  This paper presents a communication framework built to simplify the
construction of robotic ecologies, i.e., networks of heterogeneous
computational nodes interfaced with sensors, actuators, and mobile robots.
Building integrated ambient intelligence (AmI) solutions out of such a wide
range of heterogeneous devices is a key requirement for a range of application
domains, such as home automation, logistic, security and Ambient Assisted
Living (AAL). This goal is challenging since these ecologies need to adapt to
changing environments and especially when they include tiny embedded devices
with limited computational resources. We discuss a number of requirements
characterizing this type of systems and illustrate how they have been addressed
in the design of the new communication framework. The most distinguishing
aspect of our frameworks is the transparency with which the same communication
features are offered across heterogeneous programming languages and operating
systems under a consistent API. Finally, we illustrate how the framework has
been used to bind together and to support the operations of all the components
of adaptive robotic ecologies in two real-world test-beds.
