilities, resulting in a highly agile system built for change.
AI Reasoning and Acting
The Uli SDK acts as the bridge between an AI's cognitive processes and a robotic system's capabilities, enhancing situational awareness by feeding it real-time data topics for reasoning and providing executable agents to act upon its decisions.
Security
The Uli SDK's security model uses certificate-based authentication and requires clients to make separate requests to gain explicit permissions for both data access (for topics) and control access (for agents).
Safety
The Uli SDK's safety approach combines proactive detection with decisive handling through a redundant triggering system, which automatically responds to application errors or manual e-stop commands by transitioning the entire system into a coordinated emergency state.
Reliability
The Uli SDK achieves reliability through a two-tiered state machine system that orchestrates both overall application and individual module behavior, combined with distinct operating modes that fine-tune functions for specific operational needs.
Integration
The Uli SDK automatically generates Python bindings for applications, facilitating seamless integration with the Machine Learning, ROS, Simulations, Pyside6, and a diverse array of Python frameworks.
Development
Uli SDK develops applications for:
Devices: X86_64
Nvidia Jetson Nano, Xavier NX, Orin Nano, NX, and AGX.
Operating Systems: Ubuntu 18.04 - 24.04
Jetpack 4.6, 5.1, 6.2
Tools
The Uli SDK offers a comprehensive suite of tools for code generation, building, and application deployment.
The SDK's code generation tools produce concise C++ code for record structures, messages, services, and Comp Apps. For example, the Uli-generated service code typically contains around 400 source lines of code (SLOC).
Uli SDK utilizes Google's highly efficient build tool, Bazel, which supports cross-building for both x86 and ARM 64-bit architectures.
In addition, the SDK includes shell scripts to streamline the staging and deployment of applications across a network of devices.
Highlights
1. Dynamic and Self-Configuring infrastructure for integrating robots and their capabilities.
2. Modular Open System Approach (MOSA) provides interoperability and flexibility of the system architecture.
3. Enhance LLM's situation awareness from the connected ecosystem to power its cognitive reasoning and acting cycle.
4. Context is available for agents and data topics to facilitate AI learning and LLM fine-tuning.
5. Certificate-based client authentication and authorization.
6. Exclusive control authorization of agents, categorizes into Operator, Maintainer, and Administrator.
7. Data access authorization, categorizes into Classified, Controlled, and Unclassified.
8. Lifecycle management of safety-critical applications, including startup, runtime, and shutdown phases.
9. Service health reporting and monitoring to track application status.
10. Emergency stop (e-stop) propagation to allow services to manage critical situations.
11. Support for various operating modes, including Standard, Reduced, Training, Maintenance, and user-defined modes.
12. Integration with Physical AI, ROS, simulation, and wide ranges of hardware and sensors.
13. Code generation tools that produce C++ code for record structures, messages, services, applications, and Python bindings.
14. Cross-build support for x86_64, NVIDIA Jetson Nano, Xavier, and Orin, as well as multiple Ubuntu versions (18.04 - 24.04, Jetpack 4.6, 5.1, 6.2).
Advantages
The Uli SDK is engineered to deliver a decisive edge in adaptability, interoperability, and operational integrity. Its architecture provides the following key advantages:
Self-Configuring and Adaptable Infrastructure: Its dynamic, self-configuring infrastructure allows applications and capabilities to be seamlessly added or removed, ensuring the system can rapidly evolve to meet new mission requirements.
Unified Discovery and Access: A set of unified interfaces provides a consistent method for discovering and accessing agents and data topics, dramatically accelerating development and integration.
Robust Security: A robust, certificate-based authentication and authorization model enforces distinct permissions for data and control access to prevent misuse and protect critical assets.
Integrated Safety: The integrated safety framework provides proactive monitoring of operator-initiated e-stop events and the health of critical applications to ensure a decisive response to emergencies.
Assured Reliability:A hierarchical state management system, combined with distinct operating modes, provides granular control over application functions to ensure predictable and reliable system behavior
High Quality: Quality assurance is embedded throughout the development lifecycle, with continuous review and validation to ensure objectives are met.
Cost Effectiveness: The SDK is delivered as open-source for licensed customers, offering full transparency and eliminating vendor lock-in to provide a low total cost of ownership.