The concurrence of social robots with different functionalities and cyber-physical systems in indoor environments has recently been increasing in many fields, such as medicine, education, and industry. In such scenarios, the collaboration of such heterogeneous robots demands effective communication for task completion. The concept of the Internet of Robotic Things (IoRT) is introduced as a potential solution, leveraging technologies like Artificial Intelligence, Cloud Computing, and Mesh Networks. This paper proposes an IoRT-based middleware that allows the communication of different types of robot operating systems in dynamic environments, using a cloud-based protocol. This middleware facilitates task assignment, training, and planning for heterogeneous robots, while enabling distributed communication via WiFi. The system operates in two control modes: local and cloud-based, for flexible communication and information distribution. This work highlights the challenges of current communication methods, particularly in ensuring information reach, agility, and handling diverse robots. To demonstrate the middleware suitability and applicability, an implementation of a proof-of-concept is shown in a touristic scenario where several guide robots can collaborate by effectively sharing information gathered from their heterogeneous sensor systems, with the aid of cloud processing or even internal communication processes. Results show that the performance of the middleware allows real-time applications for heterogeneous multi-robot systems in different domains.
