Level 8 — Communication & Debug
Data exchange, diagnostics, and system visibility
Communication and debugging make a robot observable and controllable. Without visibility into internal states, even simple systems become impossible to diagnose and maintain.
This level focuses on practical communication methods and disciplined debugging strategies used in real robotic systems.
Communication purpose
Communication allows robots to exchange data with controllers, computers, or other robots.
- sending commands
- reporting sensor data
- monitoring system status
Common communication interfaces
- UART — simple, point-to-point serial communication
- I2C — multi-device bus with addressing
- SPI — high-speed synchronous communication
- CAN — robust network for distributed systems
Protocol design
A protocol defines how data is structured and interpreted. Clear protocols prevent miscommunication and simplify debugging.
- fixed message formats
- checksums or validation
- explicit command definitions
Debugging tools
Debugging requires visibility into internal system behavior.
- serial logs for real-time observation
- status LEDs for quick diagnostics
- logic analyzers for signal inspection
- oscilloscopes for timing and noise analysis
Logging strategy
Logs should be structured and informative, not verbose noise.
- log system states and transitions
- log errors and warnings explicitly
- avoid blocking control loops with logging
Common communication problems
- timing mismatches between sender and receiver
- noise-induced data corruption
- bus contention or address conflicts
- hidden dependencies between modules
What you should know after Level 8
- how robots exchange data
- why protocol design matters
- how to observe internal system states
- why disciplined debugging saves time and hardware
Next: Level 9 — System Integration