Integrating Soft Robotics with the Robot Operating System: A Hybrid Pick and Place Arm

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ross M. McKenzie

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Soft robotic systems present a variety of new opportunities for solving complex problems. The use of soft robotic grippers, for example, can simplify the complexity in tasks such as the grasping of irregular and delicate objects. Adoption of soft robotics by the informatics community and industry, however, has been slow and this is, in-part, due to the amount of hardware and software that must be developed from scratch for each use of soft system components. In this paper, we detail the design, fabrication, and validation of an open-source framework that we designed to lower the barrier to entry for integrating soft robotic subsystems. This framework is built on the robot operating system (ROS, and we use it to demonstrate a modular, soft–hard hybrid system, which is capable of completing pick and place tasks. By lowering this barrier to entry through our open sourced hardware and software, we hope that system designers and Informatics researchers will find it easy to integrate soft components into their existing ROS-enabled robotic systems.

Human likeness: cognitive and affective factors affecting adoption of robot-assisted learning systems

Science.gov (United States)

Yoo, Hosun; Kwon, Ohbyung; Lee, Namyeon

2016-07-01

With advances in robot technology, interest in robotic e-learning systems has increased. In some laboratories, experiments are being conducted with humanoid robots as artificial tutors because of their likeness to humans, the rich possibilities of using this type of media, and the multimodal interaction capabilities of these robots. The robot-assisted learning system, a special type of e-learning system, aims to increase the learner's concentration, pleasure, and learning performance dramatically. However, very few empirical studies have examined the effect on learning performance of incorporating humanoid robot technology into e-learning systems or people's willingness to accept or adopt robot-assisted learning systems. In particular, human likeness, the essential characteristic of humanoid robots as compared with conventional e-learning systems, has not been discussed in a theoretical context. Hence, the purpose of this study is to propose a theoretical model to explain the process of adoption of robot-assisted learning systems. In the proposed model, human likeness is conceptualized as a combination of media richness, multimodal interaction capabilities, and para-social relationships; these factors are considered as possible determinants of the degree to which human cognition and affection are related to the adoption of robot-assisted learning systems.

A new method to evaluate human-robot system performance

Science.gov (United States)

Rodriguez, G.; Weisbin, C. R.

2003-01-01

One of the key issues in space exploration is that of deciding what space tasks are best done with humans, with robots, or a suitable combination of each. In general, human and robot skills are complementary. Humans provide as yet unmatched capabilities to perceive, think, and act when faced with anomalies and unforeseen events, but there can be huge potential risks to human safety in getting these benefits. Robots provide complementary skills in being able to work in extremely risky environments, but their ability to perceive, think, and act by themselves is currently not error-free, although these capabilities are continually improving with the emergence of new technologies. Substantial past experience validates these generally qualitative notions. However, there is a need for more rigorously systematic evaluation of human and robot roles, in order to optimize the design and performance of human-robot system architectures using well-defined performance evaluation metrics. This article summarizes a new analytical method to conduct such quantitative evaluations. While the article focuses on evaluating human-robot systems, the method is generally applicable to a much broader class of systems whose performance needs to be evaluated.

Intelligent robotics and remote systems for the nuclear industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wehe, D.K.; Lee, J.C.; Martin, W.R.; Tulenko, J.

1989-01-01

The nuclear industry has a recognized need for intelligent, multitask robots to carry out tasks in harsh environments. From 1986 to the present, the number of robotic systems available or under development for use in the nuclear industry has more than doubled. Presently, artificial intelligence (AI) plays a relatively small role in existing robots used in the nuclear industry. Indeed, the lack of intelligence has been labeled the ''Achilles heel'' of all current robotic technology. However, larger-scale efforts are underway to make the multitask robot more sensitive to its environment, more capable to move and perform useful work, and more fully autonomous via the use of AI. In this paper, we review the terminology, the history, and the factors which are motivating the development of robotics and remove systems; discuss the applications related to the nuclear industry; and, finally, examine the state of the art of the technologies being applied to introduce more autonomous capabilities. Much of this latter work can be classified as within the artificial intelligence framework. (orig.)

A robotic system for researching social integration in honeybees.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Karlo Griparić

Full Text Available In this paper, we present a novel robotic system developed for researching collective social mechanisms in a biohybrid society of robots and honeybees. The potential for distributed coordination, as observed in nature in many different animal species, has caused an increased interest in collective behaviour research in recent years because of its applicability to a broad spectrum of technical systems requiring robust multi-agent control. One of the main problems is understanding the mechanisms driving the emergence of collective behaviour of social animals. With the aim of deepening the knowledge in this field, we have designed a multi-robot system capable of interacting with honeybees within an experimental arena. The final product, stationary autonomous robot units, designed by specificaly considering the physical, sensorimotor and behavioral characteristics of the honeybees (lat. Apis mallifera, are equipped with sensing, actuating, computation, and communication capabilities that enable the measurement of relevant environmental states, such as honeybee presence, and adequate response to the measurements by generating heat, vibration and airflow. The coordination among robots in the developed system is established using distributed controllers. The cooperation between the two different types of collective systems is realized by means of a consensus algorithm, enabling the honeybees and the robots to achieve a common objective. Presented results, obtained within ASSISIbf project, show successful cooperation indicating its potential for future applications.

A robotic system for researching social integration in honeybees.

Science.gov (United States)

Griparić, Karlo; Haus, Tomislav; Miklić, Damjan; Polić, Marsela; Bogdan, Stjepan

2017-01-01

In this paper, we present a novel robotic system developed for researching collective social mechanisms in a biohybrid society of robots and honeybees. The potential for distributed coordination, as observed in nature in many different animal species, has caused an increased interest in collective behaviour research in recent years because of its applicability to a broad spectrum of technical systems requiring robust multi-agent control. One of the main problems is understanding the mechanisms driving the emergence of collective behaviour of social animals. With the aim of deepening the knowledge in this field, we have designed a multi-robot system capable of interacting with honeybees within an experimental arena. The final product, stationary autonomous robot units, designed by specificaly considering the physical, sensorimotor and behavioral characteristics of the honeybees (lat. Apis mallifera), are equipped with sensing, actuating, computation, and communication capabilities that enable the measurement of relevant environmental states, such as honeybee presence, and adequate response to the measurements by generating heat, vibration and airflow. The coordination among robots in the developed system is established using distributed controllers. The cooperation between the two different types of collective systems is realized by means of a consensus algorithm, enabling the honeybees and the robots to achieve a common objective. Presented results, obtained within ASSISIbf project, show successful cooperation indicating its potential for future applications.

Integrating Robot Task Planning into Off-Line Programming Systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sun, Hongyan; Kroszynski, Uri

1988-01-01

a system architecture for integrated robot task planning. It identifies and describes the components considered necessary for implementation. The focus is on functionality of these elements as well as on the information flow. A pilot implementation of such an integrated system architecture for a robot......The addition of robot task planning in off-line programming systems aims at improving the capability of current state-of-the-art commercially available off-line programming systems, by integrating modeling, task planning, programming and simulation together under one platform. This article proposes...... assembly task is discussed....

SRAO: the first southern robotic AO system

Science.gov (United States)

Law, Nicholas M.; Ziegler, Carl; Tokovinin, Andrei

2016-08-01

We present plans for SRAO, the first Southern Robotic AO system. SRAO will use AO-assisted speckle imaging and Robo-AO-heritage high efficiency observing to confirm and characterize thousands of planet candidates produced by major new transit surveys like TESS, and is the first AO system to be capable of building a comprehensive several-thousand-target multiplicity survey at sub-AU scales across the main sequence. We will also describe results from Robo-AO, the first robotic LGS-AO system. Robo-AO has observed tens of thousands of Northern targets, often using a similar speckle or Lucky-Imaging assisted mode. SRAO will be a moderate-order natural-guide-star adaptive optics system which uses an innovative photoncounting wavefront sensor and EMCCD speckle-imaging camera to guide on faint stars with the 4.1m SOAR telescope. The system will produce diffraction-limited imaging in the NIR on targets as faint as mν = 16. In AO-assisted speckle imaging mode the system will attain the 30-mas visible diffraction limit on targets at least as faint as mν = 17. The system will be the first Southern hemisphere robotic adaptive optics system, with overheads an order of magnitude smaller than comparable systems. Using Robo-AO's proven robotic AO software, SRAO will be capable of observing overheads on sub-minute scales, allowing the observation of at least 200 targets per night. SRAO will attain three times the angular resolution of the Palomar Robo-AO system in the visible.

The Remotely Controlled Robot System for Nuclear Power Plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koh, Kwangill; Lee, Gwangnam; Lim, Kyeyoung

1993-01-01

The problem of radioactivity has been our major concern. So, it makes the needs of remotely controlled robot system necessary for maintenance and repair services. Up to now, several foreign companies have been contracted for the maintenance of the steam generators of nuclear power plants in Korea, to acquire its own capability of maintaining the steam generators of it impossible for Korea to acquire its own capability of maintaining the steam generators. In case of emergency, it is difficult to take appropriate steps on its own. In order to resolve the above problems, it seems inevitable to develop the robot system for the inspection and repair of steam generator. This project intends to acquire domestic capabilities of maintaining steam generators, so that this advanced skills could be applied to the related areas. As a result, it will save immense money in the future. the purposes of development of the remotely controlled robot system are : to perform the desired tasks at the polluted area without requiring entry of personnel. to closely inspect the steam generator U-tubes at high speed. to inspect the steam generator intelligently and efficiently under the extreme circumstances where radioactivity problem is very severe. to use for the repair of steam generator tube. Considering from the social and technical standpoint, we can say that the development of the remotely controlled robot system for nuclear power plants resulted in great achievements. From the social standpoint, it should be recognized that domestic robot for nuclear power plant was successfully developed and operator was protected against radioactivity. Also, we advanced our skills in the area of mechanical and control system design for an articulated robot. Using the robot controller in hierarchical structure, it was possible to control the robot remotely. In addition, resolver feedback typed A C servo drive was proven to be sturdy in hazardous environment. Now we are confident that our robot will

Current Capabilities and Development Potential in Surgical Robotics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mathias Hoeckelmann

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Commercial surgical robots have been in clinical use since the mid-1990s, supporting surgeons in various tasks. In the past decades, many systems emerged as research platforms, and a few entered the global market. This paper summarizes the currently available surgical systems and research directions in the broader field of surgical robotics. The widely deployed teleoperated manipulators aim to enhance human cognitive and physical skills and provide smart tools for surgeons, while image-guided robotics focus on surpassing human limitations by introducing automated targeting and treatment delivery methods. Both concepts are discussed based on prototypes and commercial systems. Through concrete examples the possible future development paths of surgical robots are illustrated. While research efforts are taking different approaches to improve the capacity of such systems, the aim of this survey is to assess their maturity from the commercialization point of view.

Knowledge based systems for intelligent robotics

Science.gov (United States)

Rajaram, N. S.

1982-01-01

It is pointed out that the construction of large space platforms, such as space stations, has to be carried out in the outer space environment. As it is extremely expensive to support human workers in space for large periods, the only feasible solution appears to be related to the development and deployment of highly capable robots for most of the tasks. Robots for space applications will have to possess characteristics which are very different from those needed by robots in industry. The present investigation is concerned with the needs of space robotics and the technologies which can be of assistance to meet these needs, giving particular attention to knowledge bases. 'Intelligent' robots are required for the solution of arising problems. The collection of facts and rules needed for accomplishing such solutions form the 'knowledge base' of the system.

Development of a remote tank inspection robotic system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Knape, B.P.; Bares, L.C.

1990-01-01

RedZone Robotics is currently developing a remote tank inspection (RTI) robotic system for Westinghouse Idaho Nuclear Company (WINCO). WINCO intends to use the RTI robotic system at the Idaho Chemical Processing Plant, a facility that contains a tank farm of several 1,135,500-ell (300,000-gal), 15.2-m (50-ft)-diam, high-level liquid waste storage tanks. The primary purpose of the RTI robotic system is to inspect the interior of these tanks for corrosion that may have been caused by the combined effects of radiation, high temperature, and caustic by the combined effects of radiation, high temperature, and caustic chemicals present inside the tanks. The RTI robotic system features a vertical deployment unit, a robotic arm, and a remote control console and computer [located up to 30.5 m (100 ft) away from the tank site]. All actuators are high torque, electric dc brush motors that are servocontrolled with absolute position feedback. The control system uses RedZone's standardized intelligent controller for enhanced telerobotics, which provides a high speed, multitasking environment on a VME bus. Currently, the robot is controlled in a manual, job-button, control mode; however, control capability is available to develop preprogrammed, automated modes of operation

Development of Advanced Robotic Hand System for space application

Science.gov (United States)

Machida, Kazuo; Akita, Kenzo; Mikami, Tatsuo; Komada, Satoru

1994-01-01

The Advanced Robotic Hand System (ARH) is a precise telerobotics system with a semi dexterous hand for future space application. The ARH will be tested in space as one of the missions of the Engineering Tests Satellite 7 (ETS-7) which will be launched in 1997. The objectives of the ARH development are to evaluate the capability of a possible robot hand for precise and delicate tasks and to validate the related technologies implemented in the system. The ARH is designed to be controlled both from ground as a teleoperation and by locally autonomous control. This paper presents the overall system design and the functional capabilities of the ARH as well as its mission outline as the preliminary design has been completed.

A bio-inspired electrocommunication system for small underwater robots.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Wei; Liu, Jindong; Xie, Guangming; Wen, Li; Zhang, Jianwei

2017-03-29

Weakly electric fishes (Gymnotid and Mormyrid) use an electric field to communicate efficiently (termed electrocommunication) in the turbid waters of confined spaces where other communication modalities fail. Inspired by this biological phenomenon, we design an artificial electrocommunication system for small underwater robots and explore the capabilities of such an underwater robotic communication system. An analytical model for electrocommunication is derived to predict the effect of the key parameters such as electrode distance and emitter current of the system on the communication performance. According to this model, a low-dissipation, and small-sized electrocommunication system is proposed and integrated into a small robotic fish. We characterize the communication performance of the robot in still water, flowing water, water with obstacles and natural water conditions. The results show that underwater robots are able to communicate electrically at a speed of around 1 k baud within about 3 m with a low power consumption (less than 1 W). In addition, we demonstrate that two leader-follower robots successfully achieve motion synchronization through electrocommunication in the three-dimensional underwater space, indicating that this bio-inspired electrocommunication system is a promising setup for the interaction of small underwater robots.

Robotic system for process sampling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dyches, G.M.

1985-01-01

A three-axis cartesian geometry robot for process sampling was developed at the Savannah River Laboratory (SRL) and implemented in one of the site radioisotope separations facilities. Use of the robot reduces personnel radiation exposure and contamination potential by routinely handling sample containers under operator control in a low-level radiation area. This robot represents the initial phase of a longer term development program to use robotics for further sample automation. Preliminary design of a second generation robot with additional capabilities is also described. 8 figs

A Hybrid Robotic Control System Using Neuroblastoma Cultures

Science.gov (United States)

Ferrández, J. M.; Lorente, V.; Cuadra, J. M.; Delapaz, F.; Álvarez-Sánchez, José Ramón; Fernández, E.

The main objective of this work is to analyze the computing capabilities of human neuroblastoma cultured cells and to define connection schemes for controlling a robot behavior. Multielectrode Array (MEA) setups have been designed for direct culturing neural cells over silicon or glass substrates, providing the capability to stimulate and record simultaneously populations of neural cells. This paper describes the process of growing human neuroblastoma cells over MEA substrates and tries to modulate the natural physiologic responses of these cells by tetanic stimulation of the culture. We show that the large neuroblastoma networks developed in cultured MEAs are capable of learning: establishing numerous and dynamic connections, with modifiability induced by external stimuli and we propose an hybrid system for controlling a robot to avoid obstacles.

A real time tracking vision system and its application to robotics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Inoue, Hirochika

1994-01-01

Among various sensing channels the vision is most important for making robot intelligent. If provided with a high speed visual tracking capability, the robot-environment interaction becomes dynamic instead of static, and thus the potential repertoire of robot behavior becomes very rich. For this purpose we developed a real-time tracking vision system. The fundamental operation on which our system based is the calculation of correlation between local images. Use of special chip for correlation and the multi-processor configuration enable the robot to track more than hundreds cues in full video rate. In addition to the fundamental visual performance, applications for robot behavior control are also introduced. (author)

An advanced rehabilitation robotic system for augmenting healthcare.

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, John; Lim, Yi-Je; Ding, Ye; Paluska, Daniel; Solochek, Aaron; Laffery, David; Bonato, Paolo; Marchessault, Ronald

2011-01-01

Emerging technologies such as rehabilitation robots (RehaBot) for retraining upper and lower limb functions have shown to carry tremendous potential to improve rehabilitation outcomes. Hstar Technologies is developing a revolutionary rehabilitation robot system enhancing healthcare quality for patients with neurological and muscular injuries or functional impairments. The design of RehaBot is a safe and robust system that can be run at a rehabilitation hospital under the direct monitoring and interactive supervision control and at a remote site via telepresence operation control. RehaBot has a wearable robotic structure design like exoskeleton, which employs a unique robotic actuation--Series Elastic Actuator. These electric actuators provide robotic structural compliance, safety, flexibility, and required strength for upper extremity dexterous manipulation rehabilitation training. RehaBot also features a novel non-treadmill paddle platform capable of haptics feedback locomotion rehabilitation training. In this paper, we concern mainly about the motor incomplete patient and rehabilitation applications.

Development of an integrated closed loop control system with virtual reality monitoring for Prototype Robotic Articulated System (PRAS)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rastogi, Naveen; Dutta, Pramit; Gotewal, K.K.

2015-01-01

The Prototype Robotic Articulated System (PRAS) is a servo driven 4 degrees of freedom robotic arm capable of handling of upto 5 kg payload. A virtual reality based monitoring application has been developed in blender and was intergrated with the control system to read the joint values of the robotic arm at 10Hz and update the CAD model to visualize the robotic operations remotely. This paper presents the design details and implementation results of the integrated control system for PRAS

Remote-controlled vision-guided mobile robot system

Science.gov (United States)

Ande, Raymond; Samu, Tayib; Hall, Ernest L.

1997-09-01

Automated guided vehicles (AGVs) have many potential applications in manufacturing, medicine, space and defense. The purpose of this paper is to describe exploratory research on the design of the remote controlled emergency stop and vision systems for an autonomous mobile robot. The remote control provides human supervision and emergency stop capabilities for the autonomous vehicle. The vision guidance provides automatic operation. A mobile robot test-bed has been constructed using a golf cart base. The mobile robot (Bearcat) was built for the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems (AUVS) 1997 competition. The mobile robot has full speed control with guidance provided by a vision system and an obstacle avoidance system using ultrasonic sensors systems. Vision guidance is accomplished using two CCD cameras with zoom lenses. The vision data is processed by a high speed tracking device, communicating with the computer the X, Y coordinates of blobs along the lane markers. The system also has three emergency stop switches and a remote controlled emergency stop switch that can disable the traction motor and set the brake. Testing of these systems has been done in the lab as well as on an outside test track with positive results that show that at five mph the vehicle can follow a line and at the same time avoid obstacles.

Effective programming of energy consuming industrial robot systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Trnka, K.; Pinter, T.; Knazik, M.; Bozek, P.

2012-01-01

This paper discusses the problem of effective motion planning for industrial robots. The first part dealt with current method for off-line motion planning. In the second part is presented the work done with one of the simulation system with automatic trajectory generation and off-line programming capability [4]. An spot welding process is involved. The practical application of this step strongly depends on the method for robot path optimization with high accuracy, thus, transform the path into a time and energy optimal robot program for the real world, which is discussed in the third step. (Authors)

Message Encryption in Robot Operating System: Collateral Effects of Hardening Mobile Robots

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Francisco J. Rodríguez-Lera

2018-03-01

Full Text Available In human–robot interaction situations, robot sensors collect huge amounts of data from the environment in order to characterize the situation. Some of the gathered data ought to be treated as private, such as medical data (i.e., medication guidelines, personal, and safety information (i.e., images of children, home habits, alarm codes, etc.. However, most robotic software development frameworks are not designed for securely managing this information. This paper analyzes the scenario of hardening one of the most widely used robotic middlewares, Robot Operating System (ROS. The study investigates a robot’s performance when ciphering the messages interchanged between ROS nodes under the publish/subscribe paradigm. In particular, this research focuses on the nodes that manage cameras and LIDAR sensors, which are two of the most extended sensing solutions in mobile robotics, and analyzes the collateral effects on the robot’s achievement under different computing capabilities and encryption algorithms (3DES, AES, and Blowfish to robot performance. The findings present empirical evidence that simple encryption algorithms are lightweight enough to provide cyber-security even in low-powered robots when carefully designed and implemented. Nevertheless, these techniques come with a number of serious drawbacks regarding robot autonomy and performance if they are applied randomly. To avoid these issues, we define a taxonomy that links the type of ROS message, computational units, and the encryption methods. As a result, we present a model to select the optimal options for hardening a mobile robot using ROS.

Remote Robotic Cleaning System for Contaminated Hot-Cell Floor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Ki Ho; Park, Jang Jin; Yang, Myung S.; Kwon, Hyo Kjo

2005-01-01

The M6 hot-cell of the Irradiated Material Examination Facility at the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) has been contaminated with spent fuel debris and other radioactive waste due to the DUPIC nuclear fuel development processes. As the hot-cell is active, direct human workers' access, even with protection, to the in-cell is not possible because of the nature of the high radiation level of the spent PWR fuel. A remote robotic cleaning system has been developed for use in a highly radioactive environment of the M6 hot-cell. The remote robotic cleaning system was designed to completely eliminate human interaction with hazardous radioactive contaminants. This robotic cleaning system was also designed to remove contaminants or contaminated smears placed or fixed on the floor of the M6 hot-cell by mopping it in a remote manner. The environmental, functional and mechanical design considerations, control system and capabilities of the developed remote robotic cleaning system are presented

Cloud-Enhanced Robotic System for Smart City Crowd Control

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Akhlaqur Rahman

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Cloud robotics in smart cities is an emerging paradigm that enables autonomous robotic agents to communicate and collaborate with a cloud computing infrastructure. It complements the Internet of Things (IoT by creating an expanded network where robots offload data-intensive computation to the ubiquitous cloud to ensure quality of service (QoS. However, offloading for robots is significantly complex due to their unique characteristics of mobility, skill-learning, data collection, and decision-making capabilities. In this paper, a generic cloud robotics framework is proposed to realize smart city vision while taking into consideration its various complexities. Specifically, we present an integrated framework for a crowd control system where cloud-enhanced robots are deployed to perform necessary tasks. The task offloading is formulated as a constrained optimization problem capable of handling any task flow that can be characterized by a Direct Acyclic Graph (DAG. We consider two scenarios of minimizing energy and time, respectively, and develop a genetic algorithm (GA-based approach to identify the optimal task offloading decisions. The performance comparison with two benchmarks shows that our GA scheme achieves desired energy and time performance. We also show the adaptability of our algorithm by varying the values for bandwidth and movement. The results suggest their impact on offloading. Finally, we present a multi-task flow optimal path sequence problem that highlights how the robot can plan its task completion via movements that expend the minimum energy. This integrates path planning with offloading for robotics. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first attempt to evaluate cloud-based task offloading for a smart city crowd control system.

Robot operating system (ROS) the complete reference

CERN Document Server

The objective of this book is to provide the reader with a comprehensive coverage on the Robot Operating Systems (ROS) and latest related systems, which is currently considered as the main development framework for robotics applications. The book includes twenty-seven chapters organized into eight parts. Part 1 presents the basics and foundations of ROS. In Part 2, four chapters deal with navigation, motion and planning. Part 3 provides four examples of service and experimental robots. Part 4 deals with real-world deployment of applications. Part 5 presents signal-processing tools for perception and sensing. Part 6 provides software engineering methodologies to design complex software with ROS. Simulations frameworks are presented in Part 7. Finally, Part 8 presents advanced tools and frameworks for ROS including multi-master extension, network introspection, controllers and cognitive systems. This book will be a valuable companion for ROS users and developers to learn more ROS capabilities and features.   ...

FY 1998 Report on research and development project. Research and development of human-cooperative/coexisting robot systems; 1998 nendo ningen kyocho kyozongata robot system kenkyu kaihatsu seika hokokusho

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2000-03-01

This R and D project is aimed at development of the human-cooperative/coexisting robot systems with high safety and reliability, capable of performing complicated works cooperatively and in a coexisting manner with humans in human working and living spaces, in order to help improve safety and efficiency in various industrial areas, improve services and convenience in manufacturing and service areas, and create new industries. The trend surveys cover humanoid robot systems, remote control systems and simulators, and the application surveys cover services for humans, basic humanoids and entertainment communication. The 1998 R and D efforts include research and development, fabrication and surveys for the following themes; (1) fabrication of robot platforms for supporting manual works, (2) development of surrounded visual display systems, (3) development of robot arm manipulation and force displaying systems, (4) development of a dynamic simulator, (5) development of a distributed software platform, (6) researches and development of computation algorithm for kinematic chain dynamics, (7) development of motion teaching system for multi-functional robots, (8) investigation of trends in robotics technology, and (9) researches and surveys of robot application. (NEDO)

Intelligent robotic tracker

Science.gov (United States)

Otaguro, W. S.; Kesler, L. O.; Land, K. C.; Rhoades, D. E.

1987-01-01

An intelligent tracker capable of robotic applications requiring guidance and control of platforms, robotic arms, and end effectors has been developed. This packaged system capable of supervised autonomous robotic functions is partitioned into a multiple processor/parallel processing configuration. The system currently interfaces to cameras but has the capability to also use three-dimensional inputs from scanning laser rangers. The inputs are fed into an image processing and tracking section where the camera inputs are conditioned for the multiple tracker algorithms. An executive section monitors the image processing and tracker outputs and performs all the control and decision processes. The present architecture of the system is presented with discussion of its evolutionary growth for space applications. An autonomous rendezvous demonstration of this system was performed last year. More realistic demonstrations in planning are discussed.

Towards Sociable Robots

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ngo, Trung Dung

This thesis studies aspects of self-sufficient energy (energy autonomy) for truly autonomous robots and towards sociable robots. Over sixty years of history of robotics through three developmental ages containing single robot, multi-robot systems, and social (sociable) robots, the main objective...... of roboticists mostly focuses on how to make a robotic system function autonomously and further, socially. However, such approaches mostly emphasize behavioural autonomy, rather than energy autonomy which is the key factor for not only any living machine, but for life on the earth. Consequently, self......-sufficient energy is one of the challenges for not only single robot or multi-robot systems, but also social and sociable robots. This thesis is to deal with energy autonomy for multi-robot systems through energy sharing (trophallaxis) in which each robot is equipped with two capabilities: self-refueling energy...

Autonomous mobile robotic system for supporting counterterrorist and surveillance operations

Science.gov (United States)

Adamczyk, Marek; Bulandra, Kazimierz; Moczulski, Wojciech

2017-10-01

Contemporary research on mobile robots concerns applications to counterterrorist and surveillance operations. The goal is to develop systems that are capable of supporting the police and special forces by carrying out such operations. The paper deals with a dedicated robotic system for surveillance of large objects such as airports, factories, military bases, and many others. The goal is to trace unauthorised persons who try to enter to the guarded area, document the intrusion and report it to the surveillance centre, and then warn the intruder by sound messages and eventually subdue him/her by stunning through acoustic effect of great power. The system consists of several parts. An armoured four-wheeled robot assures required mobility of the system. The robot is equipped with a set of sensors including 3D mapping system, IR and video cameras, and microphones. It communicates with the central control station (CCS) by means of a wideband wireless encrypted system. A control system of the robot can operate autonomously, and under remote control. In the autonomous mode the robot follows the path planned by the CCS. Once an intruder has been detected, the robot can adopt its plan to allow tracking him/her. Furthermore, special procedures of treatment of the intruder are applied including warning about the breach of the border of the protected area, and incapacitation of an appropriately selected very loud sound until a patrol of guards arrives. Once getting stuck the robot can contact the operator who can remotely solve the problem the robot is faced with.

Robot-laser system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Akeel, H.A.

1987-01-01

A robot-laser system is described for providing a laser beam at a desired location, the system comprising: a laser beam source; a robot including a plurality of movable parts including a hollow robot arm having a central axis along which the laser source directs the laser beam; at least one mirror for reflecting the laser beam from the source to the desired location, the mirror being mounted within the robot arm to move therewith and relative thereto to about a transverse axis that extends angularly to the central axis of the robot arm; and an automatic programmable control system for automatically moving the mirror about the transverse axis relative to and in synchronization with movement of the robot arm to thereby direct the laser beam to the desired location as the arm is moved

Robot vision

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hall, E.L.

1984-01-01

Almost all industrial robots use internal sensors such as shaft encoders which measure rotary position, or tachometers which measure velocity, to control their motions. Most controllers also provide interface capabilities so that signals from conveyors, machine tools, and the robot itself may be used to accomplish a task. However, advanced external sensors, such as visual sensors, can provide a much greater degree of adaptability for robot control as well as add automatic inspection capabilities to the industrial robot. Visual and other sensors are now being used in fundamental operations such as material processing with immediate inspection, material handling with adaption, arc welding, and complex assembly tasks. A new industry of robot vision has emerged. The application of these systems is an area of great potential

Enhancing the effectiveness of human-robot teaming with a closed-loop system.

Science.gov (United States)

Teo, Grace; Reinerman-Jones, Lauren; Matthews, Gerald; Szalma, James; Jentsch, Florian; Hancock, Peter

2018-02-01

With technological developments in robotics and their increasing deployment, human-robot teams are set to be a mainstay in the future. To develop robots that possess teaming capabilities, such as being able to communicate implicitly, the present study implemented a closed-loop system. This system enabled the robot to provide adaptive aid without the need for explicit commands from the human teammate, through the use of multiple physiological workload measures. Such measures of workload vary in sensitivity and there is large inter-individual variability in physiological responses to imposed taskload. Workload models enacted via closed-loop system should accommodate such individual variability. The present research investigated the effects of the adaptive robot aid vs. imposed aid on performance and workload. Results showed that adaptive robot aid driven by an individualized workload model for physiological response resulted in greater improvements in performance compared to aid that was simply imposed by the system. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Design, implementation and testing of master slave robotic surgical system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ali, S.A.

2015-01-01

The autonomous manipulation of the medical robotics is needed to draw up a complete surgical plan in development. The autonomy of the robot comes from the fact that once the plan is drawn up off-line, it is the servo loops, and only these, that control the actions of the robot online, based on instantaneous control signals and measurements provided by the vision or force sensors. Using only these autonomous techniques in medical and surgical robotics remain relatively limited for two main reasons: Predicting complexity of the gestures, and human Safety. Therefore, Modern research in haptic force feedback in medical robotics is aimed to develop medical robots capable of performing remotely, what a surgeon does by himself. These medical robots are supposed to work exactly in the manner that a surgeon does in daily routine. In this paper the master slave tele-robotic system is designed and implemented with accuracy and stability by using 6DOF (Six Degree of Freedom) haptic force feedback devices. The master slave control strategy, haptic devices integration, application software designing using Visual C++ and experimental setup are considered. Finally, results are presented the stability, accuracy and repeatability of the system. (author)

Design, Implementation and Testing of Master Slave Robotic Surgical System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Syed Amjad Ali

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The autonomous manipulation of the medical robotics is needed to draw up a complete surgical plan in development. The autonomy of the robot comes from the fact that once the plan is drawn up off-line, it is the servo loops, and only these, that control the actions of the robot online, based on instantaneous control signals and measurements provided by the vision or force sensors. Using only these autonomous techniques in medical and surgical robotics remain relatively limited for two main reasons: Predicting complexity of the gestures, and human Safety. Therefore, Modern research in haptic force feedback in medical robotics is aimed to develop medical robots capable of performing remotely, what a surgeon does by himself. These medical robots are supposed to work exactly in the manner that a surgeon does in daily routine. In this paper the master slave tele-robotic system is designed and implemented with accuracy and stability by using 6DOF (Six Degree of Freedom haptic force feedback devices. The master slave control strategy, haptic devices integration, application software designing using Visual C++ and experimental setup are considered. Finally, results are presented the stability, accuracy and repeatability of the system

Tracked Robot with Blade Arms to Enhance Crawling Capability

OpenAIRE

Jhu-Wei Ji; Fa-Shian Chang; Lih-Tyng Hwang; Chih-Feng Liu; Jeng-Nan Lee; Shun-Min Wang; Kai-Yi Cho

2016-01-01

This paper presents a tracked robot with blade arms powered to assist movement in difficult environments. As a result, the tracked robot is able to pass a ramp or climb stairs. The main feature is a pair of blade arms on both sides of the vehicle body working in collaboration with previously validated transformable track system. When the robot encounters an obstacle in a terrain, it enlists the blade arms with power to overcome the obstacle. In disaster areas, there usually will be terrains t...

Control Capabilities of Myoelectric Robotic Prostheses by Hand Amputees: A Scientific Research and Market Overview.

Science.gov (United States)

Atzori, Manfredo; Müller, Henning

2015-01-01

Hand amputation can dramatically affect the capabilities of a person. Cortical reorganization occurs in the brain, but the motor and somatosensorial cortex can interact with the remnant muscles of the missing hand even many years after the amputation, leading to the possibility to restore the capabilities of hand amputees through myoelectric prostheses. Myoelectric hand prostheses with many degrees of freedom are commercially available and recent advances in rehabilitation robotics suggest that their natural control can be performed in real life. The first commercial products exploiting pattern recognition to recognize the movements have recently been released, however the most common control systems are still usually unnatural and must be learned through long training. Dexterous and naturally controlled robotic prostheses can become reality in the everyday life of amputees but the path still requires many steps. This mini-review aims to improve the situation by giving an overview of the advancements in the commercial and scientific domains in order to outline the current and future chances in this field and to foster the integration between market and scientific research.

Control Capabilities of Myoelectric Robotic Prostheses by Hand Amputees: A Scientific Research and Market Overview

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Manfredo eAtzori

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Hand amputation can dramatically affect the capabilities of a person. Cortical reorganization occurs in the brain, but the motor and somatosensorial cortex can interact with the remnant muscles of the missing hand even many years after the amputation, leading to the possibility to restore the capabilities of hand amputees through myoelectric prostheses. Myoelectric hand prostheses with many degrees of freedom are commercially available and recent advances in rehabilitation robotics suggest that their natural control can be performed in real life. The first commercial products exploiting pattern recognition to recognize the movements have recently been released, however the most common control systems are still usually unnatural and must be learned through long training. Dexterous and naturally controlled robotic prostheses can become reality in the everyday life of amputees but the path still requires many steps. This mini-review aims to improve the situation by giving an overview of the advancements in the commercial and scientific domains in order to outline the current and future chances in this field and to foster the integration between market and scientific research.

Robotic systems in spine surgery.

Science.gov (United States)

Onen, Mehmet Resid; Naderi, Sait

2014-01-01

Surgical robotic systems have been available for almost twenty years. The first surgical robotic systems were designed as supportive systems for laparoscopic approaches in general surgery (the first procedure was a cholecystectomy in 1987). The da Vinci Robotic System is the most common system used for robotic surgery today. This system is widely used in urology, gynecology and other surgical disciplines, and recently there have been initial reports of its use in spine surgery, for transoral access and anterior approaches for lumbar inter-body fusion interventions. SpineAssist, which is widely used in spine surgery, and Renaissance Robotic Systems, which are considered the next generation of robotic systems, are now FDA approved. These robotic systems are designed for use as guidance systems in spine instrumentation, cement augmentations and biopsies. The aim is to increase surgical accuracy while reducing the intra-operative exposure to harmful radiation to the patient and operating team personnel during the intervention. We offer a review of the published literature related to the use of robotic systems in spine surgery and provide information on using robotic systems.

Effects of realistic force feedback in a robotic assisted minimally invasive surgery system.

Science.gov (United States)

Moradi Dalvand, Mohsen; Shirinzadeh, Bijan; Nahavandi, Saeid; Smith, Julian

2014-06-01

Robotic assisted minimally invasive surgery systems not only have the advantages of traditional laparoscopic procedures but also restore the surgeon's hand-eye coordination and improve the surgeon's precision by filtering hand tremors. Unfortunately, these benefits have come at the expense of the surgeon's ability to feel. Several research efforts have already attempted to restore this feature and study the effects of force feedback in robotic systems. The proposed methods and studies have some shortcomings. The main focus of this research is to overcome some of these limitations and to study the effects of force feedback in palpation in a more realistic fashion. A parallel robot assisted minimally invasive surgery system (PRAMiSS) with force feedback capabilities was employed to study the effects of realistic force feedback in palpation of artificial tissue samples. PRAMiSS is capable of actually measuring the tip/tissue interaction forces directly from the surgery site. Four sets of experiments using only vision feedback, only force feedback, simultaneous force and vision feedback and direct manipulation were conducted to evaluate the role of sensory feedback from sideways tip/tissue interaction forces with a scale factor of 100% in characterising tissues of varying stiffness. Twenty human subjects were involved in the experiments for at least 1440 trials. Friedman and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were employed to statistically analyse the experimental results. Providing realistic force feedback in robotic assisted surgery systems improves the quality of tissue characterization procedures. Force feedback capability also increases the certainty of characterizing soft tissues compared with direct palpation using the lateral sides of index fingers. The force feedback capability can improve the quality of palpation and characterization of soft tissues of varying stiffness by restoring sense of touch in robotic assisted minimally invasive surgery operations.

Hydraulic bilateral construction robot; Yuatsushiki bilateral kensetsu robot

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Maehata, K.; Mori, N. [Kayaba Industry Co. Ltd., Tokyo (Japan)

1999-05-15

Concerning a hydraulic bilateral construction robot, its system constitution, structures and functions of important components, and the results of some tests are explained, and the researches conducted at Gifu University are described. The construction robot in this report is a servo controlled system of a version developed from the mini-shovel now available in the market. It is equipped, in addition to an electrohydraulic servo control system, with various sensors for detecting the robot attitude, vibration, and load state, and with a camera for visualizing the surrounding landscape. It is also provided with a bilateral joy stick which is a remote control actuator capable of working sensation feedback and with a rocking unit that creates robot movements of rolling, pitching, and heaving. The construction robot discussed here, with output increased and response faster thanks to the employment of a hydraulic driving system for the aim of building a robot system superior in performance to the conventional model designed primarily for heavy duty, proves after tests to be a highly sophisticated remotely controlled robot control system. (NEDO)

Automation and robotics technology for intelligent mining systems

Science.gov (United States)

Welsh, Jeffrey H.

1989-01-01

The U.S. Bureau of Mines is approaching the problems of accidents and efficiency in the mining industry through the application of automation and robotics to mining systems. This technology can increase safety by removing workers from hazardous areas of the mines or from performing hazardous tasks. The short-term goal of the Automation and Robotics program is to develop technology that can be implemented in the form of an autonomous mining machine using current continuous mining machine equipment. In the longer term, the goal is to conduct research that will lead to new intelligent mining systems that capitalize on the capabilities of robotics. The Bureau of Mines Automation and Robotics program has been structured to produce the technology required for the short- and long-term goals. The short-term goal of application of automation and robotics to an existing mining machine, resulting in autonomous operation, is expected to be accomplished within five years. Key technology elements required for an autonomous continuous mining machine are well underway and include machine navigation systems, coal-rock interface detectors, machine condition monitoring, and intelligent computer systems. The Bureau of Mines program is described, including status of key technology elements for an autonomous continuous mining machine, the program schedule, and future work. Although the program is directed toward underground mining, much of the technology being developed may have applications for space systems or mining on the Moon or other planets.

Obstacle avoidance test using a sensor-based autonomous robotic system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fujii, Yoshio; Suzuki, Katsuo

1998-12-01

From a viewpoint of reducing personnel radiation exposure of plant staffs working in the high radiation area of nuclear facilities, it is often said to be necessary to develop remote robotic systems, which have great potential of performing various tasks in nuclear facilities. Hence, we developed an advanced remote robotic system, consisting of redundant manipulator and environment-sensing systems, which can be applied to complicated handling tasks under unstructured environment. In the robotic system, various types of sensors for environment-sensing are mounted on the redundant manipulator and sensor-based autonomous capabilities are incorporated. This report describes the results of autonomous obstacle avoidance test which was carried out as follows: manipulating valves at the rear-side of wall, through a narrow window of the wall, with the redundant manipulator mounted on an x-axis driving mechanism. From this test, it is confirmed that the developed robotic system can autonomously achieve handling tasks in limited space as avoiding obstacles, which is supposed to be difficult by a non-redundant manipulator. (author)

Mathematical model for adaptive control system of ASEA robot at Kennedy Space Center

Science.gov (United States)

Zia, Omar

1989-01-01

The dynamic properties and the mathematical model for the adaptive control of the robotic system presently under investigation at Robotic Application and Development Laboratory at Kennedy Space Center are discussed. NASA is currently investigating the use of robotic manipulators for mating and demating of fuel lines to the Space Shuttle Vehicle prior to launch. The Robotic system used as a testbed for this purpose is an ASEA IRB-90 industrial robot with adaptive control capabilities. The system was tested and it's performance with respect to stability was improved by using an analogue force controller. The objective of this research project is to determine the mathematical model of the system operating under force feedback control with varying dynamic internal perturbation in order to provide continuous stable operation under variable load conditions. A series of lumped parameter models are developed. The models include some effects of robot structural dynamics, sensor compliance, and workpiece dynamics.

HYDROïD humanoid robot head with perception and emotion capabilities :Modeling, Design and Experimental Results

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Samer eAlfayad

2016-04-01

Full Text Available In the framework of the HYDROïD humanoid robot project, this paper describes the modeling and design of an electrically actuated head mechanism. Perception and emotion capabilities are considered in the design process. Since HYDROïD humanoid robot is hydraulically actuated, the choice of electrical actuation for the head mechanism addressed in this paper is justified. Considering perception and emotion capabilities leads to a total number of 15 degrees of freedom for the head mechanism which are split on four main sub-mechanisms: the neck, the mouth, the eyes and the eyebrows. Biological data and kinematics performances of human head are taken as inputs of the design process. A new solution of uncoupled eyes is developed to possibly address the master-slave process that links the human eyes as well as vergence capabilities. Modeling each sub-system is carried out in order to get equations of motion, their frequency responses and their transfer functions. The neck pitch rotation is given as a study example. Then, the head mechanism performances are presented through a comparison between model and experimental results validating the hardware capabilities. Finally, the head mechanism is integrated on the HYDROïD upper-body. An object tracking experiment coupled with emotional expressions is carried out to validate the synchronization of the eye rotations with the body motions.

An intention driven hand functions task training robotic system.

Science.gov (United States)

Tong, K Y; Ho, S K; Pang, P K; Hu, X L; Tam, W K; Fung, K L; Wei, X J; Chen, P N; Chen, M

2010-01-01

A novel design of a hand functions task training robotic system was developed for the stroke rehabilitation. It detects the intention of hand opening or hand closing from the stroke person using the electromyography (EMG) signals measured from the hemiplegic side. This training system consists of an embedded controller and a robotic hand module. Each hand robot has 5 individual finger assemblies capable to drive 2 degrees of freedom (DOFs) of each finger at the same time. Powered by the linear actuator, the finger assembly achieves 55 degree range of motion (ROM) at the metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joint and 65 degree range of motion (ROM) at the proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joint. Each finger assembly can also be adjusted to fit for different finger length. With this task training system, stroke subject can open and close their impaired hand using their own intention to carry out some of the daily living tasks.

3D vision system for intelligent milking robot automation

Science.gov (United States)

Akhloufi, M. A.

2013-12-01

In a milking robot, the correct localization and positioning of milking teat cups is of very high importance. The milking robots technology has not changed since a decade and is based primarily on laser profiles for teats approximate positions estimation. This technology has reached its limit and does not allow optimal positioning of the milking cups. Also, in the presence of occlusions, the milking robot fails to milk the cow. These problems, have economic consequences for producers and animal health (e.g. development of mastitis). To overcome the limitations of current robots, we have developed a new system based on 3D vision, capable of efficiently positioning the milking cups. A prototype of an intelligent robot system based on 3D vision for real-time positioning of a milking robot has been built and tested under various conditions on a synthetic udder model (in static and moving scenarios). Experimental tests, were performed using 3D Time-Of-Flight (TOF) and RGBD cameras. The proposed algorithms permit the online segmentation of teats by combing 2D and 3D visual information. The obtained results permit the teat 3D position computation. This information is then sent to the milking robot for teat cups positioning. The vision system has a real-time performance and monitors the optimal positioning of the cups even in the presence of motion. The obtained results, with both TOF and RGBD cameras, show the good performance of the proposed system. The best performance was obtained with RGBD cameras. This latter technology will be used in future real life experimental tests.

Natural control capabilities of robotic hands by hand amputated subjects.

Science.gov (United States)

Atzori, Manfredo; Gijsberts, Arjan; Caputo, Barbara; Muller, Henning

2014-01-01

People with transradial hand amputations who own a myoelectric prosthesis currently have some control capabilities via sEMG. However, the control systems are still limited and not natural. The Ninapro project is aiming at helping the scientific community to overcome these limits through the creation of publicly available electromyography data sources to develop and test machine learning algorithms. In this paper we describe the movement classification results gained from three subjects with an homogeneous level of amputation, and we compare them with the results of 40 intact subjects. The number of considered subjects can seem small at first sight, but it is not considering the literature of the field (which has to face the difficulty of recruiting trans-radial hand amputated subjects). The classification is performed with four different classifiers and the obtained balanced classification rates are up to 58.6% on 50 movements, which is an excellent result compared to the current literature. Successively, for each subject we find a subset of up to 9 highly independent movements, (defined as movements that can be distinguished with more than 90% accuracy), which is a deeply innovative step in literature. The natural control of a robotic hand in so many movements could lead to an immediate progress in robotic hand prosthetics and it could deeply change the quality of life of amputated subjects.

Industrial robots with sensors and object recognition systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koehler, G.W.

1978-01-01

The previous development and the present status of industrial robots equipped with sensors and object recognition systems are described. This type of equipment allows flexible automation of many work stations in which industrial robots of the first generation, which are unable to react to changes in their respective environments automatically, apart from their being linked to other machines, could not be used because of the prevailing boundary conditions. A classification system facilitates an overview of the large number of technical solutions now available. The manifold possibilities of application of this equipment are demonstrated by a number of examples. As a result of the present state of development of the components required, and in view also of economic reasons, there is a trend towards special designs for a small number of specific purposes and towards stripped-down object recognition. systems with limited applications. A fitting description is offered of the term 'robot', which is now being used in various contexts, and an indication is made of the capabilities and components a machine to be called robot should have as a minimum. Finally, reference is made to some potential lines of development serving to reduce expediture and accelerate recognition processes. (orig.) [de

Robotic vision system for random bin picking with dual-arm robots

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kang Sangseung

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Random bin picking is one of the most challenging industrial robotics applications available. It constitutes a complicated interaction between the vision system, robot, and control system. For a packaging operation requiring a pick-and-place task, the robot system utilized should be able to perform certain functions for recognizing the applicable target object from randomized objects in a bin. In this paper, we introduce a robotic vision system for bin picking using industrial dual-arm robots. The proposed system recognizes the best object from randomized target candidates based on stereo vision, and estimates the position and orientation of the object. It then sends the result to the robot control system. The system was developed for use in the packaging process of cell phone accessories using dual-arm robots.

Mobile Robot Designed with Autonomous Navigation System

Science.gov (United States)

An, Feng; Chen, Qiang; Zha, Yanfang; Tao, Wenyin

2017-10-01

With the rapid development of robot technology, robots appear more and more in all aspects of life and social production, people also ask more requirements for the robot, one is that robot capable of autonomous navigation, can recognize the road. Take the common household sweeping robot as an example, which could avoid obstacles, clean the ground and automatically find the charging place; Another example is AGV tracking car, which can following the route and reach the destination successfully. This paper introduces a new type of robot navigation scheme: SLAM, which can build the environment map in a totally strange environment, and at the same time, locate its own position, so as to achieve autonomous navigation function.

Sprint: The first flight demonstration of the external work system robots

Science.gov (United States)

Price, Charles R.; Grimm, Keith

1995-01-01

The External Works Systems (EWS) 'X Program' is a new NASA initiative that will, in the next ten years, develop a new generation of space robots for active and participative support of zero g external operations. The robotic development will center on three areas: the assistant robot, the associate robot, and the surrogate robot that will support external vehicular activities (EVA) prior to and after, during, and instead of space-suited human external activities respectively. The EWS robotics program will be a combination of technology developments and flight demonstrations for operational proof of concept. The first EWS flight will be a flying camera called 'Sprint' that will seek to demonstrate operationally flexible, remote viewing capability for EVA operations, inspections, and contingencies for the space shuttle and space station. This paper describes the need for Sprint and its characteristics.

A cost-effective intelligent robotic system with dual-arm dexterous coordination and real-time vision

Science.gov (United States)

Marzwell, Neville I.; Chen, Alexander Y. K.

1991-01-01

Dexterous coordination of manipulators based on the use of redundant degrees of freedom, multiple sensors, and built-in robot intelligence represents a critical breakthrough in development of advanced manufacturing technology. A cost-effective approach for achieving this new generation of robotics has been made possible by the unprecedented growth of the latest microcomputer and network systems. The resulting flexible automation offers the opportunity to improve the product quality, increase the reliability of the manufacturing process, and augment the production procedures for optimizing the utilization of the robotic system. Moreover, the Advanced Robotic System (ARS) is modular in design and can be upgraded by closely following technological advancements as they occur in various fields. This approach to manufacturing automation enhances the financial justification and ensures the long-term profitability and most efficient implementation of robotic technology. The new system also addresses a broad spectrum of manufacturing demand and has the potential to address both complex jobs as well as highly labor-intensive tasks. The ARS prototype employs the decomposed optimization technique in spatial planning. This technique is implemented to the framework of the sensor-actuator network to establish the general-purpose geometric reasoning system. The development computer system is a multiple microcomputer network system, which provides the architecture for executing the modular network computing algorithms. The knowledge-based approach used in both the robot vision subsystem and the manipulation control subsystems results in the real-time image processing vision-based capability. The vision-based task environment analysis capability and the responsive motion capability are under the command of the local intelligence centers. An array of ultrasonic, proximity, and optoelectronic sensors is used for path planning. The ARS currently has 18 degrees of freedom made up by two

Image-Based Visual Servoing for Robotic Systems: A Nonlinear Lyapunov-Based Control Approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dixon, Warren

2002-01-01

The objective of this project is to enable current and future EM robots with an increased ability to perceive and interact with unstructured and unknown environments through the use of camera-based visual servo controlled robots. The scientific goals of this research are to develop a new visual servo control methodology that: (1) adapts for the unknown camera calibration parameters (e.g., focal length, scaling factors, camera position and orientation) and the physical parameters of the robotic system (e.g., mass, inertia, friction), (2) compensates for unknown depth information (extract 3D information from the 2D image), and (3) enables multi-uncalibrated cameras to be used as a means to provide a larger field-of-view. Nonlinear Lyapunov-based techniques are being used to overcome the complex control issues and alleviate many of the restrictive assumptions that impact current visual servo controlled robotic systems. The potential relevance of this control methodology will be a plug-and-play visual servoing control module that can be utilized in conjunction with current technology such as feature extraction and recognition, to enable current EM robotic systems with the capabilities of increased accuracy, autonomy, and robustness, with a larger field of view (and hence a larger workspace). These capabilities will enable EM robots to significantly accelerate D and D operations by providing for improved robot autonomy and increased worker productivity, while also reducing the associated costs, removing the human operator from the hazardous environments, and reducing the burden and skill of the human operators

Development and demonstration of a teleoperated modular open-quotes snakeclose quotes robot system. Final report, September 30, 1986--December 31, 1993

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tesar, D.; Hooper, R.

1995-01-01

The U.S. Department of Energy has provided support to four universities and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in order to pursue research leading to the development and deployment of advanced robotic systems capable of performing tasks that generate significant occupational radiation exposure and/or whose execution times can be reduced if performed by an automated system. The goal was to develop advanced robotic systems capable of performing surveillance, maintenance, and repair tasks in nuclear facilities and other hazardous environments. The approach to achieving the program objective was a transition from teleoperation to the capability of autonomous operation within three successive generations of robotic systems. The robotic system will always have the capability to request human assistance. The development of general purpose robots to perform skilled labor tasks in restricted environments was shown to have extensive payback in areas of energy systems (nuclear and fossil units), chemical plants, fire fighting, space operations, underwater activities, defense, and other hazardous activities. The strategy that was used to achieve the program goals in an efficient and timely manner consisted in utilizing, and advancing where required, state-of-the-art robotics technology through close interaction between the universities and the manufacturers and operators of nuclear power plants. The research effort showed that a broad range of applications for the robotic systems existed for the improved operation of nuclear reactors and in other hazardous tasks. As a consequence, each institution was able to obtain additional support from other agencies, e.g., DoD and NASA. Areas of cooperation with other nations (e.g., Japan, France, Germany) were utilized

Robotics and remote systems applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rabold, D.E.

1996-01-01

This article is a review of numerous remote inspection techniques in use at the Savannah River (and other) facilities. These include: (1) reactor tank inspection robot, (2) californium waste removal robot, (3) fuel rod lubrication robot, (4) cesium source manipulation robot, (5) tank 13 survey and decontamination robots, (6) hot gang valve corridor decontamination and junction box removal robots, (7) lead removal from deionizer vessels robot, (8) HB line cleanup robot, (9) remote operation of a front end loader at WIPP, (10) remote overhead video extendible robot, (11) semi-intelligent mobile observing navigator, (12) remote camera systems in the SRS canyons, (13) cameras and borescope for the DWPF, (14) Hanford waste tank camera system, (15) in-tank precipitation camera system, (16) F-area retention basin pipe crawler, (17) waste tank wall crawler and annulus camera, (18) duct inspection, and (19) deionizer resin sampling

Towards Cost-Effective Robotic Systems for Small and Medium Enterprises

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Rasmus Hasle

with external components such as sensors, actuators and external machinery is not required. When integrating with external components is necessary, the complexity increases and end-users often require external and expensive expertise. This inhibits investment in robotics by SMEs, and prevents further...... behaviour through process modelling and Operators focus only on selecting and configuring appropriate process models using the system in production. The Robot CoWorker Platform comprises three fundamental technical components: 1) A hardware-independent capability modelling framework, 2) Intuitive Human...

NASA Automated Fiber Placement Capabilities: Similar Systems, Complementary Purposes

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, K. Chauncey; Jackson, Justin R.; Pelham, Larry I.; Stewart, Brian K.

2015-01-01

New automated fiber placement systems at the NASA Langley Research Center and NASA Marshall Space Flight Center provide state-of-art composites capabilities to these organizations. These systems support basic and applied research at Langley, complementing large-scale manufacturing and technology development at Marshall. These systems each consist of a multi-degree of freedom mobility platform including a commercial robot, a commercial tool changer mechanism, a bespoke automated fiber placement end effector, a linear track, and a rotational tool support structure. In addition, new end effectors with advanced capabilities may be either bought or developed with partners in industry and academia to extend the functionality of these systems. These systems will be used to build large and small composite parts in support of the ongoing NASA Composites for Exploration Upper Stage Project later this year.

Virtual Reality Robotic Operation Simulations Using MEMICA Haptic System

Science.gov (United States)

Bar-Cohen, Y.; Mavroidis, C.; Bouzit, M.; Dolgin, B.; Harm, D. L.; Kopchok, G. E.; White, R.

2000-01-01

There is an increasing realization that some tasks can be performed significantly better by humans than robots but, due to associated hazards, distance, etc., only a robot can be employed. Telemedicine is one area where remotely controlled robots can have a major impact by providing urgent care at remote sites. In recent years, remotely controlled robotics has been greatly advanced. The robotic astronaut, "Robonaut," at NASA Johnson Space Center is one such example. Unfortunately, due to the unavailability of force and tactile feedback capability the operator must determine the required action using only visual feedback from the remote site, which limits the tasks that Robonaut can perform. There is a great need for dexterous, fast, accurate teleoperated robots with the operator?s ability to "feel" the environment at the robot's field. Recently, we conceived a haptic mechanism called MEMICA (Remote MEchanical MIrroring using Controlled stiffness and Actuators) that can enable the design of high dexterity, rapid response, and large workspace system. Our team is developing novel MEMICA gloves and virtual reality models to allow the simulation of telesurgery and other applications. The MEMICA gloves are designed to have a high dexterity, rapid response, and large workspace and intuitively mirror the conditions at a virtual site where a robot is simulating the presence of the human operator. The key components of MEMICA are miniature electrically controlled stiffness (ECS) elements and Electrically Controlled Force and Stiffness (ECFS) actuators that are based on the sue of Electro-Rheological Fluids (ERF). In this paper the design of the MEMICA system and initial experimental results are presented.

Novel robotic systems and future directions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ki Don Chang

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Robot-assistance is increasingly used in surgical practice. We performed a nonsystematic literature review using PubMed/MEDLINE and Google for robotic surgical systems and compiled information on their current status. We also used this information to predict future about the direction of robotic systems based on various robotic systems currently being developed. Currently, various modifications are being made in the consoles, robotic arms, cameras, handles and instruments, and other specific functions (haptic feedback and eye tracking that make up the robotic surgery system. In addition, research for automated surgery is actively being carried out. The development of future robots will be directed to decrease the number of incisions and improve precision. With the advent of artificial intelligence, a more practical form of robotic surgery system can be introduced and will ultimately lead to the development of automated robotic surgery system.

Development and demonstration of a teleoperated modular {open_quotes}snake{close_quotes} robot system. Final report, September 30, 1986--December 31, 1993

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tesar, D.; Hooper, R.

1995-04-12

The U.S. Department of Energy has provided support to four universities and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in order to pursue research leading to the development and deployment of advanced robotic systems capable of performing tasks that generate significant occupational radiation exposure and/or whose execution times can be reduced if performed by an automated system. The goal was to develop advanced robotic systems capable of performing surveillance, maintenance, and repair tasks in nuclear facilities and other hazardous environments. The approach to achieving the program objective was a transition from teleoperation to the capability of autonomous operation within three successive generations of robotic systems. The robotic system will always have the capability to request human assistance. The development of general purpose robots to perform skilled labor tasks in restricted environments was shown to have extensive payback in areas of energy systems (nuclear and fossil units), chemical plants, fire fighting, space operations, underwater activities, defense, and other hazardous activities. The strategy that was used to achieve the program goals in an efficient and timely manner consisted in utilizing, and advancing where required, state-of-the-art robotics technology through close interaction between the universities and the manufacturers and operators of nuclear power plants. The research effort showed that a broad range of applications for the robotic systems existed for the improved operation of nuclear reactors and in other hazardous tasks. As a consequence, each institution was able to obtain additional support from other agencies, e.g., DoD and NASA. Areas of cooperation with other nations (e.g., Japan, France, Germany) were utilized.

Robot bicolor system

Science.gov (United States)

Yamaba, Kazuo

1999-03-01

In case of robot vision, most important problem is the processing speed of acquiring and analyzing images are less than the speed of execution of the robot. In an actual robot color vision system, it is considered that the system should be processed at real time. We guessed this problem might be solved using by the bicolor analysis technique. We have been testing a system which we hope will give us insight to the properties of bicolor vision. The experiment is used the red channel of a color CCD camera and an image from a monochromatic camera to duplicate McCann's theory. To mix the two signals together, the mono image is copied into each of the red, green and blue memory banks of the image processing board and then added the red image to the red bank. On the contrary, pure color images, red, green and blue components are obtained from the original bicolor images in the novel color system after the scaling factor is added to each RGB image. Our search for a bicolor robot vision system was entirely successful.

Image-Based Visual Servoing for Robotic Systems: A Nonlinear Lyapunov-Based Control Approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dixon, Warren

2003-01-01

The objective of this project is to enable current and future EM robots with an increased ability to perceive and interact with unstructured and unknown environments through the use of camera-based visual servo controllers. The scientific goals of this research are to develop a new visual servo control methodology that: (1) adapts for the unknown camera calibration parameters (e.g., focal length, scaling factors, camera position, and orientation) and the physical parameters of the robotic system (e.g., mass, inertia, friction), (2) compensates for unknown depth information (extract 3D information from the 2D image), and (3) enables multi-uncalibrated cameras to be used as a means to provide a larger field-of-view. Nonlinear Lyapunov-based techniques in conjunction with results from projective geometry are being used to overcome the complex control issues and alleviate many of the restrictive assumptions that impact current visual servo controlled robotic systems. The potential relevance of this control methodology will be a plug-and-play visual servoing control module that can be utilized in conjunction with current technology such as feature extraction and recognition, to enable current EM robotic systems with the capabilities of increased accuracy, autonomy, and robustness, with a larger field of view (and hence a larger workspace). These capabilities will enable EM robots to significantly accelerate D and D operations by providing for improved robot autonomy and increased worker productivity, while also reducing the associated costs, removing the human operator from the hazardous environments, and reducing the burden and skill of the human operators

The development of robotic system for the nuclear power plants - A study on the manipulation of teleoperation system using redundant robot

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Chung Oh; Cho, Hyung Seok; Jang, Pyung Hoon; Park, Ki Chul; Hyun, Jang Hwan; Kim, Joo Gon; Park, Young Joon; Hwang, Woong Tae; Jeon, Yong Soo; Lee, Joo Yeon; Ahn, Kyung Mo [Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Taejon (Korea, Republic of)

1996-07-01

In this project the following 4 sub- projects have been studied for use in nuclear power plants. 1) Development of precision control method for the hydraulic and pneumatic actuators: The fuzzy gain tuner for the pneumatic servo position control system with the state feedback controller was designed= by using the professional knowledge. Through the experimental study, this control method was verified to obtain the optimal fain automatically. 2) Development of an universal master arm and force reflecting teleoperation system: An autonomous telerobot system with a vision based force reflection capability was developed. To effectly implement visual force feedback, 3 different control methods were also developed. 3) A study on the analysis and control of the redundant robot manipulator: An optimal joint-path of 8-DOF redundant KAEROT for the nozzle dam task was generated and its effectiveness and safety was verified by using graphic/animation tool. The proposed dynamic control algorithm for the redundant robot was applied to the experiment of planar 3- DOF redundant robot, showing good performance. 4) A study on the robot/user interface design: A set of final design and its console table was developed, which has metaphorical identity and user-friendly interface and a study mock-up was also developed to identify the possibility in a clear form. 33 refs., 3 tabs., 11 figs. (author)

Control of free-flying space robot manipulator systems

Science.gov (United States)

Cannon, Robert H., Jr.

1990-01-01

New control techniques for self contained, autonomous free flying space robots were developed and tested experimentally. Free flying robots are envisioned as a key element of any successful long term presence in space. These robots must be capable of performing the assembly, maintenance, and inspection, and repair tasks that currently require human extravehicular activity (EVA). A set of research projects were developed and carried out using lab models of satellite robots and a flexible manipulator. The second generation space robot models use air cushion vehicle (ACV) technology to simulate in 2-D the drag free, zero g conditions of space. The current work is divided into 5 major projects: Global Navigation and Control of a Free Floating Robot, Cooperative Manipulation from a Free Flying Robot, Multiple Robot Cooperation, Thrusterless Robotic Locomotion, and Dynamic Payload Manipulation. These projects are examined in detail.

Robotics Offer Newfound Surgical Capabilities

Science.gov (United States)

2008-01-01

Barrett Technology Inc., of Cambridge, Massachusetts, completed three Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contracts with Johnson Space Center, during which the company developed and commercialized three core technologies: a robotic arm, a hand that functions atop the arm, and a motor driver to operate the robotics. Among many industry uses, recently, an adaptation of the arm has been cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in a minimally invasive knee surgery procedure, where its precision control makes it ideal for inserting a very small implant.

Fiscal 2000 report on result of R and D on robot system cooperating and coexisting with human beings. R and D on robot system cooperating and coexisting with human beings; 2000 nendo ningen kyocho kyozongata robot system kenkyu kaihatsu seika hokokusho

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2001-06-01

A highly safe and reliable robot is being developed capable of cooperating with human beings and executing complicated operations in a human working/living space. This paper describes the fiscal 2000 results. Development of robot motion library was continued for extended task for providing services to people in care houses for the aged controlling motions of the humanoid robot. A basic design for a personal service system by the humanoid robot was conducted with the aim of nursing assistance and for the objective of developing a portable terminal type tele-operation device. A public and a home cockpit were researched with the purpose of developing user interfaces for telexistence control. A dynamic simulator for humanoid robots was built, with motions of standing-up and walking examined, in order to develop basic theories for the dual-handed tasks aided by the leg-arm cooperative motion. To develop a robot that properly and safely cooperates and coexists with the human beings, it is essential to obtain a dynamically reasonable and natural control law, so that the basic studies were conducted in this direction. With the purpose of developing a motion capture and learning system, a virtual robot platform and an information acquiring interface were developed. Studies were also conducted on modeling technique for achieving realistic material properties from high-precision image synthesis and actual images. (NEDO)

Reaction Force/Torque Sensing in a Master-Slave Robot System without Mechanical Sensors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kyoko Shibata

2010-07-01

Full Text Available In human-robot cooperative control systems, force feedback is often necessary in order to achieve high precision and high stability. Usually, traditional robot assistant systems implement force feedback using force/torque sensors. However, it is difficult to directly mount a mechanical force sensor on some working terminals, such as in applications of minimally invasive robotic surgery, micromanipulation, or in working environments exposed to radiation or high temperature. We propose a novel force sensing mechanism for implementing force feedback in a master-slave robot system with no mechanical sensors. The system consists of two identical electro-motors with the master motor powering the slave motor to interact with the environment. A bimanual coordinated training platform using the new force sensing mechanism was developed and the system was verified in experiments. Results confirm that the proposed mechanism is capable of achieving bilateral force sensing and mirror-image movements of two terminals in two reverse control directions.

Multiple-Robot Systems for USAR: Key Design Attributes and Deployment Issues

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Choon Yue Wong

2011-03-01

Full Text Available The interaction between humans and robots is undergoing an evolution. Progress in this evolution means that humans are close to robustly deploying multiple robots. Urban search and rescue (USAR can benefit greatly from such capability. The review shows that with state of the art artificial intelligence, robots can work autonomously but still require human supervision. It also shows that multiple robot deployment (MRD is more economical, shortens mission durations, adds reliability as well as addresses missions impossible with one robot and payload constraints. By combining robot autonomy and human supervision, the benefits of MRD can be applied to USAR while at the same time minimizing human exposure to danger. This is achieved with a single-human multiple-robot system (SHMRS. However, designers of the SHMRS must consider key attributes such as the size, composition and organizational structure of the robot collective. Variations in these attributes also induce fluctuations in issues within SHMRS deployment such as robot communication and computational load as well as human cognitive workload and situation awareness (SA. Research is essential to determine how the attributes can be manipulated to mitigate these issues while meeting the requirements of the USAR mission.

Multiple-Robot Systems for USAR: Key Design Attributes and Deployment Issues

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Choon Yue Wong

2011-03-01

Full Text Available The interaction between humans and robots is undergoing an evolution. Progress in this evolution means that humans are close to robustly deploying multiple robots. Urban search and rescue (USAR can benefit greatly from such capability. The review shows that with state of the art artificial intelligence, robots can work autonomously but still require human supervision. It also shows that multiple robot deployment (MRD is more economical, shortens mission durations, adds reliability as well as addresses missions impossible with one robot and payload constraints. By combining robot autonomy and human supervision, the benefits of MRD can be applied to USAR while at the same time minimizing human exposure to danger. This is achieved with a single-human multiple-robot system (SHMRS. However, designers of the SHMRS must consider key attributes such as the size, composition and organizational structure of the robot collective. Variations in these attributes also induce fluctuations in issues within SHMRS deployment such as robot communication and computational load as well as human cognitive workload and situation awareness (SA.Research is essential to determine how the attributes can be manipulated to mitigate these issues while meeting the requirements of the USAR mission.

Multi-Locomotion Robotic Systems New Concepts of Bio-inspired Robotics

CERN Document Server

Fukuda, Toshio; Sekiyama, Kosuke; Aoyama, Tadayoshi

2012-01-01

Nowadays, multiple attention have been paid on a robot working in the human living environment, such as in the field of medical, welfare, entertainment and so on. Various types of researches are being conducted actively in a variety of fields such as artificial intelligence, cognitive engineering, sensor- technology, interfaces and motion control. In the future, it is expected to realize super high functional human-like robot by integrating technologies in various fields including these types of researches. The book represents new developments and advances in the field of bio-inspired robotics research introducing the state of the art, the idea of multi-locomotion robotic system to implement the diversity of animal motion. It covers theoretical and computational aspects of Passive Dynamic Autonomous Control (PDAC), robot motion control, multi legged walking and climbing as well as brachiation focusing concrete robot systems, components and applications. In addition, gorilla type robot systems are described as...

A study on an autonomous pipeline maintenance robot, 8

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fukuda, Toshio; Hosokai, Hidemi; Niitsu, Shunichi; Kaneshige, Masanori; Iwasaki, Shinnosuke.

1990-01-01

This paper deals with the path planning and sensing planning expert system with learning functions for the pipeline inspection and maintenance robot, Mark IV. The robot can carry out inspection tasks to autonomously detect malfunctions in a plant pipeline system. Furthermore, the robot becomes more intelligent by adding the following functions: (1) the robot, Mark IV, is capable of inspecting surfaces of storage tanks as well as pipeline outer surfaces; (2) in path planning, the robot has a learning function using information generated in the past such as a moving path, task level and control commands of the robot; (3) in inspecting a pipeline system with plant equipment such as valves, franges, T- and L-joints, the robot is capable of inspecting continuous surfaces in pipeline. Thus, together with the improved path planning expert system (PPES) and the sensing planning expert system (SPES), the Mark IV robot becomes intelligent enough to automatically carry out given inspection tasks. (author)

Automatic control system generation for robot design validation

Science.gov (United States)

Bacon, James A. (Inventor); English, James D. (Inventor)

2012-01-01

The specification and drawings present a new method, system and software product for and apparatus for generating a robotic validation system for a robot design. The robotic validation system for the robot design of a robotic system is automatically generated by converting a robot design into a generic robotic description using a predetermined format, then generating a control system from the generic robotic description and finally updating robot design parameters of the robotic system with an analysis tool using both the generic robot description and the control system.

Double-Acting Sleeve Muscle Actuator for Bio-Robotic Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hao Zheng

2013-11-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a new type of muscle-like actuator, namely double-acting (DA sleeve muscle actuator, which is suitable for the actuation of biologically-inspired and biomedical robotic systems, especially those serving human-assistance purposes (prostheses, orthoses, etc.. Developed based on the traditional pneumatic muscle actuator, the new DA sleeve muscle incorporates a unique insert at the center. With the insert occupying the central portion of the internal volume, this new actuator enjoys multiple advantages relative to the traditional pneumatic muscle, including a consistent increase of force capacity over the entire range of motion, and a significant decrease of energy consumption in operation. Furthermore, the insert encompasses an additional chamber, which generates an extension force when pressurized. As such, this new actuator provides a unique bi-directional actuation capability, and, thus, has a potential to significantly simplify the design of a muscle actuator-powered robotic system. To demonstrate this new actuator concept, a prototype has been designed and fabricated, and experiments conducted on this prototype demonstrated the enhanced force capacity and the unique bi-directional actuation capability.

Double-Acting Sleeve Muscle Actuator for Bio-Robotic Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Zheng, Hao; Shen, Xiangrong

2014-01-01

This paper presents a new type of muscle-like actuator, namely double-acting (DA) sleeve muscle actuator, which is suitable for the actuation of biologically-inspired and biomedical robotic systems, especially those serving human-assistance purposes (prostheses, orthoses, etc.). Developed based on the traditional pneumatic muscle actuator, the new DA sleeve muscle incorporates a unique insert at the center. With the insert occupying the central portion of the internal volume, this new actuator enjoys multiple advantages relative to the traditional pneumatic muscle, including a consistent increase of force capacity over the entire range of motion, and a significant decrease of energy consumption in operation. Furthermore, the insert encompasses an additional chamber, which generates an extension force when pressurized. As such, this new actuator provides a unique bi-directional actuation capability, and, thus, has a potential to significantly simplify the design of a muscle actuator-powered robotic system. To demonstrate this new actuator concept, a prototype has been designed and fabricated, and experiments conducted on this prototype demonstrated the enhanced force capacity and the unique bi-directional actuation capability. PMID:25264492

Double-Acting Sleeve Muscle Actuator for Bio-Robotic Systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Zheng, Hao; Shen, Xiangrong

2013-11-25

This paper presents a new type of muscle-like actuator, namely double-acting (DA) sleeve muscle actuator, which is suitable for the actuation of biologically-inspired and biomedical robotic systems, especially those serving human-assistance purposes (prostheses, orthoses, etc .). Developed based on the traditional pneumatic muscle actuator, the new DA sleeve muscle incorporates a unique insert at the center. With the insert occupying the central portion of the internal volume, this new actuator enjoys multiple advantages relative to the traditional pneumatic muscle, including a consistent increase of force capacity over the entire range of motion, and a significant decrease of energy consumption in operation. Furthermore, the insert encompasses an additional chamber, which generates an extension force when pressurized. As such, this new actuator provides a unique bi-directional actuation capability, and, thus, has a potential to significantly simplify the design of a muscle actuator-powered robotic system. To demonstrate this new actuator concept, a prototype has been designed and fabricated, and experiments conducted on this prototype demonstrated the enhanced force capacity and the unique bi-directional actuation capability.

Mobility Systems For Robotic Vehicles

Science.gov (United States)

Chun, Wendell

1987-02-01

The majority of existing robotic systems can be decomposed into five distinct subsystems: locomotion, control/man-machine interface (MMI), sensors, power source, and manipulator. When designing robotic vehicles, there are two main requirements: first, to design for the environment and second, for the task. The environment can be correlated with known missions. This can be seen by analyzing existing mobile robots. Ground mobile systems are generally wheeled, tracked, or legged. More recently, underwater vehicles have gained greater attention. For example, Jason Jr. made history by surveying the sunken luxury liner, the Titanic. The next big surge of robotic vehicles will be in space. This will evolve as a result of NASA's commitment to the Space Station. The foreseeable robots will interface with current systems as well as standalone, free-flying systems. A space robotic vehicle is similar to its underwater counterpart with very few differences. Their commonality includes missions and degrees-of-freedom. The issues of stability and communication are inherent in both systems and environment.

Intelligent Surveillance Robot with Obstacle Avoidance Capabilities Using Neural Network

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Widodo Budiharto

2015-01-01

Full Text Available For specific purpose, vision-based surveillance robot that can be run autonomously and able to acquire images from its dynamic environment is very important, for example, in rescuing disaster victims in Indonesia. In this paper, we propose architecture for intelligent surveillance robot that is able to avoid obstacles using 3 ultrasonic distance sensors based on backpropagation neural network and a camera for face recognition. 2.4 GHz transmitter for transmitting video is used by the operator/user to direct the robot to the desired area. Results show the effectiveness of our method and we evaluate the performance of the system.

ROSAPL: towards a heterogeneous multi‐robot system and Human interaction framework

OpenAIRE

Boronat Roselló, Emili

2014-01-01

The appearance of numerous robotic frameworks and middleware has provided researchers with reliable hardware and software units avoiding the need of developing ad-hoc platforms and focus their work on how improve the robots' high-level capabilities and behaviours. Despite this none of these are facilitating frameworks considering social capabilities as a factor in robots design. In a world that everyday seems more and more connected, with the slow but steady advance of th...

Behavior coordination of mobile robotics using supervisory control of fuzzy discrete event systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Jayasiri, Awantha; Mann, George K I; Gosine, Raymond G

2011-10-01

In order to incorporate the uncertainty and impreciseness present in real-world event-driven asynchronous systems, fuzzy discrete event systems (DESs) (FDESs) have been proposed as an extension to crisp DESs. In this paper, first, we propose an extension to the supervisory control theory of FDES by redefining fuzzy controllable and uncontrollable events. The proposed supervisor is capable of enabling feasible uncontrollable and controllable events with different possibilities. Then, the extended supervisory control framework of FDES is employed to model and control several navigational tasks of a mobile robot using the behavior-based approach. The robot has limited sensory capabilities, and the navigations have been performed in several unmodeled environments. The reactive and deliberative behaviors of the mobile robotic system are weighted through fuzzy uncontrollable and controllable events, respectively. By employing the proposed supervisory controller, a command-fusion-type behavior coordination is achieved. The observability of fuzzy events is incorporated to represent the sensory imprecision. As a systematic analysis of the system, a fuzzy-state-based controllability measure is introduced. The approach is implemented in both simulation and real time. A performance evaluation is performed to quantitatively estimate the validity of the proposed approach over its counterparts.

SU-G-JeP3-08: Robotic System for Ultrasound Tracking in Radiation Therapy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kuhlemann, I [University of Luebeck, Luebeck (Germany); Graduate School for Computing in Medicine and Life Sciences, University of Luebeck (Germany); Jauer, P; Schweikard, A; Ernst, F [University of Luebeck, Luebeck (Germany)

2016-06-15

Purpose: For safe and accurate real-time tracking of tumors for IGRT using 4D ultrasound, it is necessary to make use of novel, high-end force-sensitive lightweight robots designed for human-machine interaction. Such a robot will be integrated into an existing robotized ultrasound system for non-invasive 4D live tracking, using a newly developed real-time control and communication framework. Methods: The new KUKA LWR iiwa robot is used for robotized ultrasound real-time tumor tracking. Besides more precise probe contact pressure detection, this robot provides an additional 7th link, enhancing the dexterity of the kinematic and the mounted transducer. Several integrated, certified safety features create a safe environment for the patients during treatment. However, to remotely control the robot for the ultrasound application, a real-time control and communication framework has to be developed. Based on a client/server concept, client-side control commands are received and processed by a central server unit and are implemented by a client module running directly on the robot’s controller. Several special functionalities for robotized ultrasound applications are integrated and the robot can now be used for real-time control of the image quality by adjusting the transducer position, and contact pressure. The framework was evaluated looking at overall real-time capability for communication and processing of three different standard commands. Results: Due to inherent, certified safety modules, the new robot ensures a safe environment for patients during tumor tracking. Furthermore, the developed framework shows overall real-time capability with a maximum average latency of 3.6 ms (Minimum 2.5 ms; 5000 trials). Conclusion: The novel KUKA LBR iiwa robot will advance the current robotized ultrasound tracking system with important features. With the developed framework, it is now possible to remotely control this robot and use it for robotized ultrasound tracking

SU-G-JeP3-08: Robotic System for Ultrasound Tracking in Radiation Therapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuhlemann, I; Jauer, P; Schweikard, A; Ernst, F

2016-01-01

Purpose: For safe and accurate real-time tracking of tumors for IGRT using 4D ultrasound, it is necessary to make use of novel, high-end force-sensitive lightweight robots designed for human-machine interaction. Such a robot will be integrated into an existing robotized ultrasound system for non-invasive 4D live tracking, using a newly developed real-time control and communication framework. Methods: The new KUKA LWR iiwa robot is used for robotized ultrasound real-time tumor tracking. Besides more precise probe contact pressure detection, this robot provides an additional 7th link, enhancing the dexterity of the kinematic and the mounted transducer. Several integrated, certified safety features create a safe environment for the patients during treatment. However, to remotely control the robot for the ultrasound application, a real-time control and communication framework has to be developed. Based on a client/server concept, client-side control commands are received and processed by a central server unit and are implemented by a client module running directly on the robot’s controller. Several special functionalities for robotized ultrasound applications are integrated and the robot can now be used for real-time control of the image quality by adjusting the transducer position, and contact pressure. The framework was evaluated looking at overall real-time capability for communication and processing of three different standard commands. Results: Due to inherent, certified safety modules, the new robot ensures a safe environment for patients during tumor tracking. Furthermore, the developed framework shows overall real-time capability with a maximum average latency of 3.6 ms (Minimum 2.5 ms; 5000 trials). Conclusion: The novel KUKA LBR iiwa robot will advance the current robotized ultrasound tracking system with important features. With the developed framework, it is now possible to remotely control this robot and use it for robotized ultrasound tracking

Image-Based Visual Servoing for Robotic Systems: A Nonlinear Lyapunov-Based Control Approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dixon, Warren

2004-01-01

There is significant motivation to provide robotic systems with improved autonomy as a means to significantly accelerate deactivation and decommissioning (DandD) operations while also reducing the associated costs, removing human operators from hazardous environments, and reducing the required burden and skill of human operators. To achieve improved autonomy, this project focused on the basic science challenges leading to the development of visual servo controllers. The challenge in developing these controllers is that a camera provides 2-dimensional image information about the 3-dimensional Euclidean-space through a perspective (range dependent) projection that can be corrupted by uncertainty in the camera calibration matrix and by disturbances such as nonlinear radial distortion. Disturbances in this relationship (i.e., corruption in the sensor information) propagate erroneous information to the feedback controller of the robot, leading to potentially unpredictable task execution. This research project focused on the development of a visual servo control methodology that targets compensating for disturbances in the camera model (i.e., camera calibration and the recovery of range information) as a means to achieve predictable response by the robotic system operating in unstructured environments. The fundamental idea is to use nonlinear Lyapunov-based techniques along with photogrammetry methods to overcome the complex control issues and alleviate many of the restrictive assumptions that impact current robotic applications. The outcome of this control methodology is a plug-and-play visual servoing control module that can be utilized in conjunction with current technology such as feature recognition and extraction to enable robotic systems with the capabilities of increased accuracy, autonomy, and robustness, with a larger field of view (and hence a larger workspace). The developed methodology has been reported in numerous peer-reviewed publications and the

Analytical basis for evaluating the effect of unplanned interventions on the effectiveness of a human-robot system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shah, Julie A.; Saleh, Joseph H.; Hoffman, Jeffrey A.

2008-01-01

Increasing prevalence of human-robot systems in a variety of applications raises the question of how to design these systems to best leverage the capabilities of humans and robots. In this paper, we address the relationships between reliability, productivity, and risk to humans from human-robot systems operating in a hostile environment. Objectives for maximizing the effectiveness of a human-robot system are presented, which capture these coupled relationships, and reliability parameters are proposed to characterize unplanned interventions between a human and robot. The reliability metrics defined here take on an expanded meaning in which the underlying concept of failure in traditional reliability analysis is replaced by the notion of intervention. In the context of human-robotic systems, an intervention is not only driven by component failures, but includes many other factors that can make a robotic agent to request or a human agent to provide intervention, as we argue in this paper. The effect of unplanned interventions on the effectiveness of human-robot systems is then investigated analytically using traditional reliability analysis. Finally, we discuss the implications of these analytical trends on the design and evaluation of human-robot systems

Human Robot Interaction for Hybrid Collision Avoidance System for Indoor Mobile Robots

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mazen Ghandour

2017-06-01

Full Text Available In this paper, a novel approach for collision avoidance for indoor mobile robots based on human-robot interaction is realized. The main contribution of this work is a new technique for collision avoidance by engaging the human and the robot in generating new collision-free paths. In mobile robotics, collision avoidance is critical for the success of the robots in implementing their tasks, especially when the robots navigate in crowded and dynamic environments, which include humans. Traditional collision avoidance methods deal with the human as a dynamic obstacle, without taking into consideration that the human will also try to avoid the robot, and this causes the people and the robot to get confused, especially in crowded social places such as restaurants, hospitals, and laboratories. To avoid such scenarios, a reactive-supervised collision avoidance system for mobile robots based on human-robot interaction is implemented. In this method, both the robot and the human will collaborate in generating the collision avoidance via interaction. The person will notify the robot about the avoidance direction via interaction, and the robot will search for the optimal collision-free path on the selected direction. In case that no people interacted with the robot, it will select the navigation path autonomously and select the path that is closest to the goal location. The humans will interact with the robot using gesture recognition and Kinect sensor. To build the gesture recognition system, two models were used to classify these gestures, the first model is Back-Propagation Neural Network (BPNN, and the second model is Support Vector Machine (SVM. Furthermore, a novel collision avoidance system for avoiding the obstacles is implemented and integrated with the HRI system. The system is tested on H20 robot from DrRobot Company (Canada and a set of experiments were implemented to report the performance of the system in interacting with the human and avoiding

SMARBot: a modular miniature mobile robot platform

Science.gov (United States)

Meng, Yan; Johnson, Kerry; Simms, Brian; Conforth, Matthew

2008-04-01

Miniature robots have many advantages over their larger counterparts, such as low cost, low power, and easy to build a large scale team for complex tasks. Heterogeneous multi miniature robots could provide powerful situation awareness capability due to different locomotion capabilities and sensor information. However, it would be expensive and time consuming to develop specific embedded system for different type of robots. In this paper, we propose a generic modular embedded system architecture called SMARbot (Stevens Modular Autonomous Robot), which consists of a set of hardware and software modules that can be configured to construct various types of robot systems. These modules include a high performance microprocessor, a reconfigurable hardware component, wireless communication, and diverse sensor and actuator interfaces. The design of all the modules in electrical subsystem, the selection criteria for module components, and the real-time operating system are described. Some proofs of concept experimental results are also presented.

Development of a robot system for converter relining; Tenro chikuro robot system no kaihatsu

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ito, Y; Kurahashi, M [Nissan Motor Co. Ltd., Tokyo (Japan)

1995-09-12

In steelmaking plants, the relining work of converters requires plenty of manpower and time. Recently, the number of expert brick workers has decreased, and it has been difficult to get together the necessary number of workers for the converter relining. To solve these problems, a robot system has been developed and realized for the converter relining. The system consists of two intelligent robots and an automatic brick conveying machine. With visual function and flexibly controlled hands, the robot enables to heap up bricks in the same manner as expert workers do. The automatic brick conveying machine consists of roller conveyers and a cage lifter that convey bricks on palettes to the suitable position for the robot to easily handle. This robot system has enabled to save much labor for the converter relining. 8 figs.

MicROS-drt: supporting real-time and scalable data distribution in distributed robotic systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Ding, Bo; Wang, Huaimin; Fan, Zedong; Zhang, Pengfei; Liu, Hui

A primary requirement in distributed robotic software systems is the dissemination of data to all interested collaborative entities in a timely and scalable manner. However, providing such a service in a highly dynamic and resource-limited robotic environment is a challenging task, and existing robot software infrastructure has limitations in this aspect. This paper presents a novel robot software infrastructure, micROS-drt, which supports real-time and scalable data distribution. The solution is based on a loosely coupled data publish-subscribe model with the ability to support various time-related constraints. And to realize this model, a mature data distribution standard, the data distribution service for real-time systems (DDS), is adopted as the foundation of the transport layer of this software infrastructure. By elaborately adapting and encapsulating the capability of the underlying DDS middleware, micROS-drt can meet the requirement of real-time and scalable data distribution in distributed robotic systems. Evaluation results in terms of scalability, latency jitter and transport priority as well as the experiment on real robots validate the effectiveness of this work.

Multibody system dynamics, robotics and control

CERN Document Server

Gerstmayr, Johannes

2013-01-01

The volume contains 19 contributions by international experts in the field of multibody system dynamics, robotics and control. The book aims to bridge the gap between the modeling of mechanical systems by means of multibody dynamics formulations and robotics. In the classical approach, a multibody dynamics model contains a very high level of detail, however, the application of such models to robotics or control is usually limited. The papers aim to connect the different scientific communities in multibody dynamics, robotics and control. Main topics are flexible multibody systems, humanoid robots, elastic robots, nonlinear control, optimal path planning, and identification.

Designing the Mind of a Social Robot

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nicole Lazzeri

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Humans have an innate tendency to anthropomorphize surrounding entities and have always been fascinated by the creation of machines endowed with human-inspired capabilities and traits. In the last few decades, this has become a reality with enormous advances in hardware performance, computer graphics, robotics technology, and artificial intelligence. New interdisciplinary research fields have brought forth cognitive robotics aimed at building a new generation of control systems and providing robots with social, empathetic and affective capabilities. This paper presents the design, implementation, and test of a human-inspired cognitive architecture for social robots. State-of-the-art design approaches and methods are thoroughly analyzed and discussed, cases where the developed system has been successfully used are reported. The tests demonstrated the system’s ability to endow a social humanoid robot with human social behaviors and with in-silico robotic emotions.

An Exploration of the Benefits of an Animallike Robot Companion with More Advanced Touch Interaction Capabilities for Dementia Care

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Merel M. Jung

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Animallike robot companions such as robotic seal Paro are increasingly used in dementia care due to the positive effects that interaction with these robots can have on the well-being of these patients. Touch is one of the most important interaction modalities for patients with dementia and can be a natural way to interact with animallike robots. To advance the development of animallike robots, we explored in what ways people with dementia could benefit from interaction with an animallike robot with more advanced touch recognition capabilities and which touch gestures would be important in their interaction with Paro. In addition, we explored which other target groups might benefit from interaction with animallike robots with more advanced interaction capabilities. In this study, we administered a questionnaire and conducted interviews with two groups of health-care providers who all worked in a geriatric psychiatry department. One group used Paro in their work (i.e., the expert group; n = 5 while the other group had no experience with the use of animallike robot (i.e., the layman group; n = 4. The results showed that health-care providers perceived Paro as an effective intervention to improve the well-being of people with dementia. Examples of usages for Paro that were mentioned were providing distraction, interrupting problematic behaviors, and stimulating communication. Furthermore, the care providers indicated that people with dementia (would use mostly positive forms of touch and speech to interact with Paro. Paro’s auditory responses were criticized because they can overstimulate the patients. In addition, the care providers argued that social interactions with Paro are currently limited and therefore the robot does not meet the needs of a broader audience such as healthy elderly people who still live in their own homes. The development of robot pets with more advanced social capabilities such as touch and speech recognition might

The use of automation and robotic systems to establish and maintain lunar base operations

Science.gov (United States)

Petrosky, Lyman J.

1992-01-01

Robotic systems provide a means of performing many of the operations required to establish and maintain a lunar base. They form a synergistic system when properly used in concert with human activities. This paper discusses the various areas where robotics and automation may be used to enhance lunar base operations. Robots are particularly well suited for surface operations (exterior to the base habitat modules) because they can be designed to operate in the extreme temperatures and vacuum conditions of the Moon (or Mars). In this environment, the capabilities of semi-autonomous robots would surpass that of humans in all but the most complex tasks. Robotic surface operations include such activities as long range geological and mineralogical surveys with sample return, materials movement in and around the base, construction of radiation barriers around habitats, transfer of materials over large distances, and construction of outposts. Most of the above operations could be performed with minor modifications to a single basic robotic rover. Within the lunar base habitats there are a few areas where robotic operations would be preferable to human operations. Such areas include routine inspections for leakage in the habitat and its systems, underground transfer of materials between habitats, and replacement of consumables. In these and many other activities, robotic systems will greatly enhance lunar base operations. The robotic systems described in this paper are based on what is realistically achievable with relatively near term technology. A lunar base can be built and maintained if we are willing.

Cooperative Three-Robot System for Traversing Steep Slopes

Science.gov (United States)

Stroupe, Ashley; Huntsberger, Terrance; Aghazarian, Hrand; Younse, Paulo; Garrett, Michael

2009-01-01

from all three robots for decision- making at each step, and to control the physical connections among the robots. In addition, TRESSA (as in prior systems that have utilized this architecture) , incorporates a capability for deterministic response to unanticipated situations from yet another architecture reported in Control Architecture for Robotic Agent Command and Sensing (NPO-43635), NASA Tech Briefs, Vol. 32, No. 10 (October 2008), page 40. Tether tension control is a major consideration in the design and operation of TRESSA. Tension is measured by force sensors connected to each tether at the Cliffbot. The direction of the tension (both azimuth and elevation) is also measured. The tension controller combines a controller to counter gravitational force and an optional velocity controller that anticipates the motion of the Cliffbot. The gravity controller estimates the slope angle from the inclination of the tethers. This angle and the weight of the Cliffbot determine the total tension needed to counteract the weight of the Cliffbot. The total needed tension is broken into components for each Anchorbot. The difference between this needed tension and the tension measured at the Cliffbot constitutes an error signal that is provided to the gravity controller. The velocity controller computes the tether speed needed to produce the desired motion of the Cliffbot. Another major consideration in the design and operation of TRESSA is detection of faults. Each robot in the TRESSA system monitors its own performance and the performance of its teammates in order to detect any system faults and prevent unsafe conditions. At startup, communication links are tested and if any robot is not communicating, the system refuses to execute any motion commands. Prior to motion, the Anchorbots attempt to set tensions in the tethers at optimal levels for counteracting the weight of the Cliffbot; if either Anchorbot fails to reach its optimal tension level within a specified time, it sends

Implementation and Reconfiguration of Robot Operating System on Human Follower Transporter Robot

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Addythia Saphala

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Robotic Operation System (ROS is an im- portant platform to develop robot applications. One area of applications is for development of a Human Follower Transporter Robot (HFTR, which  can  be  considered  as a custom mobile robot utilizing differential driver steering method and equipped with Kinect sensor. This study discusses the development of the robot navigation system by implementing Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM.

Integrated sensors for robotic laser welding

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Iakovou, D.; Aarts, Ronald G.K.M.; Meijer, J.; Beyer, E.; Dausinger, F; Ostendorf, A; Otto, A.

2005-01-01

A welding head is under development with integrated sensory systems for robotic laser welding applications. Robotic laser welding requires sensory systems that are capable to accurately guide the welding head over a seam in three-dimensional space and provide information about the welding process as

High precision detector robot arm system

Science.gov (United States)

Shu, Deming; Chu, Yong

2017-01-31

A method and high precision robot arm system are provided, for example, for X-ray nanodiffraction with an X-ray nanoprobe. The robot arm system includes duo-vertical-stages and a kinematic linkage system. A two-dimensional (2D) vertical plane ultra-precision robot arm supporting an X-ray detector provides positioning and manipulating of the X-ray detector. A vertical support for the 2D vertical plane robot arm includes spaced apart rails respectively engaging a first bearing structure and a second bearing structure carried by the 2D vertical plane robot arm.

Kinematics Analysis of End Effector for Carrier Robot of Feeding Broiler Chicken System

Science.gov (United States)

Syam, Rafiuddin; Arsyad, Hairul; Bauna, Ruslan; Renreng, Ilyas; Bakhri, Syaiful

2018-02-01

The demand for commodities, especially Broiler chicken farms are increasing, the volume of feed requirements Broiler chickens increased with age up to the age of 30-57 days required feed 3,829 grams/day/head, so if the chicken population is 3,000 needed transporting feed 11 487 kg/day, This research aims to produce a robot capable of transporting feed in the top of the cage by using a control system so as to make efficient use of manpower. Design robot performed using software design three-dimensional Solidworks2010, process of making the robot is started with the design manufacture three (3) units of mechanical systems (mechanical system for holder feed, mechanical systems for lifter feed and mechanical systems for transporting feed), then do the design process framework as a component buffer so that the mechanical system will work properly and safely when the robot operates. Furthermore, the manufacture of electronic circuits and control are using Arduino Mega microcontroller. After assembling all components mechanical systems and installation of electronic systems and control, then experiments to evaluate the performance of the robot have been made. The results of experiments showed that all components work well according to plan, in particular the speed and acceleration of end effector motion so it can hold and release the feed well. This strongly supports the robots perform tasks in accordance with the intent, i.e., holding, lifting and moving feed.

Robot Lies in Health Care: When Is Deception Morally Permissible?

Science.gov (United States)

Matthias, Andreas

2015-06-01

Autonomous robots are increasingly interacting with users who have limited knowledge of robotics and are likely to have an erroneous mental model of the robot's workings, capabilities, and internal structure. The robot's real capabilities may diverge from this mental model to the extent that one might accuse the robot's manufacturer of deceiving the user, especially in cases where the user naturally tends to ascribe exaggerated capabilities to the machine (e.g. conversational systems in elder-care contexts, or toy robots in child care). This poses the question, whether misleading or even actively deceiving the user of an autonomous artifact about the capabilities of the machine is morally bad and why. By analyzing trust, autonomy, and the erosion of trust in communicative acts as consequences of deceptive robot behavior, we formulate four criteria that must be fulfilled in order for robot deception to be morally permissible, and in some cases even morally indicated.

Robotic aortic surgery.

Science.gov (United States)

Duran, Cassidy; Kashef, Elika; El-Sayed, Hosam F; Bismuth, Jean

2011-01-01

Surgical robotics was first utilized to facilitate neurosurgical biopsies in 1985, and it has since found application in orthopedics, urology, gynecology, and cardiothoracic, general, and vascular surgery. Surgical assistance systems provide intelligent, versatile tools that augment the physician's ability to treat patients by eliminating hand tremor and enabling dexterous operation inside the patient's body. Surgical robotics systems have enabled surgeons to treat otherwise untreatable conditions while also reducing morbidity and error rates, shortening operative times, reducing radiation exposure, and improving overall workflow. These capabilities have begun to be realized in two important realms of aortic vascular surgery, namely, flexible robotics for exclusion of complex aortic aneurysms using branched endografts, and robot-assisted laparoscopic aortic surgery for occlusive and aneurysmal disease.

Effects of prosthesis use on the capability to control myoelectric robotic prosthetic hands.

Science.gov (United States)

Atzori, Manfredo; Hager, Anne-Gabrielle Mittaz; Elsig, Simone; Giatsidis, Giorgio; Bassetto, Franco; Muller, Henning

2015-08-01

The natural control of robotic prosthetic hands with non-invasive techniques is still a challenge: myoelectric prostheses currently give some control capabilities; the application of pattern recognition techniques is promising and recently started to be applied in practice but still many questions are open in the field. In particular, the effects of clinical factors on movement classification accuracy and the capability to control myoelectric prosthetic hands are analyzed in very few studies. The effect of regularly using prostheses on movement classification accuracy has been previously studied, showing differences between users of myoelectric and cosmetic prostheses. In this paper we compare users of myoelectric and body-powered prostheses and intact subjects. 36 machine-learning methods are applied on 6 amputees and 40 intact subjects performing 40 movements. Then, statistical analyses are performed in order to highlight significant differences between the groups of subjects. The statistical analyses do not show significant differences between the two groups of amputees, while significant differences are obtained between amputees and intact subjects. These results constitute new information in the field and suggest new interpretations to previous hypotheses, thus adding precious information towards natural control of robotic prosthetic hands.

A Novel Reconfigurable Robot for Urban Search and Rescue

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Houxiang Zhang

2006-12-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a novel mobile robot for urban search and rescue based on reconfiguration. The system consists of three identical modules; actually each module is an entire robotic system that can perform distributed activities. To achieve highly adaptive locomotion capabilities, the robot's serial and parallel mechanisms form an active joint, enabling it to change its shape in three dimensions. A docking mechanism enables adjacent modules to connect or disconnect flexibly and automatically. This mechanical structure and the control system are introduced in detail, followed by a description of the locomotion capabilities. In the end, the successful on-site tests confirm the principles described above and the robot's ability.

A Novel Reconfigurable Robot for Urban Search and Rescue

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhicheng Deng

2008-11-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a novel mobile robot for urban search and rescue based on reconfiguration. The system consists of three identical modules; actually each module is an entire robotic system that can perform distributed activities. To achieve highly adaptive locomotion capabilities, the robot's serial and parallel mechanisms form an active joint, enabling it to change its shape in three dimensions. A docking mechanism enables adjacent modules to connect or disconnect flexibly and automatically. This mechanical structure and the control system are introduced in detail, followed by a description of the locomotion capabilities. In the end, the successful on-site tests confirm the principles described above and the robot's ability.

The conceptual design of the sensing system for patrolling and inspecting a nuclear facility by the intelligent robot

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ebihara, Ken-ichi

1993-11-01

Supposing that an intelligent robot, instead of a human worker, patrols and inspects nuclear facilities, it is indispensable for such robot to be capable of moving with avoiding obstacles and recognizing various abnormal conditions, carrying out some ordered works based on information from sensors mounted on the robot. The present robots being practically used in nuclear facilities, however, have the limited capability such as identifying a few specific abnormal conditions using data detected by specific sensors on them. Hence, a conceptual design of a sensor-fusion-based system, which is named 'sensing system', has been performed to collect various kinds of information required for patrol and inspection. This sensing system combines a visual sensor, which consists of a monocular camera and a range finder by the active stereopsis method, an olfactory, acoustic and dose sensors. This report describes the hardware configuration and the software function for processing sensed data. An idea of sensor fusion and the preliminary consideration in respect of applying the neural network to image data processing are also described. (author)

Development of small size wall decontamination robot systems in nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fujita, Tsuneaki; Takahashi, Tsuyosi

2004-01-01

This paper describes the development of wall decontamination robot systems for nuclear power plants. In nuclear power plants, it is required to reduce maintenance costs, including annual inspection, repairs and so on. Most of such maintenance activities are actually performed after decontamination processes are completed. In particular, the decontamination process of reactor wells is very important for reducing the radiation exposure of human workers. In the past, decontamination of reactor wells used to be done by extra large machine and tools, which caused long working hours and tiresome works. It was one of the reasons maintenance costs couldn't have been easily reduced. There are narrow spaces in the reactor wells that have to be decontaminated by human workers. In order to minimize the radiation exposure to humans, wall decontamination robot systems have been developed. The decontamination robots have rolled brushes and suction mechanisms and are capable of removing contaminants attached to the wall surface of the reactor wells. By making the robots smaller, it is possible to work in narrower spaces. In this paper, the effectiveness of decontamination by the developed robots is shown through experiments in the actual nuclear power plants. (author)

Robotic system for glovebox size reduction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

KWOK, KWAN S.; MCDONALD, MICHAEL J.

2000-01-01

The Intelligent Systems and Robotics Center (ISRC) at Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) is developing technologies for glovebox size reduction in the DOE nuclear complex. A study was performed for Kaiser-Hill (KH) at the Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site (RFETS) on the available technologies for size reducing the glovebox lines that require size reduction in place. Currently, the baseline approach to these glovebox lines is manual operations using conventional mechanical cutting methods. The study has been completed and resulted in a concept of the robotic system for in-situ size reduction. The concept makes use of commercially available robots that are used in the automotive industry. The commercially available industrial robots provide high reliability and availability that are required for environmental remediation in the DOE complex. Additionally, the costs of commercial robots are about one-fourth that of the custom made robots for environmental remediation. The reason for the lower costs and the higher reliability is that there are thousands of commercial robots made annually, whereas there are only a few custom robots made for environmental remediation every year. This paper will describe the engineering analysis approach used in the design of the robotic system for glovebox size reduction

A bio-inspired real-time capable artificial lateral line system for freestream flow measurements.

Science.gov (United States)

Abels, C; Qualtieri, A; De Vittorio, M; Megill, W M; Rizzi, F

2016-06-03

To enhance today's artificial flow sensing capabilities in aerial and underwater robotics, future robots could be equipped with a large number of miniaturized sensors distributed over the surface to provide high resolution measurement of the surrounding fluid flow. In this work we show a linear array of closely separated bio-inspired micro-electro-mechanical flow sensors whose sensing mechanism is based on a piezoresistive strain-gauge along a stress-driven cantilever beam, mimicking the biological superficial neuromasts found in the lateral line organ of fishes. Aiming to improve state-of-the-art flow sensing capability in autonomously flying and swimming robots, our artificial lateral line system was designed and developed to feature multi-parameter freestream flow measurements which provide information about (1) local flow velocities as measured by the signal amplitudes from the individual cantilevers as well as (2) propagation velocity, (3) linear forward/backward direction along the cantilever beam orientation and (4) periodicity of pulses or pulse trains determined by cross-correlating sensor signals. A real-time capable cross-correlation procedure was developed which makes it possible to extract freestream flow direction and velocity information from flow fluctuations. The computed flow velocities deviate from a commercial system by 0.09 m s(-1) at 0.5 m s(-1) and 0.15 m s(-1) at 1.0 m s(-1) flow velocity for a sampling rate of 240 Hz and a sensor distance of 38 mm. Although experiments were performed in air, the presented flow sensing system can be applied to underwater vehicles as well, once the sensors are embedded in a waterproof micro-electro-mechanical systems package.

Development of a mobile robot for remote radiation measurement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sarkar, Ushnish; Saini, Surendra Singh; Swaroop, Tumapala Teja; Sreejith, P.; Kumar, Ravinder; Ray, Debasish Datta

2016-01-01

Remote measurement of radiation using mobile robots is recommended in nuclear installations. For this purpose various robots have been developed that carry a radiation sensor. However since the robot has to go very near to the source of radiation, the life of the robot's components is compromised due to high level of absorbed dose. It was earlier managed to increase the life expectancy of remote radiation measurement robots by allowing the sensor to be placed on an extendable telescopic assembly; analogous to a health physicist taking measurements using a Teletector. The first prototype developed had stair climbing capabilities but it was found to be over dimensioned for various potential applications. A significant use of such robots is in taking measurements at nuclear reprocessing facilities having narrow cluttered pathways. This required development of a new version of the robot capable of negotiating the narrow pathways of such facilities. This paper describes the different aspects of the development of the mobile robot system with flexible radiation sensing capabilities

Multi-arm multilateral haptics-based immersive tele-robotic system (HITS) for improvised explosive device disposal

Science.gov (United States)

Erickson, David; Lacheray, Hervé; Lai, Gilbert; Haddadi, Amir

2014-06-01

This paper presents the latest advancements of the Haptics-based Immersive Tele-robotic System (HITS) project, a next generation Improvised Explosive Device (IED) disposal (IEDD) robotic interface containing an immersive telepresence environment for a remotely-controlled three-articulated-robotic-arm system. While the haptic feedback enhances the operator's perception of the remote environment, a third teleoperated dexterous arm, equipped with multiple vision sensors and cameras, provides stereo vision with proper visual cues, and a 3D photo-realistic model of the potential IED. This decentralized system combines various capabilities including stable and scaled motion, singularity avoidance, cross-coupled hybrid control, active collision detection and avoidance, compliance control and constrained motion to provide a safe and intuitive control environment for the operators. Experimental results and validation of the current system are presented through various essential IEDD tasks. This project demonstrates that a two-armed anthropomorphic Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) robot interface can achieve complex neutralization techniques against realistic IEDs without the operator approaching at any time.

Ani-Bot: A Mixed-Reality Ready Modular Robotics System

OpenAIRE

Xu, Zhuangying; Cao, Yuanzhi

2017-01-01

DIY modular robotics has always had a strong appeal to makers and designers; being able to quickly design, build, and animate their own robots opens the possibility of bringing imaginations to life. However, current interfaces to control and program the DIY robot either lacks connection and consistency between the users and target (Graphical User Interface) or suffers from limited control capabilities due to the lack of versatility and functionality (Tangible User interface). We present Ani-B...

The NASA automation and robotics technology program

Science.gov (United States)

Holcomb, Lee B.; Montemerlo, Melvin D.

1986-01-01

The development and objectives of the NASA automation and robotics technology program are reviewed. The objectives of the program are to utilize AI and robotics to increase the probability of mission success; decrease the cost of ground control; and increase the capability and flexibility of space operations. There is a need for real-time computational capability; an effective man-machine interface; and techniques to validate automated systems. Current programs in the areas of sensing and perception, task planning and reasoning, control execution, operator interface, and system architecture and integration are described. Programs aimed at demonstrating the capabilities of telerobotics and system autonomy are discussed.

NASA's Space Launch System: A New Capability for Science and Exploration

Science.gov (United States)

Crumbly, Christopher M.; May, Todd A.; Robinson, Kimberly F.

2014-01-01

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA's) Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) is directing efforts to build the Space Launch System (SLS), a heavy-lift rocket that will launch the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV) and other high-priority payloads into deep space. Its evolvable architecture will allow NASA to begin with human missions beyond the Moon and then go on to transport astronauts or robots to distant places such as asteroids and Mars. Developed with the goals of safety, affordability, and sustainability in mind, SLS will start with 10 percent more thrust than the Saturn V rocket that launched astronauts to the Moon 40 years ago. From there it will evolve into the most powerful launch vehicle ever flown, via an upgrade approach that will provide building blocks for future space exploration. This paper will explain how NASA will execute this development within flat budgetary guidelines by using existing engines assets and heritage technology, from the initial 70 metric ton (t) lift capability through a block upgrade approach to an evolved 130-t capability, and will detail the progress that has already been made toward a first launch in 2017. This paper will also explore the requirements needed for human missions to deep-space destinations and for game-changing robotic science missions, and the capability of SLS to meet those requirements and enable those missions, along with the evolution strategy that will increase that capability. The International Space Exploration Coordination Group, representing 12 of the world's space agencies, has worked together to create the Global Exploration Roadmap, which outlines paths towards a human landing on Mars, beginning with capability-demonstrating missions to the Moon or an asteroid. The Roadmap and corresponding NASA research outline the requirements for reference missions for all three destinations. The SLS will offer a robust way to transport international crews and the air, water, food, and

Application of teleoperator expertise to robotics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grisham, D.L.; Lambert, J.E.

1985-01-01

This paper will briefly describe the evolution of Monitor remote handling system and its present capabilities and accomplishments. It will also suggest that the equipment and operational expertise can be applied to robotic systems in radioactive and other hostile environments. The Monitor methods of operation, tooling devised and employed, and the applications of these methods to robotic systems will be described

Instruction understanding for intelligent robots in nuclear facilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kambayashi, Shaw; Abe, Yasuaki

1993-01-01

As a first step to realize an autonomous mobile robot for plant maintenance, where the robot is capable to understand instructions written in natural languages, we have developed a prototype of instruction understanding system which makes the robot construct its motion sequences to approach instrumentations and inspect them from input sentences written in Japanese. In the prototype system, the instruction understanding and planning capabilities are integrated by an inference engine which consists of a cyclic operation of three processings, i.e., sensing, decision, and execution. Based on environmental data and current states of the robot, a proper process such as natural language processing is triggered by the decision part of the inference engine to accomplish the input instructions. The multiple- and dynamic-planning capabilities, which are necessary to cope with dynamic changes of environments surrounding the robot, are achieved by utilizing the cyclic inference engine together with a set of the inference packets which keep intermediate results of natural language processing and planning for respective input instructions. (orig.)

An advanced semiautonomous robotic system for hazardous response work for decontamination and decommissioning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Crane, C.; Tulenko, J.F.

1990-01-01

The articulated transporter/manipulator system (ATMS) under development by the University of Florida (UF) with Odetics Corporation as lead subcontractor will be able to manipulate through obstructed areas. Since 1987, the Advanced Technology Division of the US Department of Energy has sponsored a university team composed of the UF, University of Michigan, University of Tennessee, and the University of Texas under the leadership of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory to pursue innovative robotics research leading to the development of advanced robotic systems. The UF has the task of developing the ATMS innovative transport system. As part of this task, UF has been focusing on developing horizontal and external navigation algorithms that carry out ongoing ATMS autonomous path planning. The flexibility of the ATMS is also being demonstrated as a surveillance/maintenance robot for the PRISM reactor. The ATMS has demonstrated that it can carry out autonomous planning responding both to obstacles and set operating levels. The ATMS also has demonstrated that it has sufficient flexibility to serve in a surveillance/maintenance mode. Work is progressing on developing the hardware to deliver the mechanical capabilities demonstrated by simulated robotic system

Overview of NASA's In Space Robotic Servicing

Science.gov (United States)

Reed, Benjamin B.

2015-01-01

The panel discussion will start with a presentation of the work of the Satellite Servicing Capabilities Office (SSCO), a team responsible for the overall management, coordination, and implementation of satellite servicing technologies and capabilities for NASA. Born from the team that executed the five Hubble servicing missions, SSCO is now maturing a core set of technologies that support both servicing goals and NASA's exploration and science objectives, including: autonomous rendezvous and docking systems; dexterous robotics; high-speed, fault-tolerant computing; advanced robotic tools, and propellant transfer systems. SSCOs proposed Restore-L mission, under development since 2009, is rapidly advancing the core capabilities the fledgling satellite-servicing industry needs to jumpstart a new national industry. Restore-L is also providing key technologies and core expertise to the Asteroid Redirect Robotic Mission (ARRM), with SSCO serving as the capture module lead for the ARRM effort. Reed will present a brief overview of SSCOs history, capabilities and technologies.

Applying commercial robotic technology to radioactive material processing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grasz, E.L.; Sievers, R.H. Jr.

1991-01-01

The development of robotic systems to automate nuclear material processing in glove boxes is motivated by the need to reduce operator radiation exposure, minimize the generation of process waste, and to improve security of nuclear materials. Commercial robotic systems can furnish the needed manipulation capabilities by are not readily compatible with the glove box environment and physical restrictions. Alpha radiation, concentrated dust, a dry atmosphere and restricted work space require unique adaptations of commercial robotics. Tradeoffs between meeting desired functional capabilities and extensive customization are necessary. The reported design and development efforts include evaluating the feasibility of using a commercial gantry robot for glove box pyrochemical and smelting operations. This paper presents the initial results and observations for this development effort

Modular Track System For Positioning Mobile Robots

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, Jeff

1995-01-01

Conceptual system for positioning mobile robotic manipulators on large main structure includes modular tracks and ancillary structures assembled easily along with main structure. System, called "tracked robotic location system" (TROLS), originally intended for application to platforms in outer space, but TROLS concept might also prove useful on Earth; for example, to position robots in factories and warehouses. T-cross-section rail keeps mobile robot on track. Bar codes mark locations along track. Each robot equipped with bar-code-recognizing circuitry so it quickly finds way to assigned location.

A Compact Magnetic Field-Based Obstacle Detection and Avoidance System for Miniature Spherical Robots

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fang Wu

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Due to their efficient locomotion and natural tolerance to hazardous environments, spherical robots have wide applications in security surveillance, exploration of unknown territory and emergency response. Numerous studies have been conducted on the driving mechanism, motion planning and trajectory tracking methods of spherical robots, yet very limited studies have been conducted regarding the obstacle avoidance capability of spherical robots. Most of the existing spherical robots rely on the “hit and run” technique, which has been argued to be a reasonable strategy because spherical robots have an inherent ability to recover from collisions. Without protruding components, they will not become stuck and can simply roll back after running into bstacles. However, for small scale spherical robots that contain sensitive surveillance sensors and cannot afford to utilize heavy protective shells, the absence of obstacle avoidance solutions would leave the robot at the mercy of potentially dangerous obstacles. In this paper, a compact magnetic field-based obstacle detection and avoidance system has been developed for miniature spherical robots. It utilizes a passive magnetic field so that the system is both compact and power efficient. The proposed system can detect not only the presence, but also the approaching direction of a ferromagnetic obstacle, therefore, an intelligent avoidance behavior can be generated by adapting the trajectory tracking method with the detection information. Design optimization is conducted to enhance the obstacle detection performance and detailed avoidance strategies are devised. Experimental results are also presented for validation purposes.

Tactile Sensing for Dexterous Robotic Hands

Science.gov (United States)

Martin, Toby B.

2000-01-01

Robotic systems will be used as precursors to human exploration to explore the solar system and expand our knowledge of planetary surfaces. Robotic systems will also be used to build habitats and infrastructure required for human presence in space and on other planetary surfaces . Such robots will require a high level of intelligence and automation. The ability to flexibly manipulate their physical environment is one characteristic that makes humans so effective at these building and exploring tasks . The development of a generic autonomous grasp ing capability will greatly enhance the efficiency and ability of robotics to build, maintain and explore. To tele-operate a robot over vast distances of space, with long communication delays, has proven to be troublesome. Having an autonomous grasping capability that can react in real-time to disturbances or adapt to generic objects, without operator intervention, will reduce the probability of mishandled tools and samples and reduce the number of re-grasp attempts due to dropping. One aspect that separates humans from machines is a rich sensor set. We have the ability to feel objects and respond to forces and textures. The development of touch or tactile sensors for use on a robot that emulates human skin and nerves is the basis for this discussion. We will discuss the use of new piezo-electric and resistive materials that have emerged on the market with the intention of developing a touch sensitive sensor. With viable tacti le sensors we will be one step closer to developing an autonomous grasping capability.

Supervisory control for a complex robotic system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miller, D.J.

1988-01-01

The Robotic Radiation Survey and Analysis System investigates the use of advanced robotic technology for performing remote radiation surveys on nuclear waste shipping casks. Robotic systems have the potential for reducing personnel exposure to radiation and providing fast reliable throughput at future repository sites. A primary technology issue is the integrated control of distributed specialized hardware through a modular supervisory software system. Automated programming of robot trajectories based upon mathematical models of the cask and robot coupled with sensory feedback enables flexible operation of a commercial gantry robot with the reliability needed to perform autonomous operations in a hazardous environment. Complexity is managed using structured software engineering techniques resulting in the generation of reusable command primitives which contribute to a software parts catalog for a generalized robot programming language

Evolution of robotic arms.

Science.gov (United States)

Moran, Michael E

2007-01-01

The foundation of surgical robotics is in the development of the robotic arm. This is a thorough review of the literature on the nature and development of this device with emphasis on surgical applications. We have reviewed the published literature and classified robotic arms by their application: show, industrial application, medical application, etc. There is a definite trend in the manufacture of robotic arms toward more dextrous devices, more degrees-of-freedom, and capabilities beyond the human arm. da Vinci designed the first sophisticated robotic arm in 1495 with four degrees-of-freedom and an analog on-board controller supplying power and programmability. von Kemplen's chess-playing automaton left arm was quite sophisticated. Unimate introduced the first industrial robotic arm in 1961, it has subsequently evolved into the PUMA arm. In 1963 the Rancho arm was designed; Minsky's Tentacle arm appeared in 1968, Scheinman's Stanford arm in 1969, and MIT's Silver arm in 1974. Aird became the first cyborg human with a robotic arm in 1993. In 2000 Miguel Nicolalis redefined possible man-machine capacity in his work on cerebral implantation in owl-monkeys directly interfacing with robotic arms both locally and at a distance. The robotic arm is the end-effector of robotic systems and currently is the hallmark feature of the da Vinci Surgical System making its entrance into surgical application. But, despite the potential advantages of this computer-controlled master-slave system, robotic arms have definite limitations. Ongoing work in robotics has many potential solutions to the drawbacks of current robotic surgical systems.

A Multi-Sensorial Hybrid Control for Robotic Manipulation in Human-Robot Workspaces

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Juan A. Corrales

2011-10-01

Full Text Available Autonomous manipulation in semi-structured environments where human operators can interact is an increasingly common task in robotic applications. This paper describes an intelligent multi-sensorial approach that solves this issue by providing a multi-robotic platform with a high degree of autonomy and the capability to perform complex tasks. The proposed sensorial system is composed of a hybrid visual servo control to efficiently guide the robot towards the object to be manipulated, an inertial motion capture system and an indoor localization system to avoid possible collisions between human operators and robots working in the same workspace, and a tactile sensor algorithm to correctly manipulate the object. The proposed controller employs the whole multi-sensorial system and combines the measurements of each one of the used sensors during two different phases considered in the robot task: a first phase where the robot approaches the object to be grasped, and a second phase of manipulation of the object. In both phases, the unexpected presence of humans is taken into account. This paper also presents the successful results obtained in several experimental setups which verify the validity of the proposed approach.

Cognitive Human-Machine Interface Applied in Remote Support for Industrial Robot Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tomasz Kosicki

2013-10-01

Full Text Available An attempt is currently being made to widely introduce industrial robots to Small-Medium Enterprises (SMEs. Since the enterprises usually employ too small number of robot units to afford specialized departments for robot maintenance, they must be provided with inexpensive and immediate support remotely. This paper evaluates whether the support can be provided by means of Cognitive Info-communication – communication in which human cognitive capabilities are extended irrespectively of geographical distances. The evaluations are given with an aid of experimental system that consists of local and remote rooms, which are physically separated – a six-degree-of-freedom NACHI SH133-03 industrial robot is situated in the local room, while the operator, who supervises the robot by means of audio-visual Cognitive Human-Machine Interface, is situated in the remote room. The results of simple experiments show that Cognitive Info-communication is not only efficient mean to provide the support remotely, but is probably also a powerful tool to enhance interaction with any data-rich environment that require good conceptual understanding of system's state and careful attention management. Furthermore, the paper discusses data presentation and reduction methods for data-rich environments, as well as introduces the concepts of Naturally Acquired Data and Cognitive Human-Machine Interfaces.

Design and modeling of an autonomous multi-link snake robot, capable of 3D-motion

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rizkallah Rabel

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The paper presents the design of an autonomous, wheeless, mechanical snake robot that was modeled and built at Notre Dame University – Louaize. The robot is also capable of 3D motion with an ability to climb in the z-direction. The snake is made of a series links, each containing one to three high torque DC motors and a gearing system. They are connected to each other through Aluminum hollow rods that can be rotated through a 180° span. This allows the snake to move in various environments including unfriendly and cluttered ones. The front link has a proximity sensor used to map the environment. This mapping is sent to a microcontroller which controls and adapts the motion pattern of the snake. The snake can therefore choose to avoid obstacles, or climb over them if their height is within its range. The presented model is made of five links, but this number can be increased as their role is repetitive. The novel design is meant to overcome previous limitations by allowing 3D motion through electric actuators and low energy consumption.

Simultaneous scheduling of machines and mobile robots

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dang, Vinh Quang; Nielsen, Izabela Ewa

2013-01-01

This paper deals with the problem of simultaneously scheduling machines and a number of autonomous mobile robots in a flexible manufacturing system (FMS). Besides capability of transporting materials between machines, the considered mobile robots are different from other material handling devices...

Compact teleoperated laparoendoscopic single-site robotic surgical system: Kinematics, control, and operation.

Science.gov (United States)

Isaac-Lowry, Oran Jacob; Okamoto, Steele; Pedram, Sahba Aghajani; Woo, Russell; Berkelman, Peter

2017-12-01

To date a variety of teleoperated surgical robotic systems have been developed to improve a surgeon's ability to perform demanding single-port procedures. However typical large systems are bulky, expensive, and afford limited angular motion, while smaller designs suffer complications arising from limited motion range, speed, and force generation. This work was to develop and validate a simple, compact, low cost single site teleoperated laparoendoscopic surgical robotic system, with demonstrated capability to carry out basic surgical procedures. This system builds upon previous work done at the University of Hawaii at Manoa and includes instrument and endoscope manipulators as well as compact articulated instruments designed to overcome single incision geometry complications. A robotic endoscope holder was used for the base, with an added support frame for teleoperated manipulators and instruments fabricated mostly from 3D printed parts. Kinematics and control methods were formulated for the novel manipulator configuration. Trajectory following results from an optical motion tracker and sample task performance results are presented. Results indicate that the system has successfully met the goal of basic surgical functionality while minimizing physical size, complexity, and cost. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Virtual Simulator for Autonomous Mobile Robots Navigation System Using Concepts of Control Rapid Prototyping

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Leonimer Flavio de Melo

2013-09-01

Full Text Available This work presents the proposal of virtual environment implementation for project simulation and conception of supervision and control systems for mobile robots, that are capable to operate and adapting in different environments and conditions. This virtual system has as purpose to facilitate the development of embedded architecture systems, emphasizing the implementation of tools that allow the simulation of the kinematic conditions, dynamic and control, with real time monitoring of all important system points. For this, open control architecture is proposal, integrating the two main techniques of robotic control implementation in the hardware level: systems microprocessors and reconfigurable hardware devices. The implemented simulator system is composed of a trajectory generating module, a kinematic and dynamic simulator module and of a analysis module of results and errors. The kinematic and dynamic simulator module makes all simulation of the mobile robot following the pre-determined trajectory of the trajectory generator. All the kinematic and dynamic results shown during the simulation can be evaluated and visualized in graphs and tables formats, in the results analysis module, allowing an improvement in the system, minimizing the errors with the necessary adjustments optimization. For controller implementation in the embedded system, it uses the rapid prototyping, which is the technology that allows, in set with the virtual simulation environment, the development of a controller project for mobile robots. The validation and tests had been accomplishing with nonholonomics mobile robots models with differential transmission.

Robotic Technology Efforts at the NASA/Johnson Space Center

Science.gov (United States)

Diftler, Ron

2017-01-01

The NASA/Johnson Space Center has been developing robotic systems in support of space exploration for more than two decades. The goal of the Center’s Robotic Systems Technology Branch is to design and build hardware and software to assist astronauts in performing their mission. These systems include: rovers, humanoid robots, inspection devices and wearable robotics. Inspection systems provide external views of space vehicles to search for surface damage and also maneuver inside restricted areas to verify proper connections. New concepts in human and robotic rovers offer solutions for navigating difficult terrain expected in future planetary missions. An important objective for humanoid robots is to relieve the crew of “dull, dirty or dangerous” tasks allowing them more time to perform their important science and exploration missions. Wearable robotics one of the Center’s newest development areas can provide crew with low mass exercise capability and also augment an astronaut’s strength while wearing a space suit.This presentation will describe the robotic technology and prototypes developed at the Johnson Space Center that are the basis for future flight systems. An overview of inspection robots will show their operation on the ground and in-orbit. Rovers with independent wheel modules, crab steering, and active suspension are able to climb over large obstacles, and nimbly maneuver around others. Humanoid robots, including the First Humanoid Robot in Space: Robonaut 2, demonstrate capabilities that will lead to robotic caretakers for human habitats in space, and on Mars. The Center’s Wearable Robotics Lab supports work in assistive and sensing devices, including exoskeletons, force measuring shoes, and grasp assist gloves.

Master-slave robotic system for needle indentation and insertion.

Science.gov (United States)

Shin, Jaehyun; Zhong, Yongmin; Gu, Chengfan

2017-12-01

Bilateral control of a master-slave robotic system is a challenging issue in robotic-assisted minimally invasive surgery. It requires the knowledge on contact interaction between a surgical (slave) robot and soft tissues. This paper presents a master-slave robotic system for needle indentation and insertion. This master-slave robotic system is able to characterize the contact interaction between the robotic needle and soft tissues. A bilateral controller is implemented using a linear motor for robotic needle indentation and insertion. A new nonlinear state observer is developed to online monitor the contact interaction with soft tissues. Experimental results demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed master-slave robotic system for robotic needle indentation and needle insertion.

Safety assessment of high consequence robotics system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Robinson, D.G.; Atcitty, C.B.

1996-01-01

This paper outlines the use of a failure modes and effects analysis for the safety assessment of a robotic system being developed at Sandia National Laboratories. The robotic system, the weigh and leak check system, is to replace a manual process for weight and leakage of nuclear materials at the DOE Pantex facility. Failure modes and effects analyses were completed for the robotics process to ensure that safety goals for the systems have been met. Due to the flexible nature of the robot configuration, traditional failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA) were not applicable. In addition, the primary focus of safety assessments of robotics systems has been the protection of personnel in the immediate area. In this application, the safety analysis must account for the sensitivities of the payload as well as traditional issues. A unique variation on the classical FMEA was developed that permits an organized and quite effective tool to be used to assure that safety was adequately considered during the development of the robotic system. The fundamental aspects of the approach are outlined in the paper

Robotic security vehicle for exterior environments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Klarer, P.R.; Workhoven, R.M.

1988-01-01

This paper describes a current effort at Sandia National Labs to develop an outdoor robotic vehicle capable of performing limited security functions autonomously in a structured environment. The present stage of development entails application of algorithms originally developed for the SIR vehicle to a testbed vehicle more appropriate to an outdoor environment. The current effort will culminate in a full scale demonstration of autonomous navigation capabilities on routine patrol and teleoperation by a human operator for alarm assessment and response. Various schemes for implementation of the robot system are discussed, as are plans for further development of the system

The Human-Robot Interaction Operating System

Science.gov (United States)

Fong, Terrence; Kunz, Clayton; Hiatt, Laura M.; Bugajska, Magda

2006-01-01

In order for humans and robots to work effectively together, they need to be able to converse about abilities, goals and achievements. Thus, we are developing an interaction infrastructure called the "Human-Robot Interaction Operating System" (HRI/OS). The HRI/OS provides a structured software framework for building human-robot teams, supports a variety of user interfaces, enables humans and robots to engage in task-oriented dialogue, and facilitates integration of robots through an extensible API.

Combining Environment-Driven Adaptation and Task-Driven Optimisation in Evolutionary Robotics

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Haasdijk, E.W.; Bredeche, Nicolas; Eiben, A.E.

2014-01-01

Embodied evolutionary robotics is a sub-field of evolutionary robotics that employs evolutionary algorithms on the robotic hardware itself, during the operational period, i.e., in an on-line fashion. This enables robotic systems that continuously adapt, and are therefore capable of (re-)adjusting

New Trends in Robotics for Agriculture: Integration and Assessment of a Real Fleet of Robots

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luis Emmi

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Computer-based sensors and actuators such as global positioning systems, machine vision, and laser-based sensors have progressively been incorporated into mobile robots with the aim of configuring autonomous systems capable of shifting operator activities in agricultural tasks. However, the incorporation of many electronic systems into a robot impairs its reliability and increases its cost. Hardware minimization, as well as software minimization and ease of integration, is essential to obtain feasible robotic systems. A step forward in the application of automatic equipment in agriculture is the use of fleets of robots, in which a number of specialized robots collaborate to accomplish one or several agricultural tasks. This paper strives to develop a system architecture for both individual robots and robots working in fleets to improve reliability, decrease complexity and costs, and permit the integration of software from different developers. Several solutions are studied, from a fully distributed to a whole integrated architecture in which a central computer runs all processes. This work also studies diverse topologies for controlling fleets of robots and advances other prospective topologies. The architecture presented in this paper is being successfully applied in the RHEA fleet, which comprises three ground mobile units based on a commercial tractor chassis.

New Trends in Robotics for Agriculture: Integration and Assessment of a Real Fleet of Robots

Science.gov (United States)

Gonzalez-de-Soto, Mariano; Pajares, Gonzalo

2014-01-01

Computer-based sensors and actuators such as global positioning systems, machine vision, and laser-based sensors have progressively been incorporated into mobile robots with the aim of configuring autonomous systems capable of shifting operator activities in agricultural tasks. However, the incorporation of many electronic systems into a robot impairs its reliability and increases its cost. Hardware minimization, as well as software minimization and ease of integration, is essential to obtain feasible robotic systems. A step forward in the application of automatic equipment in agriculture is the use of fleets of robots, in which a number of specialized robots collaborate to accomplish one or several agricultural tasks. This paper strives to develop a system architecture for both individual robots and robots working in fleets to improve reliability, decrease complexity and costs, and permit the integration of software from different developers. Several solutions are studied, from a fully distributed to a whole integrated architecture in which a central computer runs all processes. This work also studies diverse topologies for controlling fleets of robots and advances other prospective topologies. The architecture presented in this paper is being successfully applied in the RHEA fleet, which comprises three ground mobile units based on a commercial tractor chassis. PMID:25143976

New trends in robotics for agriculture: integration and assessment of a real fleet of robots.

Science.gov (United States)

Emmi, Luis; Gonzalez-de-Soto, Mariano; Pajares, Gonzalo; Gonzalez-de-Santos, Pablo

2014-01-01

Computer-based sensors and actuators such as global positioning systems, machine vision, and laser-based sensors have progressively been incorporated into mobile robots with the aim of configuring autonomous systems capable of shifting operator activities in agricultural tasks. However, the incorporation of many electronic systems into a robot impairs its reliability and increases its cost. Hardware minimization, as well as software minimization and ease of integration, is essential to obtain feasible robotic systems. A step forward in the application of automatic equipment in agriculture is the use of fleets of robots, in which a number of specialized robots collaborate to accomplish one or several agricultural tasks. This paper strives to develop a system architecture for both individual robots and robots working in fleets to improve reliability, decrease complexity and costs, and permit the integration of software from different developers. Several solutions are studied, from a fully distributed to a whole integrated architecture in which a central computer runs all processes. This work also studies diverse topologies for controlling fleets of robots and advances other prospective topologies. The architecture presented in this paper is being successfully applied in the RHEA fleet, which comprises three ground mobile units based on a commercial tractor chassis.

Robotic guarded motion system and method

Science.gov (United States)

Bruemmer, David J.

2010-02-23

A robot platform includes perceptors, locomotors, and a system controller. The system controller executes instructions for repeating, on each iteration through an event timing loop, the acts of defining an event horizon, detecting a range to obstacles around the robot, and testing for an event horizon intrusion. Defining the event horizon includes determining a distance from the robot that is proportional to a current velocity of the robot and testing for the event horizon intrusion includes determining if any range to the obstacles is within the event horizon. Finally, on each iteration through the event timing loop, the method includes reducing the current velocity of the robot in proportion to a loop period of the event timing loop if the event horizon intrusion occurs.

Biological Soft Robotics.

Science.gov (United States)

Feinberg, Adam W

2015-01-01

In nature, nanometer-scale molecular motors are used to generate force within cells for diverse processes from transcription and transport to muscle contraction. This adaptability and scalability across wide temporal, spatial, and force regimes have spurred the development of biological soft robotic systems that seek to mimic and extend these capabilities. This review describes how molecular motors are hierarchically organized into larger-scale structures in order to provide a basic understanding of how these systems work in nature and the complexity and functionality we hope to replicate in biological soft robotics. These span the subcellular scale to macroscale, and this article focuses on the integration of biological components with synthetic materials, coupled with bioinspired robotic design. Key examples include nanoscale molecular motor-powered actuators, microscale bacteria-controlled devices, and macroscale muscle-powered robots that grasp, walk, and swim. Finally, the current challenges and future opportunities in the field are addressed.

Design and validation of a CT-guided robotic system for lung cancer brachytherapy.

Science.gov (United States)

Dou, Huaisu; Jiang, Shan; Yang, Zhiyong; Sun, Luqing; Ma, Xiaodong; Huo, Bin

2017-09-01

of the robotic system was 0.49 ± 0.29 mm. Phantom experiments indicated that the accuracy of needle insertion was 1.5 ± 1.7 mm at a depth ranging from 30 to 80 mm. The time used to adjust the template to the target position was 12 min on average by robotic system automatically. An average of 30 min was saved compared with the manual positioning procedure in phantom experiments. This paper describes the design and experimental validation of a novel CT-guided robotic system for lung cancer brachytherapy. The robotic system was validated in a number of aspects which prove that it was capable of locating the template with clinically acceptable accuracy in the CT environment. All experimental results indicated that the system is reliable and ready to be applied to further studies on animals. © 2017 American Association of Physicists in Medicine.

SafeNet: a methodology for integrating general-purpose unsafe devices in safe-robot rehabilitation systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Vicentini, Federico; Pedrocchi, Nicola; Malosio, Matteo; Molinari Tosatti, Lorenzo

2014-09-01

Robot-assisted neurorehabilitation often involves networked systems of sensors ("sensory rooms") and powerful devices in physical interaction with weak users. Safety is unquestionably a primary concern. Some lightweight robot platforms and devices designed on purpose include safety properties using redundant sensors or intrinsic safety design (e.g. compliance and backdrivability, limited exchange of energy). Nonetheless, the entire "sensory room" shall be required to be fail-safe and safely monitored as a system at large. Yet, sensor capabilities and control algorithms used in functional therapies require, in general, frequent updates or re-configurations, making a safety-grade release of such devices hardly sustainable in cost-effectiveness and development time. As such, promising integrated platforms for human-in-the-loop therapies could not find clinical application and manufacturing support because of lacking in the maintenance of global fail-safe properties. Under the general context of cross-machinery safety standards, the paper presents a methodology called SafeNet for helping in extending the safety rate of Human Robot Interaction (HRI) systems using unsafe components, including sensors and controllers. SafeNet considers, in fact, the robotic system as a device at large and applies the principles of functional safety (as in ISO 13489-1) through a set of architectural procedures and implementation rules. The enabled capability of monitoring a network of unsafe devices through redundant computational nodes, allows the usage of any custom sensors and algorithms, usually planned and assembled at therapy planning-time rather than at platform design-time. A case study is presented with an actual implementation of the proposed methodology. A specific architectural solution is applied to an example of robot-assisted upper-limb rehabilitation with online motion tracking. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

ADAPTIVE DISTRIBUTION OF A SWARM OF HETEROGENEOUS ROBOTS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amanda Prorok

2016-02-01

Full Text Available We present a method that distributes a swarm of heterogeneous robots among a set of tasks that require specialized capabilities in order to be completed. We model the system of heterogeneous robots as a community of species, where each species (robot type is defined by the traits (capabilities that it owns. Our method is based on a continuous abstraction of the swarm at a macroscopic level as we model robots switching between tasks. We formulate an optimization problem that produces an optimal set of transition rates for each species, so that the desired trait distribution is reached as quickly as possible. Since our method is based on the derivation of an analytical gradient, it is very efficient with respect to state-of-the-art methods. Building on this result, we propose a real-time optimization method that enables an online adaptation of transition rates. Our approach is well-suited for real-time applications that rely on online redistribution of large-scale robotic systems.

Assistive and Rehabilitation Robotic System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adrian Abrudean

2015-06-01

Full Text Available A short introduction concerning the content of Assistive Technology and Rehabilitation Engineering is followed by a study of robotic systems which combine two or more assistive functions. Based on biomechanical aspects, a complex robotic system is presented, starting with the study of functionality and ending with the practical aspects of the prototype development.

Integrated Robotic systems for Humanitarian Demining

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

E. Colon

2007-06-01

Full Text Available This paper summarises the main results of 10 years of research and development in Humanitarian Demining. The Hudem project focuses on mine detection systems and aims at provided different solutions to support the mine detection operations. Robots using different kind of locomotion systems have been designed and tested on dummy minefields. In order to control these robots, software interfaces, control algorithms, visual positioning and terrain following systems have also been developed. Typical data acquisition results obtained during trial campaigns with robots and data acquisition systems are reported. Lessons learned during the project and future work conclude this paper.

[Laparoscopic colorectal surgery - SILS, robots, and NOTES.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

D'Hoore, André; Wolthuis, Albert M.; Mizrahi, Hagar; Parker, Mike; Bemelman, Willem A.; Wara, Pål

2011-01-01

Single incision laparoscopic surgery resection of colon is feasible, but so far evidence of benefit compared to standard laparoscopic technique is lacking. In addition to robot-controlled camera, there is only one robot system on the market capable of performing laparoscopic surgery. The da Vinci

Review of emerging surgical robotic technology.

Science.gov (United States)

Peters, Brian S; Armijo, Priscila R; Krause, Crystal; Choudhury, Songita A; Oleynikov, Dmitry

2018-04-01

The use of laparoscopic and robotic procedures has increased in general surgery. Minimally invasive robotic surgery has made tremendous progress in a relatively short period of time, realizing improvements for both the patient and surgeon. This has led to an increase in the use and development of robotic devices and platforms for general surgery. The purpose of this review is to explore current and emerging surgical robotic technologies in a growing and dynamic environment of research and development. This review explores medical and surgical robotic endoscopic surgery and peripheral technologies currently available or in development. The devices discussed here are specific to general surgery, including laparoscopy, colonoscopy, esophagogastroduodenoscopy, and thoracoscopy. Benefits and limitations of each technology were identified and applicable future directions were described. A number of FDA-approved devices and platforms for robotic surgery were reviewed, including the da Vinci Surgical System, Sensei X Robotic Catheter System, FreeHand 1.2, invendoscopy E200 system, Flex® Robotic System, Senhance, ARES, the Single-Port Instrument Delivery Extended Research (SPIDER), and the NeoGuide Colonoscope. Additionally, platforms were reviewed which have not yet obtained FDA approval including MiroSurge, ViaCath System, SPORT™ Surgical System, SurgiBot, Versius Robotic System, Master and Slave Transluminal Endoscopic Robot, Verb Surgical, Miniature In Vivo Robot, and the Einstein Surgical Robot. The use and demand for robotic medical and surgical platforms is increasing and new technologies are continually being developed. New technologies are increasingly implemented to improve on the capabilities of previously established systems. Future studies are needed to further evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of each robotic surgical device and platform in the operating suite.

Dynamic photogrammetric calibration of industrial robots

Science.gov (United States)

Maas, Hans-Gerd

1997-07-01

Today's developments in industrial robots focus on aims like gain of flexibility, improvement of the interaction between robots and reduction of down-times. A very important method to achieve these goals are off-line programming techniques. In contrast to conventional teach-in-robot programming techniques, where sequences of actions are defined step-by- step via remote control on the real object, off-line programming techniques design complete robot (inter-)action programs in a CAD/CAM environment. This poses high requirements to the geometric accuracy of a robot. While the repeatability of robot poses in the teach-in mode is often better than 0.1 mm, the absolute pose accuracy potential of industrial robots is usually much worse due to tolerances, eccentricities, elasticities, play, wear-out, load, temperature and insufficient knowledge of model parameters for the transformation from poses into robot axis angles. This fact necessitates robot calibration techniques, including the formulation of a robot model describing kinematics and dynamics of the robot, and a measurement technique to provide reference data. Digital photogrammetry as an accurate, economic technique with realtime potential offers itself for this purpose. The paper analyzes the requirements posed to a measurement technique by industrial robot calibration tasks. After an overview on measurement techniques used for robot calibration purposes in the past, a photogrammetric robot calibration system based on off-the- shelf lowcost hardware components will be shown and results of pilot studies will be discussed. Besides aspects of accuracy, reliability and self-calibration in a fully automatic dynamic photogrammetric system, realtime capabilities are discussed. In the pilot studies, standard deviations of 0.05 - 0.25 mm in the three coordinate directions could be achieved over a robot work range of 1.7 X 1.5 X 1.0 m3. The realtime capabilities of the technique allow to go beyond kinematic robot

Adaptive control of two-wheeled mobile balance robot capable to adapt different surfaces using a novel artificial neural network–based real-time switching dynamic controller

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ali Unluturk

2017-03-01

Full Text Available In this article, a novel real-time artificial neural network–based adaptable switching dynamic controller is developed and practically implemented. It will be used for real-time control of two-wheeled balance robot which can balance itself upright position on different surfaces. In order to examine the efficiency of the proposed controller, a two-wheeled mobile balance robot is designed and a test platform for experimental setup is made for balance problem on different surfaces. In a developed adaptive controller algorithm which is capable to adapt different surfaces, mean absolute target angle deviation error, mean absolute target displacement deviation error and mean absolute controller output data are employed for surface estimation by using artificial neural network. In a designed two-wheeled mobile balance robot system, robot tilt angle is estimated via Kalman filter from accelerometer and gyroscope sensor signals. Furthermore, a visual robot control interface is developed in C++ software development environment so that robot controller parameters can be changed as desired. In addition, robot balance angle, linear displacement and controller output can be observed online on personal computer. According to the real-time experimental results, the proposed novel type controller gives more effective results than the classic ones.

A concept of distributed architecture for maintenance robot systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Asama, Hajime

1990-01-01

Aiming at development of a robot system for maintenance tasks in nuclear power plants, a concept of distributed architecture for autonomous robot systems is discussed. At first, based on investigation of maintenance tasks, requirements for maintenance robots are introduced, and structures to realize multi-functions are discussed. Then, as a new design strategy of maintenance robot system, an autonomous and decentralized robot systems is proposed, which is composed of multiple robots, computers, and equipments, and concept of ACTRESS (ACTor-based Robots and Equipments Synthetic System) including communication framework between robotic components is designed. Finally, as a model of ACTRESS, a experimental system is developed, which deals with object-pushing tasks by two micromice and an environment modeler with communicating with each other. Both of parallel independent motion and cooperative motion based on communication is reconciled, and the efficiency of the distributed architecture is verified. (author)

RoboDB: an application of Semantic Web Technologies to robotics

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Juarez, Alex; Hu, J.; Feijs, L.M.G.

2011-01-01

RoboDB is a knowledge acquisition system that gathers information about robots. RoboDB uses Semantic Web technologies and tools to help the user in creating semantic descriptions of robot embodiments and their capabilities, as well as in building an ontology of robotics projects, research

Human Factors and Robotics: Current Status and Future Prospects.

Science.gov (United States)

Parsons, H. McIlvaine; Kearsley, Greg P.

The principal human factors engineering issue in robotics is the division of labor between automation (robots) and human beings. This issue reflects a prime human factors engineering consideration in systems design--what equipment should do and what operators and maintainers should do. Understanding of capabilities and limitations of robots and…

Performance of the Improvements of the CAESAR Robot

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Riaan Stopforth

2010-09-01

Full Text Available Robots are able to enter concealed and unstable environments inaccessible to rescuers. Previous Urban Search And Rescue (USAR robots have experienced problems with malfunction of communication systems, traction systems, control and telemetry. These problems were accessed and improved in developing a prototype robot called CAESAR, which is an acronym for Contractible Arms Elevating Search And Rescue. Problems encountered with previous USAR robots are discussed. The mechanical, sensory and communication systems that were used on CAESAR are briefly explained. Each system was separately tested by performed experiments. Results of field tests and the robot performance experienced during a disaster scenario that was created are discussed. The capabilities of CAESAR are explained in these tests to determine if some of the problems experienced previously are solved.

International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems - IROS 2011

CERN Document Server

Rosen, Jacob; Redundancy in Robot Manipulators and Multi-Robot Systems

2013-01-01

The trend in the evolution of robotic systems is that the number of degrees of freedom increases. This is visible both in robot manipulator design and in the shift of focus from single to multi-robot systems. Following the principles of evolution in nature, one may infer that adding degrees of freedom to robot systems design is beneficial. However, since nature did not select snake-like bodies for all creatures, it is reasonable to expect the presence of a certain selection pressure on the number of degrees of freedom. Thus, understanding costs and benefits of multiple degrees of freedom, especially those that create redundancy, is a fundamental problem in the field of robotics. This volume is mostly based on the works presented at the workshop on Redundancy in Robot Manipulators and Multi-Robot Systems at the IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems - IROS 2011. The workshopwas envisioned as a dialog between researchers from two separate, but obviously relatedfields of robotics: on...

ROBOSIM, a simulator for robotic systems

Science.gov (United States)

Hinman, Elaine M.; Fernandez, Ken; Cook, George E.

1991-01-01

ROBOSIM, a simulator for robotic systems, was developed by NASA to aid in the rapid prototyping of automation. ROBOSIM has allowed the development of improved robotic systems concepts for both earth-based and proposed on-orbit applications while significantly reducing development costs. In a cooperative effort with an area university, ROBOSIM was further developed for use in the classroom as a safe and cost-effective way of allowing students to study robotic systems. Students have used ROBOSIM to study existing robotic systems and systems which they have designed in the classroom. Since an advanced simulator/trainer of this type is beneficial not only to NASA projects and programs but industry and academia as well, NASA is in the process of developing this technology for wider public use. An update on the simulators's new application areas, the improvements made to the simulator's design, and current efforts to ensure the timely transfer of this technology are presented.

3D YAG laser cutting robot. 3 jigen YAG laser setsudan robot

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mukai, Y. (Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. Ltd., Osaka (Japan))

1991-11-01

The present status was introduced of three-dimensional processing by the YAG laser multi-articulation robot to introduce the focusing system. The lowering in locus accuracy of multi-articulation robot is caused by the accuracy and time of computation to interpolate the locus, response characteristics of servo system, and calibration problem of mechanical/structural system. Also as low in output power of laser, it has problem in focusing the energy in the radiating optical system. A focusing system, high in response velocity, is necessary in the processor to use the optical fiber in the optical transfer system. As processing and measuring at an identical spot, the present system can integrate the detection use electrode and nozzle so as to use an electrostatic capacity type sensor, high in response frequency. To avoid the interference with jig, etc., the nozzle of radiating unit was integrated with the detection use electrode so that development was made of height sensor, capable of executing the three-dimensional processing. The present robot is characterized by a standardized equipment of control system with a sliding shaft, independent of the operational shaft properly of robot in order to be exclusively used for the focusing. 9 figs.

Intraocular robotic interventional surgical system (IRISS): Mechanical design, evaluation, and master-slave manipulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Wilson, Jason T; Gerber, Matthew J; Prince, Stephen W; Chen, Cheng-Wei; Schwartz, Steven D; Hubschman, Jean-Pierre; Tsao, Tsu-Chin

2018-02-01

Since the advent of robotic-assisted surgery, the value of using robotic systems to assist in surgical procedures has been repeatedly demonstrated. However, existing technologies are unable to perform complete, multi-step procedures from start to finish. Many intraocular surgical steps continue to be manually performed. An intraocular robotic interventional surgical system (IRISS) capable of performing various intraocular surgical procedures was designed, fabricated, and evaluated. Methods were developed to evaluate the performance of the remote centers of motion (RCMs) using a stereo-camera setup and to assess the accuracy and precision of positioning the tool tip using an optical coherence tomography (OCT) system. The IRISS can simultaneously manipulate multiple surgical instruments, change between mounted tools using an onboard tool-change mechanism, and visualize the otherwise invisible RCMs to facilitate alignment of the RCM to the surgical incision. The accuracy of positioning the tool tip was measured to be 0.205±0.003 mm. The IRISS was evaluated by trained surgeons in a remote surgical theatre using post-mortem pig eyes and shown to be effective in completing many key steps in a variety of intraocular surgical procedures as well as being capable of performing an entire cataract extraction from start to finish. The IRISS represents a necessary step towards fully automated intraocular surgery and demonstrated accurate and precise master-slave manipulation for cataract removal and-through visual feedback-retinal vein cannulation. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

HoverBots: Precise Locomotion Using Robots That Are Designed for Manufacturability

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Markus P. Nemitz

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Scaling up robot swarms to collectives of hundreds or even thousands without sacrificing sensing, processing, and locomotion capabilities is a challenging problem. Low-cost robots are potentially scalable, but the majority of existing systems have limited capabilities, and these limitations substantially constrain the type of experiments that could be performed by robotics researchers. As an alternative to increasing the quantity of robots by reducing their functionality, we have developed a new technology that delivers increased functionality at low-cost. In this study, we present a comprehensive literature review on the most commonly used locomotion strategies of swarm robotic systems. We introduce a new type of low-friction locomotion—active low-friction locomotion—and we show its first implementation in the HoverBot system. The HoverBot system consists of an air levitation and magnet table, and a HoverBot agent. HoverBot agents are levitating circuit boards that we have equipped with an array of planar coils and a Hall-effect sensor. The HoverBot agent uses its coils to pull itself toward magnetic anchors that are embedded into a levitation table. These robots use active low-friction locomotion; consist of only surface-mount components; circumvent actuator calibration; are capable of odometry by using a single Hall-effect sensor; and perform precise movement. We conducted three hours of experimental evaluation of the HoverBot system in which we observed the system performing more than 10,000 steps. We also demonstrate formation movement, random collision, and straight collisions with two robots. This study demonstrates that active low-friction locomotion is an alternative to wheeled and slip-stick locomotion in the field of swarm robotics.

The human hand as an inspiration for robot hand development

CERN Document Server

Santos, Veronica

2014-01-01

“The Human Hand as an Inspiration for Robot Hand Development” presents an edited collection of authoritative contributions in the area of robot hands. The results described in the volume are expected to lead to more robust, dependable, and inexpensive distributed systems such as those endowed with complex and advanced sensing, actuation, computation, and communication capabilities. The twenty-four chapters discuss the field of robotic grasping and manipulation viewed in light of the human hand’s capabilities and push the state-of-the-art in robot hand design and control. Topics discussed include human hand biomechanics, neural control, sensory feedback and perception, and robotic grasp and manipulation. This book will be useful for researchers from diverse areas such as robotics, biomechanics, neuroscience, and anthropologists.

A Kinect-based real-time compressive tracking prototype system for amphibious spherical robots.

Science.gov (United States)

Pan, Shaowu; Shi, Liwei; Guo, Shuxiang

2015-04-08

A visual tracking system is essential as a basis for visual servoing, autonomous navigation, path planning, robot-human interaction and other robotic functions. To execute various tasks in diverse and ever-changing environments, a mobile robot requires high levels of robustness, precision, environmental adaptability and real-time performance of the visual tracking system. In keeping with the application characteristics of our amphibious spherical robot, which was proposed for flexible and economical underwater exploration in 2012, an improved RGB-D visual tracking algorithm is proposed and implemented. Given the limited power source and computational capabilities of mobile robots, compressive tracking (CT), which is the effective and efficient algorithm that was proposed in 2012, was selected as the basis of the proposed algorithm to process colour images. A Kalman filter with a second-order motion model was implemented to predict the state of the target and select candidate patches or samples for the CT tracker. In addition, a variance ratio features shift (VR-V) tracker with a Kalman estimation mechanism was used to process depth images. Using a feedback strategy, the depth tracking results were used to assist the CT tracker in updating classifier parameters at an adaptive rate. In this way, most of the deficiencies of CT, including drift and poor robustness to occlusion and high-speed target motion, were partly solved. To evaluate the proposed algorithm, a Microsoft Kinect sensor, which combines colour and infrared depth cameras, was adopted for use in a prototype of the robotic tracking system. The experimental results with various image sequences demonstrated the effectiveness, robustness and real-time performance of the tracking system.

A Kinect-Based Real-Time Compressive Tracking Prototype System for Amphibious Spherical Robots

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shaowu Pan

2015-04-01

Full Text Available A visual tracking system is essential as a basis for visual servoing, autonomous navigation, path planning, robot-human interaction and other robotic functions. To execute various tasks in diverse and ever-changing environments, a mobile robot requires high levels of robustness, precision, environmental adaptability and real-time performance of the visual tracking system. In keeping with the application characteristics of our amphibious spherical robot, which was proposed for flexible and economical underwater exploration in 2012, an improved RGB-D visual tracking algorithm is proposed and implemented. Given the limited power source and computational capabilities of mobile robots, compressive tracking (CT, which is the effective and efficient algorithm that was proposed in 2012, was selected as the basis of the proposed algorithm to process colour images. A Kalman filter with a second-order motion model was implemented to predict the state of the target and select candidate patches or samples for the CT tracker. In addition, a variance ratio features shift (VR-V tracker with a Kalman estimation mechanism was used to process depth images. Using a feedback strategy, the depth tracking results were used to assist the CT tracker in updating classifier parameters at an adaptive rate. In this way, most of the deficiencies of CT, including drift and poor robustness to occlusion and high-speed target motion, were partly solved. To evaluate the proposed algorithm, a Microsoft Kinect sensor, which combines colour and infrared depth cameras, was adopted for use in a prototype of the robotic tracking system. The experimental results with various image sequences demonstrated the effectiveness, robustness and real-time performance of the tracking system.

Robotically assisted MRgFUS system

Science.gov (United States)

Jenne, Jürgen W.; Krafft, Axel J.; Maier, Florian; Rauschenberg, Jaane; Semmler, Wolfhard; Huber, Peter E.; Bock, Michael

2010-03-01

Magnetic resonance imaging guided focus ultrasound surgery (MRgFUS) is a highly precise method to ablate tissue non-invasively. The objective of this ongoing work is to establish an MRgFUS therapy unit consisting of a specially designed FUS applicator as an add-on to a commercial robotic assistance system originally designed for percutaneous needle interventions in whole-body MRI systems. The fully MR compatible robotic assistance system InnoMotion™ (Synthes Inc., West Chester, USA; formerly InnoMedic GmbH, Herxheim, Germany) offers six degrees of freedom. The developed add-on FUS treatment applicator features a fixed focus ultrasound transducer (f = 1.7 MHz; f' = 68 mm, NA = 0.44, elliptical shaped -6-dB-focus: 8.1 mm length; O/ = 1.1 mm) embedded in a water-filled flexible bellow. A Mylar® foil is used as acoustic window encompassed by a dedicated MRI loop coil. For FUS application, the therapy unit is directly connected to the head of the robotic system, and the treatment region is targeted from above. A newly in-house developed software tool allowed for complete remote control of the MRgFUS-robot system and online analysis of MRI thermometry data. The system's ability for therapeutic relevant focal spot scanning was tested in a closed-bore clinical 1.5 T MR scanner (Magnetom Symphony, Siemens AG, Erlangen, Germany) in animal experiments with pigs. The FUS therapy procedure was performed entirely under MRI guidance including initial therapy planning, online MR-thermometry, and final contrast enhanced imaging for lesion detection. In vivo trials proved the MRgFUS-robot system as highly MR compatible. MR-guided focal spot scanning experiments were performed and a well-defined pattern of thermal tissue lesions was created. A total in vivo positioning accuracy of the US focus better than 2 mm was estimated which is comparable to existing MRgFUS systems. The newly developed FUS-robotic system offers an accurate, highly flexible focus positioning. With its access

The difficulties of writing procurement specifications for robots in nuclear applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moore, F.W.; Bowen, W.W.

1986-01-01

The commercial robots available today were developed to primarily support the automotive or electronics industries. The adaptation of these robots and the current robotic technology to handle and manufacture nuclear materials has had its problems. The operational space and maintenance constraints have special consideration. The robotic systems of today tend to not have the payload capability for nuclear applications or, if the payload is sufficient, the system is very large and has several operating and maintenance accessibility requirements. The process of specifying, purchasing, and modifying a robotic system is an expensive and time-consuming process. The procurement specification is critical to obtaining competitive quotations on robots for nuclear applications resulting in the most economical robotic system

Robotic Software Integration Using MARIE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carle Côté

2006-03-01

Full Text Available This paper presents MARIE, a middleware framework oriented towards developing and integrating new and existing software for robotic systems. By using a generic communication framework, MARIE aims to create a flexible distributed component system that allows robotics developers to share software programs and algorithms, and design prototypes rapidly based on their own integration needs. The use of MARIE is illustrated with the design of a socially interactive autonomous mobile robot platform capable of map building, localization, navigation, tasks scheduling, sound source localization, tracking and separation, speech recognition and generation, visual tracking, message reading and graphical interaction using a touch screen interface.

Laboratory robotics systems at the Savannah River Laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dyches, G.M.; Burkett, S.D.

1983-01-01

Many analytical chemistry methods normally used at the Savannah River site require repetitive procedures and handling of radioactive and other hazardous solutions. Robotics is being investigated as a method of reducing personnel fatigue and radiation exposure and also increasing product quality. Several applications of various commercially available robot systems are discussed involving cold (nonradioactive) and hot (radioactive) sample preparations and glovebox waste removal. Problems encountered in robot programming, parts fixturing, design of special robot hands and other support equipment, glovebox operation, and operator-system interaction are discussed. A typical robot system cost analysis for one application is given

Robots testing robots: ALAN-Arm, a humanoid arm for the testing of robotic rehabilitation systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Brookes, Jack; Kuznecovs, Maksims; Kanakis, Menelaos; Grigals, Arturs; Narvidas, Mazvydas; Gallagher, Justin; Levesley, Martin

2017-07-01

Robotics is increasing in popularity as a method of providing rich, personalized and cost-effective physiotherapy to individuals with some degree of upper limb paralysis, such as those who have suffered a stroke. These robotic rehabilitation systems are often high powered, and exoskeletal systems can attach to the person in a restrictive manner. Therefore, ensuring the mechanical safety of these devices before they come in contact with individuals is a priority. Additionally, rehabilitation systems may use novel sensor systems to measure current arm position. Used to capture and assess patient movements, these first need to be verified for accuracy by an external system. We present the ALAN-Arm, a humanoid robotic arm designed to be used for both accuracy benchmarking and safety testing of robotic rehabilitation systems. The system can be attached to a rehabilitation device and then replay generated or human movement trajectories, as well as autonomously play rehabilitation games or activities. Tests of the ALAN-Arm indicated it could recreate the path of a generated slow movement path with a maximum error of 14.2mm (mean = 5.8mm) and perform cyclic movements up to 0.6Hz with low gain (<1.5dB). Replaying human data trajectories showed the ability to largely preserve human movement characteristics with slightly higher path length and lower normalised jerk.

Implementation of a map route analysis robot: combining an Android smart device and differential-drive robotic platform

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tseng Chi-Hung

2017-01-01

Full Text Available This paper proposes an easy-to-implement and relatively low-cost robotic platform with capability to realize image identification, object tracking, and Google Map route planning and navigation. Based on the JAVA and Bluetooth communication architectures, the system demonstrates the integration of Android smart devices and a differential-drive robotic platform.

Monocular-Based 6-Degree of Freedom Pose Estimation Technology for Robotic Intelligent Grasping Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tao Liu

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Industrial robots are expected to undertake ever more advanced tasks in the modern manufacturing industry, such as intelligent grasping, in which robots should be capable of recognizing the position and orientation of a part before grasping it. In this paper, a monocular-based 6-degree of freedom (DOF pose estimation technology to enable robots to grasp large-size parts at informal poses is proposed. A camera was mounted on the robot end-flange and oriented to measure several featured points on the part before the robot moved to grasp it. In order to estimate the part pose, a nonlinear optimization model based on the camera object space collinearity error in different poses is established, and the initial iteration value is estimated with the differential transformation. Measuring poses of the camera are optimized based on uncertainty analysis. Also, the principle of the robotic intelligent grasping system was developed, with which the robot could adjust its pose to grasp the part. In experimental tests, the part poses estimated with the method described in this paper were compared with those produced by a laser tracker, and results show the RMS angle and position error are about 0.0228° and 0.4603 mm. Robotic intelligent grasping tests were also successfully performed in the experiments.

Towards Versatile Robots Through Open Heterogeneous Modular Robots

OpenAIRE

Lyder, Andreas

2010-01-01

Robots are important tools in our everyday life. Both in industry and at the consumer level they serve the purpose of increasing our scope and extending our capabilities. Modular robots take the next step, allowing us to easily create and build various robots from a set of modules. If a problem arises, a new robot can be assembled rapidly from the existing modules, in contrast to conventional robots, which require a time consuming and expensive development process. In this thesis we define a ...

Calibration of robotic drilling systems with a moving rail

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tian Wei

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Industrial robots are widely used in aircraft assembly systems such as robotic drilling systems. It is necessary to expand a robot’s working range with a moving rail. A method for improving the position accuracy of an automated assembly system with an industrial robot mounted on a moving rail is proposed. A multi-station method is used to control the robot in this study. The robot only works at stations which are certain positions defined on the moving rail. The calibration of the robot system is composed by the calibration of the robot and the calibration of the stations. The calibration of the robot is based on error similarity and inverse distance weighted interpolation. The calibration of the stations is based on a magnetic strip and a magnetic sensor. Validation tests were performed in this study, which showed that the accuracy of the robot system gained significant improvement using the proposed method. The absolute position errors were reduced by about 85% to less than 0.3 mm compared with the maximum nearly 2 mm before calibration.

RoboSmith: Wireless Networked Architecture for Multiagent Robotic System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Florin Moldoveanu

2010-11-01

Full Text Available In this paper is presented an architecture for a flexible mini robot for a multiagent robotic system. In a multiagent system the value of an individual agent is negligible since the goal of the system is essential. Thus, the agents (robots need to be small, low cost and cooperative. RoboSmith are designed based on these conditions. The proposed architecture divide a robot into functional modules such as locomotion, control, sensors, communication, and actuation. Any mobile robot can be constructed by combining these functional modules for a specific application. An embedded software with dynamic task uploading and multi-tasking abilities is developed in order to create better interface between robots and the command center and among the robots. The dynamic task uploading allows the robots change their behaviors in runtime. The flexibility of the robots is given by facts that the robots can work in multiagent system, as master-slave, or hybrid mode, can be equipped with different modules and possibly be used in other applications such as mobile sensor networks remote sensing, and plant monitoring.

Accelerating Robot Development through Integral Analysis of Human-Robot Interaction

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kooijmans, T.; Kanda, T.; Bartneck, C.; Ishiguro, H.; Hagita, N.

2007-01-01

The development of interactive robots is a complicated process, involving a plethora of psychological, technical, and contextual influences. To design a robot capable of operating "intelligently" in everyday situations, one needs a profound understanding of human-robot interaction (HRI). We propose

Towards Light‐guided Micro‐robotics

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Glückstad, Jesper

‐dimensional microstructures. Furthermore, we exploit the light shaping capabilities available in the workstation to demonstrate a new strategy for controlling microstructures that goes beyond the typical refractive light deflections that are exploited in conventional optical trapping and manipulation e.g. of micro......Robotics in the macro‐scale typically uses light for carrying information in machine vision for monitoring and feedback in intelligent robotic guidance systems. With light’s miniscule momentum, shrinking robots down to the micro‐scale regime creates opportunities for exploiting optical forces...... and torques in micro‐robotic actuation and control. Indeed, the literature on optical trapping and micro‐manipulation attests to the possibilities for optical micro‐robotics. Advancing light‐driven micro‐robotics requires the optimization of optical force and optical torque that, in turn, requires...

A New Cancer Radiotherapy System Using Multi Robotic Manipulators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Seung Ho; Lee, Nam Ho; Lee, Byung Chul; Jeung, Kyung Min; Lee, Seong Uk; Bae, Yeong Geol; Na, Hyun Seok

2013-01-01

The CyberKnife system is state-of-the-art cancer treatment equipment that combines an image tracking technique, artificial intelligence software, robot technology, accelerator technology, and treatment simulation technology. The current CyberKnife System has significant shortcomings. The biggest problem is that it takes a longer time to treat a tumor. A long treatment time gives stress to patients. Furthermore it makes the patients uncomfortable with radiation and thus it is difficult to measure the exact radiation dose rate to the tumor in the processing. Linear accelerators for radiation treatment are dependent on imports, and demand high maintenance cost. This also makes the treatment cost higher and prevents the popularization of radiation. To solve the disadvantages of the existing CyberKnife, a radiation treatment robot system applied to several articulated robots is suggested. Essential element techniques for new radiotherapy robot system are investigated and some problems of similar existing systems are analyzed. This paper presents a general configuration of a new radiation robot treatment system including with a quantitative goal of the requirement techniques. This paper described a new radiotherapy robot system to track the tumor using multiple articulated robots in real time. The existing CyberKnife system using a single robot arm has disadvantages of a long radiotherapy time, high medical fee, and inaccurate measurement of the radiotherapy dose. So a new radiotherapy robot system for tumors has been proposed to solve the above problems of conventional CyberKnife systems. Necessary technologies to configure new the radiotherapy robot system have been identified. Quantitative targets of each technology have been established. Multiple robot arms are adopted to decrease the radiotherapy time. The results of this research are provided as a requisite technology for a domestic radiotherapy system and are expected to be the foundation of new technology. The

A New Cancer Radiotherapy System Using Multi Robotic Manipulators

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Seung Ho; Lee, Nam Ho; Lee, Byung Chul; Jeung, Kyung Min; Lee, Seong Uk; Bae, Yeong Geol; Na, Hyun Seok [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2013-10-15

The CyberKnife system is state-of-the-art cancer treatment equipment that combines an image tracking technique, artificial intelligence software, robot technology, accelerator technology, and treatment simulation technology. The current CyberKnife System has significant shortcomings. The biggest problem is that it takes a longer time to treat a tumor. A long treatment time gives stress to patients. Furthermore it makes the patients uncomfortable with radiation and thus it is difficult to measure the exact radiation dose rate to the tumor in the processing. Linear accelerators for radiation treatment are dependent on imports, and demand high maintenance cost. This also makes the treatment cost higher and prevents the popularization of radiation. To solve the disadvantages of the existing CyberKnife, a radiation treatment robot system applied to several articulated robots is suggested. Essential element techniques for new radiotherapy robot system are investigated and some problems of similar existing systems are analyzed. This paper presents a general configuration of a new radiation robot treatment system including with a quantitative goal of the requirement techniques. This paper described a new radiotherapy robot system to track the tumor using multiple articulated robots in real time. The existing CyberKnife system using a single robot arm has disadvantages of a long radiotherapy time, high medical fee, and inaccurate measurement of the radiotherapy dose. So a new radiotherapy robot system for tumors has been proposed to solve the above problems of conventional CyberKnife systems. Necessary technologies to configure new the radiotherapy robot system have been identified. Quantitative targets of each technology have been established. Multiple robot arms are adopted to decrease the radiotherapy time. The results of this research are provided as a requisite technology for a domestic radiotherapy system and are expected to be the foundation of new technology. The

Task oriented evaluation system for maintenance robots

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Asame, Hajime; Endo, Isao; Kotosaka, Shin-ya; Takata, Shozo; Hiraoka, Hiroyuki; Kohda, Takehisa; Matsumoto, Akihiro; Yamagishi, Kiichiro.

1994-01-01

The adaptability evaluation of maintenance robots to autonomous plants has been discussed. In this paper, a new concept of autonomous plant with maintenance robots are introduced, and a framework of autonomous maintenance system is proposed. Then, task-oriented evaluation of robot arms is discussed for evaluating their adaptability to maintenance tasks, and a new criterion called operability is proposed for adaptability evaluation. The task-oriented evaluation system is implemented and applied to structural design of robot arms. Using genetic algorithm, an optimal structure adaptable to a pump disassembly task is obtained. (author)

A flexible, computer-integrated robotic transfer system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lewis, W.I. III; Taylor, R.M.

1987-01-01

This paper reviews a robotic system used to transport materials across a radiation control zone and into a row of shielded cells. The robot used is a five-axis GCA 600 industrial robot mounted on a 50-ft ESAB welding track. Custom software incorporates the track as the sixth axis of motion. An IBM-PC integrates robot control, force sensing, and the operator interface. Multiple end-effectors and a quick exchange mechanism are used to handle a variety of materials and tasks. Automatic error detection and recovery is a key aspect of this system

Autonomous undulatory serpentine locomotion utilizing body dynamics of a fluidic soft robot

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Onal, Cagdas D; Rus, Daniela

2013-01-01

Soft robotics offers the unique promise of creating inherently safe and adaptive systems. These systems bring man-made machines closer to the natural capabilities of biological systems. An important requirement to enable self-contained soft mobile robots is an on-board power source. In this paper, we present an approach to create a bio-inspired soft robotic snake that can undulate in a similar way to its biological counterpart using pressure for actuation power, without human intervention. With this approach, we develop an autonomous soft snake robot with on-board actuation, power, computation and control capabilities. The robot consists of four bidirectional fluidic elastomer actuators in series to create a traveling curvature wave from head to tail along its body. Passive wheels between segments generate the necessary frictional anisotropy for forward locomotion. It takes 14 h to build the soft robotic snake, which can attain an average locomotion speed of 19 mm s −1 . (paper)

Automation and robotics for the National Space Program

Science.gov (United States)

1985-01-01

The emphasis on automation and robotics in the augmentation of the human centered systems as it concerns the space station is discussed. How automation and robotics can amplify the capabilities of humans is detailed. A detailed developmental program for the space station is outlined.

A System for Complex Robotic Welding

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Madsen, Ole; Sørensen, Carsten Bro; Olsen, Birger

2002-01-01

This paper presents the architecture of a system for robotic welding of complex tasks. The system integrates off-line programming, control of redundant robots, collision-free motion planning and sensor-based control. An implementation for pipe structure welding made at Odense Steel Shipyard Ltd......., Denmark, demonstrates the system can be used for automatic welding of complex products in one-of-a-kind production....

Development of a soft untethered robot using artificial muscle actuators

Science.gov (United States)

Cao, Jiawei; Qin, Lei; Lee, Heow Pueh; Zhu, Jian

2017-04-01

Soft robots have attracted much interest recently, due to their potential capability to work effectively in unstructured environment. Soft actuators are key components in soft robots. Dielectric elastomer actuators are one class of soft actuators, which can deform in response to voltage. Dielectric elastomer actuators exhibit interesting attributes including large voltage-induced deformation and high energy density. These attributes make dielectric elastomer actuators capable of functioning as artificial muscles for soft robots. It is significant to develop untethered robots, since connecting the cables to external power sources greatly limits the robots' functionalities, especially autonomous movements. In this paper we develop a soft untethered robot based on dielectric elastomer actuators. This robot mainly consists of a deformable robotic body and two paper-based feet. The robotic body is essentially a dielectric elastomer actuator, which can expand or shrink at voltage on or off. In addition, the two feet can achieve adhesion or detachment based on the mechanism of electroadhesion. In general, the entire robotic system can be controlled by electricity or voltage. By optimizing the mechanical design of the robot (the size and weight of electric circuits), we put all these components (such as batteries, voltage amplifiers, control circuits, etc.) onto the robotic feet, and the robot is capable of realizing autonomous movements. Experiments are conducted to study the robot's locomotion. Finite element method is employed to interpret the deformation of dielectric elastomer actuators, and the simulations are qualitatively consistent with the experimental observations.

Telemanipulation of cooperative robots: a case of study

Science.gov (United States)

Pliego-Jiménez, Javier; Arteaga-Pérez, Marco

2018-06-01

This article addresses the problem of dexterous robotic grasping by means of a telemanipulation system composed of a single master and two slave robot manipulators. The slave robots are analysed as a cooperative system where it is assumed that the robots can push but not pull the object. In order to achieve a stable rigid grasp, a centralised adaptive position-force control algorithm for the slave robots is proposed. On the other hand, a linear velocity observer for the master robot is developed to avoid numerical differentiation. A set of experiments with different human operators were carried out to show the good performance and capabilities of the proposed control-observer algorithm. In addition, the dynamic model and closed-loop dynamics of the telemanipulation is presented.

Intelligent monitoring-based safety system of massage robot

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

胡宁; 李长胜; 王利峰; 胡磊; 徐晓军; 邹雲鹏; 胡玥; 沈晨

2016-01-01

As an important attribute of robots, safety is involved in each link of the full life cycle of robots, including the design, manufacturing, operation and maintenance. The present study on robot safety is a systematic project. Traditionally, robot safety is defined as follows: robots should not collide with humans, or robots should not harm humans when they collide. Based on this definition of robot safety, researchers have proposed ex ante and ex post safety standards and safety strategies and used the risk index and risk level as the evaluation indexes for safety methods. A massage robot realizes its massage therapy function through applying a rhythmic force on the massage object. Therefore, the traditional definition of safety, safety strategies, and safety realization methods cannot satisfy the function and safety requirements of massage robots. Based on the descriptions of the environment of massage robots and the tasks of massage robots, the present study analyzes the safety requirements of massage robots; analyzes the potential safety dangers of massage robots using the fault tree tool; proposes an error monitoring-based intelligent safety system for massage robots through monitoring and evaluating potential safety danger states, as well as decision making based on potential safety danger states; and verifies the feasibility of the intelligent safety system through an experiment.

Control of free-flying space robot manipulator systems

Science.gov (United States)

Cannon, Robert H., Jr.

1989-01-01

Control techniques for self-contained, autonomous free-flying space robots are being tested and developed. Free-flying space robots are envisioned as a key element of any successful long term presence in space. These robots must be capable of performing the assembly, maintenance, and inspection, and repair tasks that currently require astronaut extra-vehicular activity (EVA). Use of robots will provide economic savings as well as improved astronaut safety by reducing and in many cases, eliminating the need for human EVA. The focus of the work is to develop and carry out a set of research projects using laboratory models of satellite robots. These devices use air-cushion-vehicle (ACV) technology to simulate in two dimensions the drag-free, zero-g conditions of space. Current work is divided into six major projects or research areas. Fixed-base cooperative manipulation work represents our initial entry into multiple arm cooperation and high-level control with a sophisticated user interface. The floating-base cooperative manipulation project strives to transfer some of the technologies developed in the fixed-base work onto a floating base. The global control and navigation experiment seeks to demonstrate simultaneous control of the robot manipulators and the robot base position so that tasks can be accomplished while the base is undergoing a controlled motion. The multiple-vehicle cooperation project's goal is to demonstrate multiple free-floating robots working in teams to carry out tasks too difficult or complex for a single robot to perform. The Location Enhancement Arm Push-off (LEAP) activity's goal is to provide a viable alternative to expendable gas thrusters for vehicle propulsion wherein the robot uses its manipulators to throw itself from place to place. Because the successful execution of the LEAP technique requires an accurate model of the robot and payload mass properties, it was deemed an attractive testbed for adaptive control technology.

Cask system design guidance for robotic handling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Griesmeyer, J.M.; Drotning, W.D.; Morimoto, A.K.; Bennett, P.C.

1990-10-01

Remote automated cask handling has the potential to reduce both the occupational exposure and the time required to process a nuclear waste transport cask at a handling facility. The ongoing Advanced Handling Technologies Project (AHTP) at Sandia National Laboratories is described. AHTP was initiated to explore the use of advanced robotic systems to perform cask handling operations at handling facilities for radioactive waste, and to provide guidance to cask designers regarding the impact of robotic handling on cask design. The proof-of-concept robotic systems developed in AHTP are intended to extrapolate from currently available commercial systems to the systems that will be available by the time that a repository would be open for operation. The project investigates those cask handling operations that would be performed at a nuclear waste repository facility during cask receiving and handling. The ongoing AHTP indicates that design guidance, rather than design specification, is appropriate, since the requirements for robotic handling do not place severe restrictions on cask design but rather focus on attention to detail and design for limited dexterity. The cask system design features that facilitate robotic handling operations are discussed, and results obtained from AHTP design and operation experience are summarized. The application of these design considerations is illustrated by discussion of the robot systems and their operation on cask feature mock-ups used in the AHTP project. 11 refs., 11 figs

A Motion System for Social and Animated Robots

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jelle Saldien

2014-05-01

Full Text Available This paper presents an innovative motion system that is used to control the motions and animations of a social robot. The social robot Probo is used to study Human-Robot Interactions (HRI, with a special focus on Robot Assisted Therapy (RAT. When used for therapy it is important that a social robot is able to create an “illusion of life” so as to become a believable character that can communicate with humans. The design of the motion system in this paper is based on insights from the animation industry. It combines operator-controlled animations with low-level autonomous reactions such as attention and emotional state. The motion system has a Combination Engine, which combines motion commands that are triggered by a human operator with motions that originate from different units of the cognitive control architecture of the robot. This results in an interactive robot that seems alive and has a certain degree of “likeability”. The Godspeed Questionnaire Series is used to evaluate the animacy and likeability of the robot in China, Romania and Belgium.

Extension versus Bending for Continuum Robots

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

George Grimes

2008-11-01

Full Text Available In this paper, we analyze the capabilities of a novel class of continuous-backbone ("continuum" robots. These robots are inspired by biological "trunks, and tentacles". However, the capabilities of established continuum robot designs, which feature controlled bending but not extension, fall short of those of their biological counterparts. In this paper, we argue that the addition of controlled extension provides dual and complementary functionality, and correspondingly enhanced performance, in continuum robots. We present an interval-based analysis to show how the inclusion of controllable extension significantly enhances the workspace and capabilities of continuum robots.

Development of haptic system for surgical robot

Science.gov (United States)

Gang, Han Gyeol; Park, Jiong Min; Choi, Seung-Bok; Sohn, Jung Woo

2017-04-01

In this paper, a new type of haptic system for surgical robot application is proposed and its performances are evaluated experimentally. The proposed haptic system consists of an effective master device and a precision slave robot. The master device has 3-DOF rotational motion as same as human wrist motion. It has lightweight structure with a gyro sensor and three small-sized MR brakes for position measurement and repulsive torque generation, respectively. The slave robot has 3-DOF rotational motion using servomotors, five bar linkage and a torque sensor is used to measure resistive torque. It has been experimentally demonstrated that the proposed haptic system has good performances on tracking control of desired position and repulsive torque. It can be concluded that the proposed haptic system can be effectively applied to the surgical robot system in real field.

A robotic vision system to measure tree traits

Science.gov (United States)

The autonomous measurement of tree traits, such as branching structure, branch diameters, branch lengths, and branch angles, is required for tasks such as robotic pruning of trees as well as structural phenotyping. We propose a robotic vision system called the Robotic System for Tree Shape Estimati...

Parallel Robot for Lower Limb Rehabilitation Exercises

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alireza Rastegarpanah

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study is to investigate the capability of a 6-DoF parallel robot to perform various rehabilitation exercises. The foot trajectories of twenty healthy participants have been measured by a Vicon system during the performing of four different exercises. Based on the kinematics and dynamics of a parallel robot, a MATLAB program was developed in order to calculate the length of the actuators, the actuators’ forces, workspace, and singularity locus of the robot during the performing of the exercises. The calculated length of the actuators and the actuators’ forces were used by motion analysis in SolidWorks in order to simulate different foot trajectories by the CAD model of the robot. A physical parallel robot prototype was built in order to simulate and execute the foot trajectories of the participants. Kinect camera was used to track the motion of the leg’s model placed on the robot. The results demonstrate the robot’s capability to perform a full range of various rehabilitation exercises.

Neurosurgical robotic arm drilling navigation system.

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Chung-Chih; Lin, Hsin-Cheng; Lee, Wen-Yo; Lee, Shih-Tseng; Wu, Chieh-Tsai

2017-09-01

The aim of this work was to develop a neurosurgical robotic arm drilling navigation system that provides assistance throughout the complete bone drilling process. The system comprised neurosurgical robotic arm navigation combining robotic and surgical navigation, 3D medical imaging based surgical planning that could identify lesion location and plan the surgical path on 3D images, and automatic bone drilling control that would stop drilling when the bone was to be drilled-through. Three kinds of experiment were designed. The average positioning error deduced from 3D images of the robotic arm was 0.502 ± 0.069 mm. The correlation between automatically and manually planned paths was 0.975. The average distance error between automatically planned paths and risky zones was 0.279 ± 0.401 mm. The drilling auto-stopping algorithm had 0.00% unstopped cases (26.32% in control group 1) and 70.53% non-drilled-through cases (8.42% and 4.21% in control groups 1 and 2). The system may be useful for neurosurgical robotic arm drilling navigation. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Artificial intelligence in robot control systems

Science.gov (United States)

Korikov, A.

2018-05-01

This paper analyzes modern concepts of artificial intelligence and known definitions of the term "level of intelligence". In robotics artificial intelligence system is defined as a system that works intelligently and optimally. The author proposes to use optimization methods for the design of intelligent robot control systems. The article provides the formalization of problems of robotic control system design, as a class of extremum problems with constraints. Solving these problems is rather complicated due to the high dimensionality, polymodality and a priori uncertainty. Decomposition of the extremum problems according to the method, suggested by the author, allows reducing them into a sequence of simpler problems, that can be successfully solved by modern computing technology. Several possible approaches to solving such problems are considered in the article.

Robot Skills for Transformable Manufacturing Systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, Mikkel Rath

Efficient, transformable production systems need robots that are flexible and effortlessly repurposed or reconfigured. The present dissertation argues that this can be achieved through the implementation and use of general, object-centered robot skills. In this dissertation, we focus on the design...... autonomously, exactly when it is needed. It is the firm belief of this researcher that industrial robotics need to go in a direction towards what is outlined in this dissertation, both in academia and in the industry. In order for manufacturing companies to remain competitive, robotics is the definite way...

Human Robotic Systems (HRS): Robotic ISRU Acquisition Element

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — During 2014, the Robotic ISRU Resource Acquisition project element will develop two technologies:Exploration Ground Data Systems (xGDS)Sample Acquisition on...

Automatic Battery Swap System for Home Robots

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Juan Wu

2012-12-01

Full Text Available This paper presents the design and implementation of an automatic battery swap system for the prolonged activities of home robots. A battery swap station is proposed to implement battery off-line recharging and on-line exchanging functions. It consists of a loading and unloading mechanism, a shifting mechanism, a locking device and a shell. The home robot is a palm-sized wheeled robot with an onboard camera and a removable battery case in the front. It communicates with the battery swap station wirelessly through ZigBee. The influences of battery case deflection and robot docking deflection on the battery swap operations have been investigated. The experimental results show that it takes an average time of 84.2s to complete the battery swap operations. The home robot does not have to wait several hours for the batteries to be fully charged. The proposed battery swap system is proved to be efficient in home robot applications that need the robots to work continuously over a long period.

Using insects to drive mobile robots - hybrid robots bridge the gap between biological and artificial systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Ando, Noriyasu; Kanzaki, Ryohei

2017-09-01

The use of mobile robots is an effective method of validating sensory-motor models of animals in a real environment. The well-identified insect sensory-motor systems have been the major targets for modeling. Furthermore, mobile robots implemented with such insect models attract engineers who aim to avail advantages from organisms. However, directly comparing the robots with real insects is still difficult, even if we successfully model the biological systems, because of the physical differences between them. We developed a hybrid robot to bridge the gap. This hybrid robot is an insect-controlled robot, in which a tethered male silkmoth (Bombyx mori) drives the robot in order to localize an odor source. This robot has the following three advantages: 1) from a biomimetic perspective, the robot enables us to evaluate the potential performance of future insect-mimetic robots; 2) from a biological perspective, the robot enables us to manipulate the closed-loop of an onboard insect for further understanding of its sensory-motor system; and 3) the robot enables comparison with insect models as a reference biological system. In this paper, we review the recent works regarding insect-controlled robots and discuss the significance for both engineering and biology. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

An automated miniature robotic vehicle inspection system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dobie, Gordon; Summan, Rahul; MacLeod, Charles; Pierce, Gareth; Galbraith, Walter [Centre for Ultrasonic Engineering, University of Strathclyde, 204 George Street, Glasgow, G1 1XW (United Kingdom)

2014-02-18

A novel, autonomous reconfigurable robotic inspection system for quantitative NDE mapping is presented. The system consists of a fleet of wireless (802.11g) miniature robotic vehicles, each approximately 175 × 125 × 85 mm with magnetic wheels that enable them to inspect industrial structures such as storage tanks, chimneys and large diameter pipe work. The robots carry one of a number of payloads including a two channel MFL sensor, a 5 MHz dry coupled UT thickness wheel probe and a machine vision camera that images the surface. The system creates an NDE map of the structure overlaying results onto a 3D model in real time. The authors provide an overview of the robot design, data fusion algorithms (positioning and NDE) and visualization software.

An automated miniature robotic vehicle inspection system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dobie, Gordon; Summan, Rahul; MacLeod, Charles; Pierce, Gareth; Galbraith, Walter

2014-01-01

A novel, autonomous reconfigurable robotic inspection system for quantitative NDE mapping is presented. The system consists of a fleet of wireless (802.11g) miniature robotic vehicles, each approximately 175 × 125 × 85 mm with magnetic wheels that enable them to inspect industrial structures such as storage tanks, chimneys and large diameter pipe work. The robots carry one of a number of payloads including a two channel MFL sensor, a 5 MHz dry coupled UT thickness wheel probe and a machine vision camera that images the surface. The system creates an NDE map of the structure overlaying results onto a 3D model in real time. The authors provide an overview of the robot design, data fusion algorithms (positioning and NDE) and visualization software

Intelligent manipulation technique for multi-branch robotic systems

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Alexander Y. K.; Chen, Eugene Y. S.

1990-01-01

New analytical development in kinematics planning is reported. The INtelligent KInematics Planner (INKIP) consists of the kinematics spline theory and the adaptive logic annealing process. Also, a novel framework of robot learning mechanism is introduced. The FUzzy LOgic Self Organized Neural Networks (FULOSONN) integrates fuzzy logic in commands, control, searching, and reasoning, the embedded expert system for nominal robotics knowledge implementation, and the self organized neural networks for the dynamic knowledge evolutionary process. Progress on the mechanical construction of SRA Advanced Robotic System (SRAARS) and the real time robot vision system is also reported. A decision was made to incorporate the Local Area Network (LAN) technology in the overall communication system.

Informed Design to Robotic Production Systems; Developing Robotic 3D Printing System for Informed Material Deposition

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Mostafavi, S.; Bier, H.; Bodea, S.; Anton, A.M.

2015-01-01

This paper discusses the development of an informed Design-to-Robotic-Production (D2RP) system for additive manufacturing to achieve performative porosity in architecture at various scales. An extended series of experiments on materiality, fabrication and robotics were designed and carried out

Augmented Robotics Dialog System for Enhancing Human–Robot Interaction

Science.gov (United States)

Alonso-Martín, Fernando; Castro-González, Aívaro; de Gorostiza Luengo, Francisco Javier Fernandez; Salichs, Miguel Ángel

2015-01-01

Augmented reality, augmented television and second screen are cutting edge technologies that provide end users extra and enhanced information related to certain events in real time. This enriched information helps users better understand such events, at the same time providing a more satisfactory experience. In the present paper, we apply this main idea to human–robot interaction (HRI), to how users and robots interchange information. The ultimate goal of this paper is to improve the quality of HRI, developing a new dialog manager system that incorporates enriched information from the semantic web. This work presents the augmented robotic dialog system (ARDS), which uses natural language understanding mechanisms to provide two features: (i) a non-grammar multimodal input (verbal and/or written) text; and (ii) a contextualization of the information conveyed in the interaction. This contextualization is achieved by information enrichment techniques that link the extracted information from the dialog with extra information about the world available in semantic knowledge bases. This enriched or contextualized information (information enrichment, semantic enhancement or contextualized information are used interchangeably in the rest of this paper) offers many possibilities in terms of HRI. For instance, it can enhance the robot's pro-activeness during a human–robot dialog (the enriched information can be used to propose new topics during the dialog, while ensuring a coherent interaction). Another possibility is to display additional multimedia content related to the enriched information on a visual device. This paper describes the ARDS and shows a proof of concept of its applications. PMID:26151202

DOE/NE University Program in robotics for advanced reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sweeney, F.J.; Gonzalez, R.C.; Trivedi, M.M.; Wehe, D.K.

1990-05-01

The US Department of Energy has provided support to four universities and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in order to pursue research leading to the development and deployment of advanced robotic systems capable of performing tasks that are hazardous to humans, that generate significant occupational radiation exposure, and/or whose execution times can be reduced if performed by an automated system. The goal is to develop a generation of advanced robotic systems capable of economically performing surveillance, maintenance, and repair tasks in nuclear facilities and other hazardous environments. The approach to achieving the program objective is a transition from teleoperation to the capability of autonomous operation within three successive generations of robotic systems. The strategy adopted in order to achieve the program goals in an efficient and timely manner consists in utilizing, and advancing where required, state-of-the-art robotics technology through close interaction between the universities and the manufacturers and operators of nuclear power plants. There is a potentially broad range of applications for the robotic systems developed in the course of this project. Therefore, it is expected that efforts to obtain additional support from other agencies, e.g., DOD and NASA, will be successful. Areas of cooperation with other nations (e.g., Japan, France, Germany) are being explored. This Program features a unique teaming arrangement among the Universities of Florida, Michigan, Tennessee, Texas, and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and their industrial partners, Odetics, Gulf State Utilities, Florida Power and Light Company, Remotec, and Telerobotics International

Smart mobile robot system for rubbish collection

Science.gov (United States)

Ali, Mohammed A. H.; Sien Siang, Tan

2018-03-01

This paper records the research and procedures of developing a smart mobility robot with detection system to collect rubbish. The objective of this paper is to design a mobile robot that can detect and recognize medium-size rubbish such as drinking cans. Besides that, the objective is also to design a mobile robot with the ability to estimate the position of rubbish from the robot. In addition, the mobile robot is also able to approach the rubbish based on position of rubbish. This paper explained about the types of image processing, detection and recognition methods and image filters. This project implements RGB subtraction method as the prior system. Other than that, algorithm for distance measurement based on image plane is implemented in this project. This project is limited to use computer webcam as the sensor. Secondly, the robot is only able to approach the nearest rubbish in the same views of camera vision and any rubbish that contain RGB colour components on its body.

A Fully Sensorized Cooperative Robotic System for Surgical Interventions

Science.gov (United States)

Tovar-Arriaga, Saúl; Vargas, José Emilio; Ramos, Juan M.; Aceves, Marco A.; Gorrostieta, Efren; Kalender, Willi A.

2012-01-01

In this research a fully sensorized cooperative robot system for manipulation of needles is presented. The setup consists of a DLR/KUKA Light Weight Robot III especially designed for safe human/robot interaction, a FD-CT robot-driven angiographic C-arm system, and a navigation camera. Also, new control strategies for robot manipulation in the clinical environment are introduced. A method for fast calibration of the involved components and the preliminary accuracy tests of the whole possible errors chain are presented. Calibration of the robot with the navigation system has a residual error of 0.81 mm (rms) with a standard deviation of ±0.41 mm. The accuracy of the robotic system while targeting fixed points at different positions within the workspace is of 1.2 mm (rms) with a standard deviation of ±0.4 mm. After calibration, and due to close loop control, the absolute positioning accuracy was reduced to the navigation camera accuracy which is of 0.35 mm (rms). The implemented control allows the robot to compensate for small patient movements. PMID:23012551

11th International Symposium on Distributed Autonomous Robotic Systems

CERN Document Server

Chirikjian, Gregory

2014-01-01

Distributed robotics is a rapidly growing and maturing interdisciplinary research area lying at the intersection of computer science, network science, control theory, and electrical and mechanical engineering. The goal of the Symposium on Distributed Autonomous Robotic Systems (DARS) is to exchange and stimulate research ideas to realize advanced distributed robotic systems. This volume of proceedings includes 31 original contributions presented at the 2012 International Symposium on Distributed Autonomous Robotic Systems (DARS 2012) held in November 2012 at the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD USA. The selected papers in this volume are authored by leading researchers from Asia, Europa, and the Americas, thereby providing a broad coverage and perspective of the state-of-the-art technologies, algorithms, system architectures, and applications in distributed robotic systems. The book is organized into five parts, representative of critical long-term and emerging research thrusts in the multi-robot com...

Advanced robot vision system for nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Onoguchi, Kazunori; Kawamura, Atsuro; Nakayama, Ryoichi.

1991-01-01

We have developed a robot vision system for advanced robots used in nuclear power plants, under a contract with the Agency of Industrial Science and Technology of the Ministry of International Trade and Industry. This work is part of the large-scale 'advanced robot technology' project. The robot vision system consists of self-location measurement, obstacle detection, and object recognition subsystems, which are activated by a total control subsystem. This paper presents details of these subsystems and the experimental results obtained. (author)

A novel teaching system for industrial robots.

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Hsien-I; Lin, Yu-Hsiang

2014-03-27

The most important tool for controlling an industrial robotic arm is a teach pendant, which controls the robotic arm movement in work spaces and accomplishes teaching tasks. A good teaching tool should be easy to operate and can complete teaching tasks rapidly and effortlessly. In this study, a new teaching system is proposed for enabling users to operate robotic arms and accomplish teaching tasks easily. The proposed teaching system consists of the teach pen, optical markers on the pen, a motion capture system, and the pen tip estimation algorithm. With the marker positions captured by the motion capture system, the pose of the teach pen is accurately calculated by the pen tip algorithm and used to control the robot tool frame. In addition, Fitts' Law is adopted to verify the usefulness of this new system, and the results show that the system provides high accuracy, excellent operation performance, and a stable error rate. In addition, the system maintains superior performance, even when users work on platforms with different inclination angles.

Development of 6-DOF painting robot control system

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Junbiao; Liu, Jianqun; Gao, Weiqiang

2017-01-01

With the development of society, the spraying technology of manufacturing industry in China has changed from the manual operation to the 6-DOF (Degree Of Freedom)robot automatic spraying. Spraying painting robot can not only complete the work which does harm to human being, but also improve the production efficiency and save labor costs. Control system is the most critical part of the 6-DOF robots, however, there is still a lack of relevant technology research in China. It is very necessary to study a kind of control system of 6-DOF spraying painting robots which is easy to operation, and has high efficiency and stable performance. With Googol controller platform, this paper develops programs based on Windows CE embedded systems to control the robot to finish the painting work. Software development is the core of the robot control system, including the direct teaching module, playback module, motion control module, setting module, man-machine interface, alarm module, log module, etc. All the development work of the entire software system has been completed, and it has been verified that the entire software works steady and efficient.

Integrated Robotic Systems for Humanitarian Demining

OpenAIRE

Colon, E.; Cubber, G. De; Ping, H.; Habumuremyi, J-C; Sahli, H.; Baudoin, Y.

2007-01-01

This paper summarises the main results of 10 years of research and development in Humanitarian Demining. The Hudem project focuses on mine detection systems and aims at provided different solutions to support the mine detection operations. Robots using different kind of locomotion systems have been designed and tested on dummy minefields. In order to control these robots, software interfaces, control algorithms, visual positioning and terrain following systems have also been developed. Typica...

New technologies in robotic surgery: the Korean experience.

Science.gov (United States)

Tuliao, Patrick H; Kim, Sang W; Rha, Koon H

2014-01-01

The development of the robotic systems has made surgery an increasingly technology-driven field. Since the introduction of the first robotic platform in 2005, surgical practice in South Korea has also been caught up in the global robotic revolution. Consequently, a market focused on improving the robotic systems was created and Korea has emerged as one of its frontrunners. This article reviews the Korean experience in developing various robotic technologies and then Korea's most recent contributions to the development of new technologies in robotic surgery. The goal of new technologies in the field of robotic surgery has been to improve on the current platforms by eliminating their disadvantages. The pressing goal is to develop a platform that is less bulky, more ergonomic, and capable of providing force feedback to the surgeon. In Korea, the Lapabot and two new robotic systems for single-port laparoscopic surgery are the most recent advances that have been reported. Robotic surgery is rapidly evolving and Korea has stayed in the forefront of its development. These new advancements in technology will eventually produce better robotic platforms that will greatly improve the manner in which surgical care is delivered.

Dynamic analysis of space robot remote control system

Science.gov (United States)

Kulakov, Felix; Alferov, Gennady; Sokolov, Boris; Gorovenko, Polina; Sharlay, Artem

2018-05-01

The article presents analysis on construction of two-stage remote control for space robots. This control ensures efficiency of the robot control system at large delays in transmission of control signals from the ground control center to the local control system of the space robot. The conditions for control stability of and high transparency are found.

Functional Modeling for Monitoring of Robotic System

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wu, Haiyan; Bateman, Rikke R.; Zhang, Xinxin

2018-01-01

With the expansion of robotic applications in the industrial domain, it is important that the robots can execute their tasks in a safe and reliable way. A monitoring system can be implemented to ensure the detection of abnormal situations of the robots and report the abnormality to their human su...

Virtual tutor systems for robot-assisted instruction

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Zhijing; Zhao, Deyu; Zhang, Zizhen; Wei, Yongji; Qi, Bingchen; Okawa, Yoshikuni

2004-03-01

Virtual Reality technology belongs to advanced computer technology, it has been applied in instruction field and gains obvious effect. At the same time, robot assisted instruction comes true with the continuous development of Robot technology and artificial intelligence technology. This paper introduces a virtual tutor system for robot assisted instruction.

Applying commercial robotic technology to radioactive material processing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grasz, E.L.; Sievers, R.H. Jr.

1990-11-01

The development of robotic systems for glove box process automation is motivated by the need to reduce operator radiation dosage, minimize the generation of process waste, and to improve the security of nuclear materials. Commercial robotic systems are available with the required capabilities but are not compatible with a glove box environment. Alpha radiation, concentrated dust, a dry atmosphere and restricted work space result in the need for unique adaptations to commercial robotics. Implementation of these adaptations to commercial robotics require performance trade-offs. A design and development effort has been initiated to evaluate the feasibility of using a commercial overhead gantry robot for glove box processing. This paper will present the initial results and observations for this development effort. 1 ref

Space station automation: the role of robotics and artificial intelligence (Invited Paper)

Science.gov (United States)

Park, W. T.; Firschein, O.

1985-12-01

Automation of the space station is necessary to make more effective use of the crew, to carry out repairs that are impractical or dangerous, and to monitor and control the many space station subsystems. Intelligent robotics and expert systems play a strong role in automation, and both disciplines are highly dependent on a common artificial intelligence (Al) technology base. The AI technology base provides the reasoning and planning capabilities needed in robotic tasks, such as perception of the environment and planning a path to a goal, and in expert systems tasks, such as control of subsystems and maintenance of equipment. This paper describes automation concepts for the space station, the specific robotic and expert systems required to attain this automation, and the research and development required. It also presents an evolutionary development plan that leads to fully automatic mobile robots for servicing satellites. Finally, we indicate the sequence of demonstrations and the research and development needed to confirm the automation capabilities. We emphasize that advanced robotics requires AI, and that to advance, AI needs the "real-world" problems provided by robotics.

The Ion Propulsion System for the Asteroid Redirect Robotic Mission

Science.gov (United States)

Herman, Daniel A.; Santiago, Walter; Kamhawi, Hani; Polk, James E.; Snyder, John Steven; Hofer, Richard; Sekerak, Michael

2016-01-01

The Asteroid Redirect Robotic Mission is a Solar Electric Propulsion Technology Demonstration Mission (ARRM) whose main objectives are to develop and demonstrate a high-power solar electric propulsion capability for the Agency and return an asteroidal mass for rendezvous and characterization in a companion human-crewed mission. This high-power solar electric propulsion capability, or an extensible derivative of it, has been identified as a critical part of NASA's future beyond-low-Earth-orbit, human-crewed exploration plans. This presentation presents the conceptual design of the ARRM ion propulsion system, the status of the NASA in-house thruster and power processing development activities, the status of the planned technology maturation for the mission through flight hardware delivery, and the status of the mission formulation and spacecraft acquisition.

Serendipitous Offline Learning in a Neuromorphic Robot

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Terrence C Stewart

2016-02-01

Full Text Available We demonstrate a hybrid neuromorphic learning paradigm that learns complex sensorimotor mappings based on a small set of hard-coded reflex behaviours. A mobile robot is first controlled by a basic set of reflexive hand-designed behaviours. All sensor data is provided via a spike-based silicon retina camera (eDVS, and all control is implemented via spiking neurons simulated on neuromorphic hardware (SpiNNaker. Given this control system, the robot is capable of simple obstacle avoidance and random exploration. To train the robot to perform more complex tasks, we observe the robot and find instances where he robot accidentally performs the desired action. Data recorded from the robot during these times is then used to update the neural control system, increasing the likelihood of the robot performing that task in the future, given a similar sensor state. As an example application of this general-purpose method of training, we demonstrate the robot learning to respond to novel sensory stimuli (a mirror by turning right if it is present at an intersection, and otherwise turning left. In general, this system can learn arbitrary relations between sensory input and motor behaviour.

Ground Robotics Capabilities Conference and Exhibition

Science.gov (United States)

2008-03-06

SALON A... SALON B SALON C C O R R ID O R CROCKETT A CROCKETT B CROCKETT C CROCKETT D CROCKETT E CROCKETT F CROCKETT G CROCKETT H CROCKETT I ENTRANCE 2008 Ground...analysis for “ game changing” robotic technologies – “UGVs are significantly more complicated than UAVs, and will require much more

Towards Versatile Robots Through Open Heterogeneous Modular Robots

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lyder, Andreas

arises, a new robot can be assembled rapidly from the existing modules, in contrast to conventional robots, which require a time consuming and expensive development process. In this thesis we define a modular robot to be a robot consisting of dynamically reconfigurable modules. The goal of this thesis......Robots are important tools in our everyday life. Both in industry and at the consumer level they serve the purpose of increasing our scope and extending our capabilities. Modular robots take the next step, allowing us to easily create and build various robots from a set of modules. If a problem...... is to increase the versatility and practical usability of modular robots by introducing new conceptual designs. Until now modular robots have been based on a pre-specified set of modules, and thus, their functionality is limited. We propose an open heterogeneous design concept, which allows a modular robot...

Towards Coordination and Control of Multi-robot Systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Quottrup, Michael Melholt

This thesis focuses on control and coordination of mobile multi-robot systems (MRS). MRS can often deal with tasks that are difficult to be accomplished by a single robot. One of the challenges is the need to control, coordinate and synchronize the operation of several robots to perform some...... specified task. This calls for new strategies and methods which allow the desired system behavior to be specified in a formal and succinct way. Two different frameworks for the coordination and control of MRS have been investigated. Framework I - A network of robots is modeled as a network of multi...... a requirement specification in Computational Tree Logic (CTL) for a network of robots. The result is a set of motion plans for the robots which satisfy the specification. Framework II - A framework for controller synthesis for a single robot with respect to requirement specification in Linear-time Temporal...

An Intuitive Robot Teleoperation System for Nuclear Power Plant Decommissioning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Chang-hyuk; Gu, Taehyeong; Lee, Kyung-min; Ye, Sung-Joon; Bang, Young-bong

2017-01-01

A robot teleoperation system consists of a master device and a slave robot. The master device senses human intention and delivers it to the salve robot. A haptic device and an exoskeletal robot are widely used as the master device. The slave robot carries out operations delivered by the master device. It should guarantee enough degree of freedom (DOF) to perform the instructed operation and mobility in the environment inside the nuclear plant, such as flat surfaces and stairs. A 7-DOF robotic arm is commonly used as the slave device. This paper proposed a robot teleoperation system for nuclear power plant decommissioning. It discussed an experiment that was performed to validate the system's usability. The operator wearing the exoskeletal master device at the master site controlled the slave robot enabling it to move on a flat surface, climb/descend stairs, and move obstacles. The proposed robot teleoperation system can also be used in hazardous working environments where the use of such robots would be beneficial to human health and safety. In the future, research studies on the protection against radiation that damages the slave robot should be conducted.

Capability-based computer systems

CERN Document Server

Levy, Henry M

2014-01-01

Capability-Based Computer Systems focuses on computer programs and their capabilities. The text first elaborates capability- and object-based system concepts, including capability-based systems, object-based approach, and summary. The book then describes early descriptor architectures and explains the Burroughs B5000, Rice University Computer, and Basic Language Machine. The text also focuses on early capability architectures. Dennis and Van Horn's Supervisor; CAL-TSS System; MIT PDP-1 Timesharing System; and Chicago Magic Number Machine are discussed. The book then describes Plessey System 25

Robotic tape library system level testing at NSA: Present and planned

Science.gov (United States)

Shields, Michael F.

1994-01-01

In the present of declining Defense budgets, increased pressure has been placed on the DOD to utilize Commercial Off the Shelf (COTS) solutions to incrementally solve a wide variety of our computer processing requirements. With the rapid growth in processing power, significant expansion of high performance networking, and the increased complexity of applications data sets, the requirement for high performance, large capacity, reliable and secure, and most of all affordable robotic tape storage libraries has greatly increased. Additionally, the migration to a heterogeneous, distributed computing environment has further complicated the problem. With today's open system compute servers approaching yesterday's supercomputer capabilities, the need for affordable, reliable secure Mass Storage Systems (MSS) has taken on an ever increasing importance to our processing center's ability to satisfy operational mission requirements. To that end, NSA has established an in-house capability to acquire, test, and evaluate COTS products. Its goal is to qualify a set of COTS MSS libraries, thereby achieving a modicum of standardization for robotic tape libraries which can satisfy our low, medium, and high performance file and volume serving requirements. In addition, NSA has established relations with other Government Agencies to complete this in-house effort and to maximize our research, testing, and evaluation work. While the preponderance of the effort is focused at the high end of the storage ladder, considerable effort will be extended this year and next at the server class or mid range storage systems.

Implementing NASA's Capability-Driven Approach: Insight into NASA's Processes for Maturing Exploration Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Williams-Byrd, Julie; Arney, Dale; Rodgers, Erica; Antol, Jeff; Simon, Matthew; Hay, Jason; Larman, Kevin

2015-01-01

NASA is engaged in transforming human spaceflight. The Agency is shifting from an exploration-based program with human activities focused on low Earth orbit (LEO) and targeted robotic missions in deep space to a more sustainable and integrated pioneering approach. Through pioneering, NASA seeks to address national goals to develop the capacity for people to work, learn, operate, live, and thrive safely beyond the Earth for extended periods of time. However, pioneering space involves more than the daunting technical challenges of transportation, maintaining health, and enabling crew productivity for long durations in remote, hostile, and alien environments. This shift also requires a change in operating processes for NASA. The Agency can no longer afford to engineer systems for specific missions and destinations and instead must focus on common capabilities that enable a range of destinations and missions. NASA has codified a capability driven approach, which provides flexible guidance for the development and maturation of common capabilities necessary for human pioneers beyond LEO. This approach has been included in NASA policy and is captured in the Agency's strategic goals. It is currently being implemented across NASA's centers and programs. Throughout 2014, NASA engaged in an Agency-wide process to define and refine exploration-related capabilities and associated gaps, focusing only on those that are critical for human exploration beyond LEO. NASA identified 12 common capabilities ranging from Environmental Control and Life Support Systems to Robotics, and established Agency-wide teams or working groups comprised of subject matter experts that are responsible for the maturation of these exploration capabilities. These teams, called the System Maturation Teams (SMTs) help formulate, guide and resolve performance gaps associated with the identified exploration capabilities. The SMTs are defining performance parameters and goals for each of the 12 capabilities

Robot vision for nuclear advanced robot

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nakayama, Ryoichi; Okano, Hideharu; Kuno, Yoshinori; Miyazawa, Tatsuo; Shimada, Hideo; Okada, Satoshi; Kawamura, Astuo

1991-01-01

This paper describes Robot Vision and Operation System for Nuclear Advanced Robot. This Robot Vision consists of robot position detection, obstacle detection and object recognition. With these vision techniques, a mobile robot can make a path and move autonomously along the planned path. The authors implemented the above robot vision system on the 'Advanced Robot for Nuclear Power Plant' and tested in an environment mocked up as nuclear power plant facilities. Since the operation system for this robot consists of operator's console and a large stereo monitor, this system can be easily operated by one person. Experimental tests were made using the Advanced Robot (nuclear robot). Results indicate that the proposed operation system is very useful, and can be operate by only person. (author)

CANINE: a robotic mine dog

Science.gov (United States)

Stancil, Brian A.; Hyams, Jeffrey; Shelley, Jordan; Babu, Kartik; Badino, Hernán.; Bansal, Aayush; Huber, Daniel; Batavia, Parag

2013-01-01

Neya Systems, LLC competed in the CANINE program sponsored by the U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC) which culminated in a competition held at Fort Benning as part of the 2012 Robotics Rodeo. As part of this program, we developed a robot with the capability to learn and recognize the appearance of target objects, conduct an area search amid distractor objects and obstacles, and relocate the target object in the same way that Mine dogs and Sentry dogs are used within military contexts for exploration and threat detection. Neya teamed with the Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon University to develop vision-based solutions for probabilistic target learning and recognition. In addition, we used a Mission Planning and Management System (MPMS) to orchestrate complex search and retrieval tasks using a general set of modular autonomous services relating to robot mobility, perception and grasping.

Integrated mobile robot control

Science.gov (United States)

Amidi, Omead; Thorpe, Chuck E.

1991-03-01

This paper describes the strucwre implementation and operation of a real-time mobile robot controller which integrates capabilities such as: position estimation path specification and hacking human interfaces fast communication and multiple client support The benefits of such high-level capabilities in a low-level controller was shown by its implementation for the Naviab autonomous vehicle. In addition performance results from positioning and tracking systems are reported and analyzed.

Ubiquitous Robotic Technology for Smart Manufacturing System.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Wenshan; Zhu, Xiaoxiao; Wang, Liyu; Qiu, Qiang; Cao, Qixin

2016-01-01

As the manufacturing tasks become more individualized and more flexible, the machines in smart factory are required to do variable tasks collaboratively without reprogramming. This paper for the first time discusses the similarity between smart manufacturing systems and the ubiquitous robotic systems and makes an effort on deploying ubiquitous robotic technology to the smart factory. Specifically, a component based framework is proposed in order to enable the communication and cooperation of the heterogeneous robotic devices. Further, compared to the service robotic domain, the smart manufacturing systems are often in larger size. So a hierarchical planning method was implemented to improve the planning efficiency. A test bed of smart factory is developed. It demonstrates that the proposed framework is suitable for industrial domain, and the hierarchical planning method is able to solve large problems intractable with flat methods.

Control system design for robotic underground storage tank inspection systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kiebel, G.R.

1994-09-01

Control and data acquisition systems for robotic inspection and surveillance systems used in nuclear waste applications must be capable, versatile, and adaptable to changing conditions. The nuclear waste remediation application is dynamic -- requirements change as public policy is constantly re-examined and refocused, and as technology in this area advances. Control and data acquisition systems must adapt to these changing conditions and be able to accommodate future missions, both predictable and unexpected. This paper describes the control and data acquisition system for the Light Duty Utility Arm (LDUA) System that is being developed for remote surveillance and inspection of underground storage tanks at the Hanford Site and other US Department of Energy (DOE) sites. It is a high-performance system which has been designed for future growth. The priority mission at the Hanford site is to retrieve the waste generated by 50 years of production from its present storage and process it for final disposal. The LDUA will help to gather information about the waste and the tanks it is stored in to better plan and execute the cleanup mission

How to Build a Supervised Autonomous System for Robot-Enhanced Therapy for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Esteban Pablo G.

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Robot-Assisted Therapy (RAT has successfully been used to improve social skills in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD through remote control of the robot in so-called Wizard of Oz (WoZ paradigms.However, there is a need to increase the autonomy of the robot both to lighten the burden on human therapists (who have to remain in control and, importantly, supervise the robot and to provide a consistent therapeutic experience. This paper seeks to provide insight into increasing the autonomy level of social robots in therapy to move beyond WoZ. With the final aim of improved human-human social interaction for the children, this multidisciplinary research seeks to facilitate the use of social robots as tools in clinical situations by addressing the challenge of increasing robot autonomy.We introduce the clinical framework in which the developments are tested, alongside initial data obtained from patients in a first phase of the project using a WoZ set-up mimicking the targeted supervised-autonomy behaviour. We further describe the implemented system architecture capable of providing the robot with supervised autonomy.

Enhancing Docking and Manipulation Capability for Microgravity Robotic Free Flyers

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The risks and challenges of the space environment have logically led to proposals to use robots to perform tasks for efficiency and safety reasons. Robotic free...

Biological Immune System Applications on Mobile Robot for Disabled People

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Songmin Jia

2014-01-01

Full Text Available To improve the service quality of service robots for the disabled, immune system is applied on robot for its advantages such as diversity, dynamic, parallel management, self-organization, and self-adaptation. According to the immune system theory, local environment condition sensed by robot is considered an antigen while robot is regarded as B-cell and possible node as antibody, respectively. Antibody-antigen affinity is employed to choose the optimal possible node to ensure the service robot can pass through the optimal path. The paper details the immune system applications on service robot and gives experimental results.

Zebrafish response to robotic fish: preference experiments on isolated individuals and small shoals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Polverino, G; Abaid, N; Kopman, V; Porfiri, M; Macrì, S

2012-01-01

Recently developed bioinspired robots imitate their live counterparts in both aspect and functionality. Nevertheless, whether these devices can be integrated within the ecological niche inspiring their design is seldom tested experimentally. An elemental research question concerns the feasibility of modulating spontaneous behaviour of animal systems through bioinspired robotics. The following study explores the possibility of engineering a robotic fish capable of influencing the behaviour of live zebrafish (Danio rerio) in a dichotomous preference test. While we observe that the preference for the robotic fish never exceeds the preference for a conspecific, our data show that the robot is successful in attracting both isolated individuals and small shoals and that such capability is influenced by its bioinspired features. In particular, we find that the robot's undulations enhance its degree of attractiveness, despite the noise inherent in the actuation system. This is the first experimental evidence that live zebrafish behaviour can be influenced by engineered robots. Such robotic platforms may constitute a valuable tool to investigate the bases of social behaviour and uncover the fundamental determinants of animal functions and dysfunctions. (paper)

Introduction to autonomous manipulation case study with an underwater robot, SAUVIM

CERN Document Server

Marani, Giacomo

2014-01-01

“Autonomous manipulation” is a challenge in robotic technologies. It refers to the capability of a mobile robot system with one or more manipulators that performs intervention tasks requiring physical contacts in unstructured environments and without continuous human supervision. Achieving autonomous manipulation capability is a quantum leap in robotic technologies as it is currently beyond the state of the art in robotics. This book addresses issues with the complexity of the problems encountered in autonomous manipulation including representation and modeling of robotic structures, kinematic and dynamic robotic control, kinematic and algorithmic singularity avoidance, dynamic task priority, workspace optimization and environment perception. Further development in autonomous manipulation should be able to provide robust improvements of the solutions for all of the above issues. The book provides an extensive tract on sensory-based autonomous manipulation for intervention tasks in unstructured environment...

Self-organization via active exploration in robotic applications

Science.gov (United States)

Ogmen, H.; Prakash, R. V.

1992-01-01

We describe a neural network based robotic system. Unlike traditional robotic systems, our approach focussed on non-stationary problems. We indicate that self-organization capability is necessary for any system to operate successfully in a non-stationary environment. We suggest that self-organization should be based on an active exploration process. We investigated neural architectures having novelty sensitivity, selective attention, reinforcement learning, habit formation, flexible criteria categorization properties and analyzed the resulting behavior (consisting of an intelligent initiation of exploration) by computer simulations. While various computer vision researchers acknowledged recently the importance of active processes (Swain and Stricker, 1991), the proposed approaches within the new framework still suffer from a lack of self-organization (Aloimonos and Bandyopadhyay, 1987; Bajcsy, 1988). A self-organizing, neural network based robot (MAVIN) has been recently proposed (Baloch and Waxman, 1991). This robot has the capability of position, size rotation invariant pattern categorization, recognition and pavlovian conditioning. Our robot does not have initially invariant processing properties. The reason for this is the emphasis we put on active exploration. We maintain the point of view that such invariant properties emerge from an internalization of exploratory sensory-motor activity. Rather than coding the equilibria of such mental capabilities, we are seeking to capture its dynamics to understand on the one hand how the emergence of such invariances is possible and on the other hand the dynamics that lead to these invariances. The second point is crucial for an adaptive robot to acquire new invariances in non-stationary environments, as demonstrated by the inverting glass experiments of Helmholtz. We will introduce Pavlovian conditioning circuits in our future work for the precise objective of achieving the generation, coordination, and internalization

Transformers: Shape-Changing Space Systems Built with Robotic Textiles

Science.gov (United States)

Stoica, Adrian

2013-01-01

Prior approaches to transformer-like robots had only very limited success. They suffer from lack of reliability, ability to integrate large surfaces, and very modest change in overall shape. Robots can now be built from two-dimensional (2D) layers of robotic fabric. These transformers, a new kind of robotic space system, are dramatically different from current systems in at least two ways. First, the entire transformer is built from a single, thin sheet; a flexible layer of a robotic fabric (ro-fabric); or robotic textile (ro-textile). Second, the ro-textile layer is foldable to small volume and self-unfolding to adapt shape and function to mission phases.

The trials and tribulations of purchasing robots for nuclear applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moore, F.W.; Bowen, W.W.

1986-01-01

The adaptation of commercial robots using current robotic technology to handle and manufacture nuclear materials has had its problems. The robots available today were developed primarily to support the automotive or electronics industries. Nuclear material is very heavy, abrasive material with stringent accountability and nuclear safety requirements. The operational space and maintenance constraints have special consideration where the robotic system must operate and be maintained in an environmentally controlled area. The robotic systems of today tend to have limited payload capability for nuclear applications or, if the payload is sufficient, the system is very large and has several operating and maintenance accessibility requirements. The process of specifying, purchasing, and modifying a robotic system is an expensive and time-consuming process at best. The process of product evaluation, operation envelop, design maintenance concepts, and special nuclear materials handling requirements are essential in the development of a procurement specification. The procurement specification is critical to getting an economical robotic system and successfully enticing robotic vendors to quote for nuclear applications

Modeling and Control of Collaborative Robot System using Haptic Feedback

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vivekananda Shanmuganatha

2017-08-01

Full Text Available When two robot systems can share understanding using any agreed knowledge, within the constraints of the system’s communication protocol, the approach may lead to a common improvement. This has persuaded numerous new research inquiries in human-robot collaboration. We have built up a framework prepared to do independent following and performing table-best protest object manipulation with humans and we have actualized two different activity models to trigger robot activities. The idea here is to explore collaborative systems and to build up a plan for them to work in a collaborative environment which has many benefits to a single more complex system. In the paper, two robots that cooperate among themselves are constructed. The participation linking the two robotic arms, the torque required and parameters are analyzed. Thus the purpose of this paper is to demonstrate a modular robot system which can serve as a base on aspects of robotics in collaborative robots using haptics.

Construction Tele-Robotics System with AR Presentation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ootsubo, K; Kawamura, T; Yamada, H

2013-01-01

Tele-Robotics system using bilateral control is an effective tool for task in disaster scenes, and also in extreme environments. The conventional systems are equipped with a few color video cameras captures view of the task field, and their video images are sent to the operator via some network. Usually, the images are captured only from some fixed angles. So the operator cannot obtain intuitively 3D-sense of the task field. In our previous study, we proposed a construction tele-robotics system based on VR presentation. The operator intuits the geometrical states of the robot presented by CG, but the information of the surrounding environment is not included like a video image. So we thought that the task efficiency could be improved by appending the CG image to the video image. In this study, we developed a new presentation system based on augmented reality (AR). In this system, the CG image, which represents 3D geometric information for the task, is overlaid on the video image. In this study, we confirmed the effectiveness of the system experimentally. Additionally, we verified its usefulness to reduction of the communication delay associated with a tele-robotics system.

A hardware investigation of robotic SPECT for functional and molecular imaging onboard radiation therapy systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yan, Susu; Tough, MengHeng; Bowsher, James; Yin, Fang-Fang; Cheng, Lin

2014-01-01

Purpose: To construct a robotic SPECT system and to demonstrate its capability to image a thorax phantom on a radiation therapy flat-top couch, as a step toward onboard functional and molecular imaging in radiation therapy. Methods: A robotic SPECT imaging system was constructed utilizing a gamma camera detector (Digirad 2020tc) and a robot (KUKA KR150 L110 robot). An imaging study was performed with a phantom (PET CT Phantom TM ), which includes five spheres of 10, 13, 17, 22, and 28 mm diameters. The phantom was placed on a flat-top couch. SPECT projections were acquired either with a parallel-hole collimator or a single-pinhole collimator, both without background in the phantom and with background at 1/10th the sphere activity concentration. The imaging trajectories of parallel-hole and pinhole collimated detectors spanned 180° and 228°, respectively. The pinhole detector viewed an off-centered spherical common volume which encompassed the 28 and 22 mm spheres. The common volume for parallel-hole system was centered at the phantom which encompassed all five spheres in the phantom. The maneuverability of the robotic system was tested by navigating the detector to trace the phantom and flat-top table while avoiding collision and maintaining the closest possible proximity to the common volume. The robot base and tool coordinates were used for image reconstruction. Results: The robotic SPECT system was able to maneuver parallel-hole and pinhole collimated SPECT detectors in close proximity to the phantom, minimizing impact of the flat-top couch on detector radius of rotation. Without background, all five spheres were visible in the reconstructed parallel-hole image, while four spheres, all except the smallest one, were visible in the reconstructed pinhole image. With background, three spheres of 17, 22, and 28 mm diameters were readily observed with the parallel-hole imaging, and the targeted spheres (22 and 28 mm diameters) were readily observed in the pinhole

EMBEDDED CONTROL SYSTEM FOR MOBILE ROBOTS WITH DIFFERENTIAL DRIVE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michal KOPČÍK

2017-09-01

Full Text Available This article deals with design and implementation of control system for mobile robots with differential drive using embedded system. This designed embedded system consists of single control board featuring ARM based microcontroller which control the peripherals in real time and perform all low-level motion control. Designed embedded system can be easily expanded with additional sensors, actuators or control units to enhance applicability of mobile robot. Designed embedded system also features build-in communication module, which can be used for data for data acquisition and control of the mobile robot. Control board was implemented on two different types of mobile robots with differential drive, one of which was wheeled and other was tracked. These mobile robots serve as testing platform for Fault Detection and Isolation using hardware and analytical redundancy using Multisensor Data Fusion based on Kalman filters.

Physical Human Robot Interaction for a Wall Mounting Robot - External Force Estimation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Alonso García, Alejandro; Villarmarzo Arruñada, Noelia; Pedersen, Rasmus

2018-01-01

The use of collaborative robots enhances human capabilities, leading to better working conditions and increased productivity. In building construction, such robots are needed, among other tasks, to install large glass panels, where the robot takes care of the heavy lifting part of the job while...

BellBot - A Hotel Assistant System Using Mobile Robots

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Joaquín López

2013-01-01

Full Text Available There is a growing interest in applying intelligent technologies to assistant robots. These robots should have a number of characteristics such as autonomy, easy reconfiguration, robust perception systems and they should be oriented towards close interaction with humans. In this paper we present an automatic hotel assistant system based on a series of mobile platforms that interact with guests and service personnel to help them in different tasks. These tasks include bringing small items to customers, showing them different points of interest in the hotel, accompanying the guests to their rooms and providing them with general information. Each robot can also autonomously handle some daily scheduled tasks. Apart from user-initiated and scheduled tasks, the robots can also perform tasks based on events triggered by the building's automation system (BAS. The robots and the BAS are connected to a central server via a local area network. The system was developed with the Robotics Integrated Development Environment (RIDE and was tested intensively in different environments.

Robotics in near-earth space

Science.gov (United States)

Card, Michael E.

1991-01-01

The areas of space exploration in which robotic devices will play a part are identified, and progress to date in the space agency plans to acquire this capability is briefly reviewed. Roles and functions on orbit for robotic devices include well known activities, such as inspection and maintenance, assembly, docking, berthing, deployment, retrieval, materials handling, orbital replacement unit exchange, and repairs. Missions that could benefit from a robotic capability are discussed.

Siroco, a configurable robot control system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tejedor, B.G.; Maraggi, G.J.B.

1988-01-01

The SIROCO (Configurable Robot Control System) is an electronic system designed to work in applications where mechanized remote control equipment and robots are necessary especially in Nuclear Power Plants. The structure of the system (hardware and software) determines the following user characteristics: a) Reduction in the time spent in NDT and in radiation doses absorbed, due to remote control operation; b) possibility for full automation in NDT, c) the system can simultaneously control up to six axes and can generate movements in remote areas; and d) possibility for equipment unification, due to SIROCO being a configurable system. (author)

Research on wheelchair robot control system based on EOG

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Wang; Chen, Naijian; Han, Xiangdong; Sun, Jianbo

2018-04-01

The paper describes an intelligent wheelchair control system based on EOG. It can help disabled people improve their living ability. The system can acquire EOG signal from the user, detect the number of blink and the direction of glancing, and then send commands to the wheelchair robot via RS-232 to achieve the control of wheelchair robot. Wheelchair robot control system based on EOG is composed of processing EOG signal and human-computer interactive technology, which achieves a purpose of using conscious eye movement to control wheelchair robot.

Robotic Services at Home: An Initialization System Based on Robots' Information and User Preferences in Unknown Environments

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nor Nur Safwati Mohd

2014-07-01

Full Text Available One important issue in robotic services is the construction of the robotic system in the actual environment. In other words, robots must perform environment sensing or have information on real objects, such as location and 3D dimensions, in order to live together with humans. It is crucial to have a mechanism to create an actual robotic system (intelligent space such that there is no initialization framework for the objects in the environment, or we have to perform SLAM and object recognition as well as mapping to generate a useful environmental database. In intelligent space research, normally the objects are attached to various sensors in order to extract the necessary information. However, that approach will highly depend on sensor accuracy and the robotic system will be burdened if there are too many sensors in an environment. Therefore, in this paper we present a system in which a robot can obtain information about an object and even create the furniture layout map for an unknown environment. Our approach is intended to improve home-based robotic services by taking into account the user or individual preferences for the Intelligent Space (IS. With this information, we can create an informational map of the home-based environment for the realization of robot assistance of humans in their daily activities at home, especially for disabled people. The result shows the system design and development in our approach by using model-based system engineering.

Current status of robotic simulators in acquisition of robotic surgical skills.

Science.gov (United States)

Kumar, Anup; Smith, Roger; Patel, Vipul R

2015-03-01

This article provides an overview of the current status of simulator systems in robotic surgery training curriculum, focusing on available simulators for training, their comparison, new technologies introduced in simulation focusing on concepts of training along with existing challenges and future perspectives of simulator training in robotic surgery. The different virtual reality simulators available in the market like dVSS, dVT, RoSS, ProMIS and SEP have shown face, content and construct validity in robotic skills training for novices outside the operating room. Recently, augmented reality simulators like HoST, Maestro AR and RobotiX Mentor have been introduced in robotic training providing a more realistic operating environment, emphasizing more on procedure-specific robotic training . Further, the Xperience Team Trainer, which provides training to console surgeon and bed-side assistant simultaneously, has been recently introduced to emphasize the importance of teamwork and proper coordination. Simulator training holds an important place in current robotic training curriculum of future robotic surgeons. There is a need for more procedure-specific augmented reality simulator training, utilizing advancements in computing and graphical capabilities for new innovations in simulator technology. Further studies are required to establish its cost-benefit ratio along with concurrent and predictive validity.

Understanding of Android-Based Robotic and Game Structure

Science.gov (United States)

Phongtraychack, A.; Syryamkin, V.

2018-05-01

The development of an android with impressive lifelike appearance and behavior has been a long-standing goal in robotics and a new and exciting approach of smartphone-based robotics for research and education. Recent years have been progressive for many technologies, which allowed creating such androids. There are different examples including the autonomous Erica android system capable of conversational interaction and speech synthesis technologies. The behavior of Android-based robot could be running on the phone as the robot performed a task outdoors. In this paper, we present an overview and understanding of the platform of Android-based robotic and game structure for research and education.

In Pipe Robot with Hybrid Locomotion System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cristian Miclauş

2015-06-01

Full Text Available The first part of the paper covers aspects concerning in pipe robots and their components, such as hybrid locomotion systems and the adapting mechanisms used. The second part describes the inspection robot that was developed, which combines tracked and wheeled locomotion (hybrid locomotion. The end of the paper presents the advantages and disadvantages of the proposed robot.

Compliant Task Execution and Learning for Safe Mixed-Initiative Human-Robot Operations

Science.gov (United States)

Dong, Shuonan; Conrad, Patrick R.; Shah, Julie A.; Williams, Brian C.; Mittman, David S.; Ingham, Michel D.; Verma, Vandana

2011-01-01

We introduce a novel task execution capability that enhances the ability of in-situ crew members to function independently from Earth by enabling safe and efficient interaction with automated systems. This task execution capability provides the ability to (1) map goal-directed commands from humans into safe, compliant, automated actions, (2) quickly and safely respond to human commands and actions during task execution, and (3) specify complex motions through teaching by demonstration. Our results are applicable to future surface robotic systems, and we have demonstrated these capabilities on JPL's All-Terrain Hex-Limbed Extra-Terrestrial Explorer (ATHLETE) robot.

System for exchanging tools and end effectors on a robot

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burry, D.B.; Williams, P.M.

1991-01-01

A system and method for exchanging tools and end effectors on a robot permits exchange during a programmed task. The exchange mechanism is located off the robot, thus reducing the mass of the robot arm and permitting smaller robots to perform designated tasks. A simple spring/collet mechanism mounted on the robot is used which permits the engagement and disengagement of the tool or end effector without the need for a rotational orientation of the tool to the end effector/collet interface. As the tool changing system is not located on the robot arm no umbilical cords are located on robot. 12 figures

A Low-Cost Immersive Virtual Reality System for Teaching Robotic Manipulators Programming

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vicente Román-Ibáñez

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Laboratory tasks are a powerful pedagogical strategy for developing competences in science and engineering degrees, making students understand in a practical way the theoretical topics explained in the classroom. However, performing experiments in real conditions is usually expensive in terms of time, money and energy, as it requires expensive infrastructures that are generally difficult to maintain in good conditions. To overcome this problem, virtual reality has proven to be a powerful tool to achieve sustainability, making it easy to update laboratories without the need to acquire new equipment. Moreover, the ability to introduce practical knowledge into classrooms without leaving them, makes virtual laboratories capable of simulating typical operating environments as well as extreme situations in the operation of different devices. A typical subject in which students can benefit from the use of virtual laboratories is robotics. In this work we will develop an immersive virtual reality (VR pedagogical simulator of industrial robotic arms for engineering students. With the proposed system, students will know the effects of their own designed trajectories on several different robotic arms and cell environments without having to buy all of them and being safe of damaging the cell components. The simulation will be checking for collisions of the elements in the scene and alert the student when they happen. This can be achieved with a robotic simulator, but the integration with immersive VR is intended to help students better understand robotics. Moreover, even having a real robotic arm available for students, with this proposed VR method, all the students have the opportunity to manage and learn his own version of the robotic cell, without waiting times generated by having less robotic arms than students in classroom.

Off the Shelf Cloud Robotics for the Smart Home: Empowering a Wireless Robot through Cloud Computing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Javier Ramírez De La Pinta

2017-03-01

Full Text Available In this paper, we explore the possibilities offered by the integration of home automation systems and service robots. In particular, we examine how advanced computationally expensive services can be provided by using a cloud computing approach to overcome the limitations of the hardware available at the user’s home. To this end, we integrate two wireless low-cost, off-the-shelf systems in this work, namely, the service robot Rovio and the home automation system Z-wave. Cloud computing is used to enhance the capabilities of these systems so that advanced sensing and interaction services based on image processing and voice recognition can be offered.

Off the Shelf Cloud Robotics for the Smart Home: Empowering a Wireless Robot through Cloud Computing.

Science.gov (United States)

Ramírez De La Pinta, Javier; Maestre Torreblanca, José María; Jurado, Isabel; Reyes De Cozar, Sergio

2017-03-06

In this paper, we explore the possibilities offered by the integration of home automation systems and service robots. In particular, we examine how advanced computationally expensive services can be provided by using a cloud computing approach to overcome the limitations of the hardware available at the user's home. To this end, we integrate two wireless low-cost, off-the-shelf systems in this work, namely, the service robot Rovio and the home automation system Z-wave. Cloud computing is used to enhance the capabilities of these systems so that advanced sensing and interaction services based on image processing and voice recognition can be offered.

Multi-Functional Sensing for Swarm Robots Using Time Sequence Classification: HoverBot, an Example

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Markus P. Nemitz

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Scaling up robot swarms to collectives of hundreds or even thousands without sacrificing sensing, processing, and locomotion capabilities is a challenging problem. Low-cost robots are potentially scalable, but the majority of existing systems have limited capabilities, and these limitations substantially constrain the type of experiments that could be performed by robotics researchers. Instead of adding functionality by adding more components and therefore increasing the cost, we demonstrate how low-cost hardware can be used beyond its standard functionality. We systematically review 15 swarm robotic systems and analyse their sensing capabilities by applying a general sensor model from the sensing and measurement community. This work is based on the HoverBot system. A HoverBot is a levitating circuit board that manoeuvres by pulling itself towards magnetic anchors that are embedded into the robot arena. We show that HoverBot’s magnetic field readouts from its Hall-effect sensor can be associated to successful movement, robot rotation and collision measurands. We build a time series classifier based on these magnetic field readouts. We modify and apply signal processing techniques to enable the online classification of the time-variant magnetic field measurements on HoverBot’s low-cost microcontroller. We enabled HoverBot with successful movement, rotation, and collision sensing capabilities by utilising its single Hall-effect sensor. We discuss how our classification method could be applied to other sensors to increase a robot’s functionality while retaining its cost.

HYBRID COMMUNICATION NETWORK OF MOBILE ROBOT AND QUAD-COPTER

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Moustafa M. Kurdi

2017-01-01

Full Text Available This paper introduces the design and development of QMRS (Quadcopter Mobile Robotic System. QMRS is a real-time obstacle avoidance capability in Belarus-132N mobile robot with the cooperation of quadcopter Phantom-4. The function of QMRS consists of GPS used by Mobile Robot and image vision and image processing system from both robot and quad-copter and by using effective searching algorithm embedded inside the robot. Having the capacity to navigate accurately is one of the major abilities of a mobile robot to effectively execute a variety of jobs including manipulation, docking, and transportation. To achieve the desired navigation accuracy, mobile robots are typically equipped with on-board sensors to observe persistent features in the environment, to estimate their pose from these observations, and to adjust their motion accordingly. Quadcopter takes off from Mobile Robot, surveys the terrain and transmits the processed Image terrestrial robot. The main objective of research paper is to focus on the full coordination between robot and quadcopter by designing an efficient wireless communication using WIFI. In addition, it identify the method involving the use of vision and image processing system from both robot and quadcopter; analyzing path in real-time and avoiding obstacles based-on the computational algorithm embedded inside the robot. QMRS increases the efficiency and reliability of the whole system especially in robot navigation, image processing and obstacle avoidance due to the help and connection among the different parts of the system.

Mapping planetary caves with an autonomous, heterogeneous robot team

Science.gov (United States)

Husain, Ammar; Jones, Heather; Kannan, Balajee; Wong, Uland; Pimentel, Tiago; Tang, Sarah; Daftry, Shreyansh; Huber, Steven; Whittaker, William L.

Caves on other planetary bodies offer sheltered habitat for future human explorers and numerous clues to a planet's past for scientists. While recent orbital imagery provides exciting new details about cave entrances on the Moon and Mars, the interiors of these caves are still unknown and not observable from orbit. Multi-robot teams offer unique solutions for exploration and modeling subsurface voids during precursor missions. Robot teams that are diverse in terms of size, mobility, sensing, and capability can provide great advantages, but this diversity, coupled with inherently distinct low-level behavior architectures, makes coordination a challenge. This paper presents a framework that consists of an autonomous frontier and capability-based task generator, a distributed market-based strategy for coordinating and allocating tasks to the different team members, and a communication paradigm for seamless interaction between the different robots in the system. Robots have different sensors, (in the representative robot team used for testing: 2D mapping sensors, 3D modeling sensors, or no exteroceptive sensors), and varying levels of mobility. Tasks are generated to explore, model, and take science samples. Based on an individual robot's capability and associated cost for executing a generated task, a robot is autonomously selected for task execution. The robots create coarse online maps and store collected data for high resolution offline modeling. The coordination approach has been field tested at a mock cave site with highly-unstructured natural terrain, as well as an outdoor patio area. Initial results are promising for applicability of the proposed multi-robot framework to exploration and modeling of planetary caves.

Future use of robots in the automotive industry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kelly, M P

1982-01-01

The future will see a dramatic increase in the number of robots used in the automotive industry. Well established applications, such as resistance spot welding, will continue to grow in the short term. Longer term, the much wider use of structural adhesives will supplant the spot welding process with robots applying the adhesives. Practical perception systems will enhance robot performance in arc welding, grinding, fettling, seam sealing and assembly operations, leading again to robot growth as vital elements of truly flexible manufacturing systems (FMS). A major robotic impact will be made in automotive paint shops as the need to conserve energy increases. The development of alternative painting materials, offering improved performance will add further impetus. Robotics of the future will progressively move to a CAD/CAM orientated data base, offering off-line programming capability, which together with essential inspection elements, will provide the means for totally automatic manufacture.

Robotics and remote systems for hazardous environments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jamshidi, M.; Eicker, P.

1993-01-01

This is the first volume in a series of books to be published by Prentice Hall on Environmental and Intelligent Manufacturing Systems. The editors have assembled an interdisciplinary collection of authors from industry, government, and academia, that provide a broad range of expertise on robotics and remote systems. Readily accessible to practicing engineers, the book provides case studies and introduces new technology applicable to remote operations in unstructured and/or hazardous environments. Chapter 1 gives an overview of the US Environmental Protection Agency's efforts to apply robotic technology to assist in the operations at hazardous waste sites. The next chapter focuses on the theory and implementation of robust impedance control for robotic manipulators. Chapter 3 presents a discussion on the integration of failure tolerance into robotic systems. The next two chapters address the issue of sensory feedback and its indispensable role in remote and/or hazardous environments. Chapter 6 presents numerous examples of robots and telemanipulators that have been applied for various tasks at the DOE's Savannah River Site. The following chapter picks up on this theme and discusses the fundamental paradigm shifts that are required in artificial intelligence for robots to deal with hazardous, unstructured, and dynamic environments. Chapter 8 returns to the issue of impedance control first raised in Chapter 2. While the majority of the applications discussed in this book are related to the nuclear industry, chapter 9 considers applying telerobotics for the control of traditional heavy machinery that is widely used in forestry, mining, and construction. The final chapter of the book returns to the topic of artificial intelligence's role in producing increased autonomy for robotic systems and provides an interesting counterpoint to the philosophy of reactive control discussed earlier

Development of an advanced intelligent robot navigation system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hai Quan Dai; Dalton, G.R.; Tulenko, J.; Crane, C.C. III

1992-01-01

As part of the US Department of Energy's Robotics for Advanced Reactors Project, the authors are in the process of assembling an advanced intelligent robotic navigation and control system based on previous work performed on this project in the areas of computer control, database access, graphical interfaces, shared data and computations, computer vision for positions determination, and sonar-based computer navigation systems. The system will feature three levels of goals: (1) high-level system for management of lower level functions to achieve specific functional goals; (2) intermediate level of goals such as position determination, obstacle avoidance, and discovering unexpected objects; and (3) other supplementary low-level functions such as reading and recording sonar or video camera data. In its current phase, the Cybermotion K2A mobile robot is not equipped with an onboard computer system, which will be included in the final phase. By that time, the onboard system will play important roles in vision processing and in robotic control communication

Robot vision system R and D for ITER blanket remote-handling system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maruyama, Takahito; Aburadani, Atsushi; Takeda, Nobukazu; Kakudate, Satoshi; Nakahira, Masataka; Tesini, Alessandro

2014-01-01

For regular maintenance of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), a system called the ITER blanket remote-handling system is necessary to remotely handle the blanket modules because of the high levels of gamma radiation. Modules will be handled by robotic power manipulators and they must have a non-contact-sensing system for installing and grasping to avoid contact with other modules. A robot vision system that uses cameras was adopted for this non-contact-sensing system. Experiments for grasping modules were carried out in a dark room to simulate the environment inside the vacuum vessel and the robot vision system's measurement errors were studied. As a result, the accuracy of the manipulator's movements was within 2.01 mm and 0.31°, which satisfies the system requirements. Therefore, it was concluded that this robot vision system is suitable for the non-contact-sensing system of the ITER blanket remote-handling system

Robot vision system R and D for ITER blanket remote-handling system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Maruyama, Takahito, E-mail: maruyama.takahito@jaea.go.jp [Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Fusion Research and Development Directorate, Naka, Ibaraki-ken 311-0193 (Japan); Aburadani, Atsushi; Takeda, Nobukazu; Kakudate, Satoshi; Nakahira, Masataka [Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Fusion Research and Development Directorate, Naka, Ibaraki-ken 311-0193 (Japan); Tesini, Alessandro [ITER Organization, Route de Vinon sur Verdon, 13115 St Paul Lez Durance (France)

2014-10-15

For regular maintenance of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), a system called the ITER blanket remote-handling system is necessary to remotely handle the blanket modules because of the high levels of gamma radiation. Modules will be handled by robotic power manipulators and they must have a non-contact-sensing system for installing and grasping to avoid contact with other modules. A robot vision system that uses cameras was adopted for this non-contact-sensing system. Experiments for grasping modules were carried out in a dark room to simulate the environment inside the vacuum vessel and the robot vision system's measurement errors were studied. As a result, the accuracy of the manipulator's movements was within 2.01 mm and 0.31°, which satisfies the system requirements. Therefore, it was concluded that this robot vision system is suitable for the non-contact-sensing system of the ITER blanket remote-handling system.

Systems and Algorithms for Automated Collaborative Observation Using Networked Robotic Cameras

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Yiliang

2011-01-01

The development of telerobotic systems has evolved from Single Operator Single Robot (SOSR) systems to Multiple Operator Multiple Robot (MOMR) systems. The relationship between human operators and robots follows the master-slave control architecture and the requests for controlling robot actuation are completely generated by human operators. …

WARRIOR II, a high performance modular electric robot system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Downton, G.C.

1996-01-01

A high performance electric robot, WARRIOR, was built for in-reactor welding at the Oldbury nuclear power plant in the United Kingdom in the mid 1980s. WARRIOR II has been developed as a lighter, smaller diameter articulated welding robot which can be deployed on its umbilical down a stand pipe for remote docking with the manipulator system which delivers it to its work site. A key feature of WARRIOR II has been the development of a prototype spherical modular joint. The module provides the drive torque necessary to motivate the robot arm, acts as the joint bearing, has standard mechanical interfaces for the limb sections, accurately measures the joint angle and has cable services running through the centre. It can act either as a bend or rotate joint and the interconnecting limb sections need only to be simple tubular sections. A wide range of manipulator configurations to suit the access constraints of particular problems can be achieved with a set of joint modules and limb sections. A general purpose motion controller has also been developed which is capable of kinematically controlling any configuration of WARRIOR II thus contributing to the realisation of the concept of a general purpose tool which can be used over and over again, at short notice, in any situation where a high precision, light weight, versatile manipulator is required. (UK)

A Haptic Guided Robotic System for Endoscope Positioning and Holding.

Science.gov (United States)

Cabuk, Burak; Ceylan, Savas; Anik, Ihsan; Tugasaygi, Mehtap; Kizir, Selcuk

2015-01-01

To determine the feasibility, advantages, and disadvantages of using a robot for holding and maneuvering the endoscope in transnasal transsphenoidal surgery. The system used in this study was a Stewart Platform based robotic system that was developed by Kocaeli University Department of Mechatronics Engineering for positioning and holding of endoscope. After the first use on an artificial head model, the system was used on six fresh postmortem bodies that were provided by the Morgue Specialization Department of the Forensic Medicine Institute (Istanbul, Turkey). The setup required for robotic system was easy, the time for registration procedure and setup of the robot takes 15 minutes. The resistance was felt on haptic arm in case of contact or friction with adjacent tissues. The adaptation process was shorter with the mouse to manipulate the endoscope. The endoscopic transsphenoidal approach was achieved with the robotic system. The endoscope was guided to the sphenoid ostium with the help of the robotic arm. This robotic system can be used in endoscopic transsphenoidal surgery as an endoscope positioner and holder. The robot is able to change the position easily with the help of an assistant and prevents tremor, and provides a better field of vision for work.

Robotic system for the servicing of the orbiter thermal protection system

Science.gov (United States)

Graham, Todd; Bennett, Richard; Dowling, Kevin; Manouchehri, Davoud; Cooper, Eric; Cowan, Cregg

1994-01-01

This paper describes the design and development of a mobile robotic system to process orbiter thermal protection system (TPS) tiles. This work was justified by a TPS automation study which identified tile rewaterproofing and visual inspection as excellent applications for robotic automation.

Highest performance in 3D metal cutting at smallest footprint: benchmark of a robot based system vs. parameters of gantry systems

Science.gov (United States)

Scheller, Torsten; Bastick, André; Michel-Triller, Robert; Manzella, Christon

2014-02-01

In the automotive industry as well as in other industries ecological aspects regarding energy savings are driving new technologies and materials, e.g. lightweight materials as aluminium or press hardened steels. Processing such parts especially complex 3D shaped parts laser manufacturing has become the key process offering highest efficiency. The most established systems for 3D cutting applications are based on gantry systems. The disadvantage of those systems is their huge footprint to realize the required stability and work envelope. Alternatively a robot based system might be of advantage if accuracy, speed and overall performance would be capable processing automotive parts. With the BIM "beam in motion" system, JENOPTIK Automatisierungstechnik GmbH has developed a modular robot based laser processing machine, which meets all OEM specs processing press hardened steel parts. A benchmark of the BIM versus a gantry system was done regarding all required parameters to fulfil OEM specifications for press hardened steel parts. As a result a highly productive, accurate and efficient system can be described based on one or multiple robot modules working simultaneously together. The paper presents the improvements on the robot machine concept BIM addressed in 2012 [1] leading to an industrial proven system approach for the automotive industry. It further compares the performance and the parameters for 3D cutting applications of the BIM system versus a gantry system by samples of applied parts. Finally an overview of suitable applications for processing complex 3D parts with high productivity at small footprint is given.

Development of an MR-compatible hand exoskeleton that is capable of providing interactive robotic rehabilitation during fMRI imaging.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Sangjoon J; Kim, Yeongjin; Lee, Hyosang; Ghasemlou, Pouya; Kim, Jung

2018-02-01

Following advances in robotic rehabilitation, there have been many efforts to investigate the recovery process and effectiveness of robotic rehabilitation procedures through monitoring the activation status of the brain. This work presents the development of a two degree-of-freedom (DoF) magnetic resonance (MR)-compatible hand device that can perform robotic rehabilitation procedures inside an fMRI scanner. The device is capable of providing real-time monitoring of the joint angle, angular velocity, and joint force produced by the metacarpophalangeal (MCP) and proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joints of four fingers. For force measurement, a custom reflective optical force sensor was developed and characterized in terms of accuracy error, hysteresis, and repeatability in the MR environment. The proposed device consists of two non-magnetic ultrasonic motors to provide assistive and resistive forces to the MCP and PIP joints. With actuation and sensing capabilities, both non-voluntary-passive movements and active-voluntary movements can be implemented. The MR compatibility of the device was verified via the analysis of the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of MR images of phantoms. SNR drops of 0.25, 2.94, and 11.82% were observed when the device was present but not activated, when only the custom force sensor was activated, and when both the custom force sensor and actuators were activated, respectively.

An off-line programming system for palletizing robot

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Youdong Chen

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Off-line programming systems are essential tools for the effective use of palletizing robots. This article presents a dedicated off-line programming system for palletizing robots. According to the user practical requirements, there are many user-defined patterns that can’t be easily generated by commercial off-line robot programming systems. This study suggests a pattern generation method that users can easily define their patterns. The proposed method has been simulation and experiment. The results have attested the effectiveness of the proposed pattern generation method.

Application of robotics to distribution systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ramsbottom, W

1986-06-01

Robotic technology has been recognized as having potential application in lifeline maintenance and repair. A study was conducted to investigate the feasibility of utilizing robotics for this purpose, and to prepare a general design of appropriate equipment. Four lifeline tasks were selected as representative of the majority of work. Based on a detailed task decomposition, subtasks were rated on amenability to robot completion. All tasks are feasible, but in some cases special tooling is required. Based on today's robotics, it is concluded that a force reflecting master/slave telemanipulator, augmented by automatic robot tasks under a supervisory control system, provides the optimal approach. No commercially available products are currently adequate for lifeline work. A general design of the telemanipulator, which has been named the SKYARM has been developed, addressing all subsystems such as the manipulator, video, control power and insulation. The baseline system is attainable using today's technology. Improved performance and lower cost will be achieved through developments in artificial intelligence, machine vision, supervisory control and dielectrics. Immediate benefits to utilities include increased safety, better service and savings on a subset of maintenance tasks. In 3-5 years, the SKYARM will prove cost effective as a general purpose lifeline tool. 7 refs., 26 figs., 3 tabs.

Stormram 4: An MR Safe Robotic System for Breast Biopsy.

Science.gov (United States)

Groenhuis, Vincent; Siepel, Françoise J; Veltman, Jeroen; van Zandwijk, Jordy K; Stramigioli, Stefano

2018-05-21

Suspicious lesions in the breast that are only visible on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) need to be biopsied under MR guidance with high accuracy and efficiency for accurate diagnosis. The aim of this study is to present a novel robotic system, the Stormram 4, and to perform preclinical tests in an MRI environment. Excluding racks and needle, its dimensions are 72 × 51 × 40 mm. The Stormram 4 is driven by two linear and two curved pneumatic stepper motors. The linear motor is capable of exerting 63 N of force at a pressure of 0.65 MPa. In an MRI environment the maximum observed stepping frequency is 30 Hz (unloaded), or 8 Hz when full force is needed. The Stormram 4's mean positioning error is 0.73 ± 0.47 mm in free air, and 1.29 ± 0.59 mm when targeting breast phantoms in MRI. Excluding the off-the-shelf needle, the robot is inherently MR safe. The robot is able to accurately target lesions under MRI guidance, reducing tissue damage and risk of false negatives. These results are promising for clinical experiments, improving the quality of healthcare in the field of MRI-guided breast biopsies.

Optimised robot-based system for the exploration of elastic joint properties.

Science.gov (United States)

Frey, M; Burgkart, R; Regenfelder, F; Riener, R

2004-09-01

Numerous publications provide measured biomechanical data relating to synovial joints. However, in general, they do not reflect the non-linear elastic joint properties in detail or do not consider all degrees of freedom (DOF), or the quantity of data is sparse. To perform more comprehensive, extended measurements of elastic joint properties, an optimised robot-based approach was developed. The basis was an industrial, high-precision robot that was capable of applying loads to the joint and measuring the joint displacement in 6 DOF. The system was equipped with novel, custom-made control hardware. In contrast to the commonly used sampling rates that are below 100 Hz, a rate of 4 kHz was realised for each DOF. This made it possible to implement advanced, highly dynamic, quasi-continuous closed-loop controllers. Thus oscillations of the robot were avoided, and measurements were speeded up. The stiffness of the entire system was greater than 44 kNm(-1) and 22 Nm deg(-1), and the maximum difference between two successive measurements was less than 0.5 deg. A sophisticated CT-based referencing routine facilitated the matching of kinematic data with the individual anatomy of the tested joint. The detailed detection of the elastic varus-valgus properties of a human knee joint is described, and the need for high spatial resolution is demonstrated.

Development of an advanced robot manipulator system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oomichi, Takeo; Higuchi, Masaru; Shimizu, Yujiro; Ohnishi, Ken

1991-01-01

A sophisticated manipulator system for an advanced robot was developed under the 'Advanced Robot Technology Development' Program promoted and supported by the Agency of Industrial Science and Technology of MITI. The authors have participated in the development of a fingered manipulator with force and tactile sensors applicable to a masterslave robot system. Our slave manipulator is equipped with four fingers. Though the finger needs many degrees of freedom so as to be suitable for skilful handing of an object, our fingers are designed to have minimum degree of freedom in order to reduce weight. Each finger tip was designed to be similar to a human finger which has flexibility, softness and contact feeling. The shape of the master finger manipulator was so designed that the movement of the fingers is smoother and that the constraint feeling of the operator is smaller. We were adopted to a pneumatic pressure system for transmitting the tactile feeling of the slave fingers to the master fingers. A multiple sensory bilateral control system which gives an operator a feeling of force and tactile reduces his feeling of constraint in carrying out work with a robot system. (author)

Development of a remote controlled robot system for monitoring nuclear power plant

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Woo, Hee Gon; Song, Myung Jae; Shin, Hyun Bum; Oh, Gil Hwan; Maeng, Sung Jun; Choi, Byung Jae; Chang, Tae Woo [Korea Electric Power Research Institute, Taejon (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Bum Hee; Yoo, Jun; Choi, Myung Hwan; Go, Nak Yong; Lee, Kee Dong; Lee, Young Dae; Cho, Hae Kyeng; Nam, Yoon Suk [Electric and Science Research Center, (Korea, Republic of)

1996-12-31

It`s a final report of the development of remote controlled robot system for monitoring the facilities in nuclear power plant and contains as follows, -Studying the technologies in robot developments and analysing the requirements and working environments - Development of the test mobile robot system - Development of the mobile-robot - Development of the Mounted system on the Mobile robot - Development of the Monitoring system - Mobil-robot applications and future study. In this study we built the basic technologies and schemes for future robot developments and applications. (author). 20 refs., figs.

Humanoid Robotics: Real-Time Object Oriented Programming

Science.gov (United States)

Newton, Jason E.

2005-01-01

Programming of robots in today's world is often done in a procedural oriented fashion, where object oriented programming is not incorporated. In order to keep a robust architecture allowing for easy expansion of capabilities and a truly modular design, object oriented programming is required. However, concepts in object oriented programming are not typically applied to a real time environment. The Fujitsu HOAP-2 is the test bed for the development of a humanoid robot framework abstracting control of the robot into simple logical commands in a real time robotic system while allowing full access to all sensory data. In addition to interfacing between the motor and sensory systems, this paper discusses the software which operates multiple independently developed control systems simultaneously and the safety measures which keep the humanoid from damaging itself and its environment while running these systems. The use of this software decreases development time and costs and allows changes to be made while keeping results safe and predictable.

Behavior-based obstacle avoidance capability for biologically inspired eight-legged walking robot

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Izzeldin Ibrahim Mohd; Shamsudin M Amin; Adel Ali Syed Al-Jumaily

1999-01-01

Behavior-based approach has proven to be useful in making mobile robot working in real world situations. Since the behaviors are responsible for managing the interaction between the robots and its environment, observing their use can be exploited to model these interactions. A real-time obstacle avoidance algorithm has been developed and implemented. This algorithm permits the detection of unknown obstacle simultaneously with the steering of the mobile robot to avoid collisions and advance toward the target. In our approach the robot is initially given a set of behavior-producing modules to choose from, and the algorithm provides a memory-based approach to dynamically adapt the selection of the behaviors according to the history of their use. We developed a set of algorithms, which uses Subsumption Architecture (SA) for controlling an eight-legged walking robot operating in closed vicinity. This paper describes a successful application of these algorithms to Oct-Ib robot and experimental results of the robot navigating in complex environment. (Author)

micROS: a morphable, intelligent and collective robot operating system.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Xuejun; Dai, Huadong; Yi, Xiaodong; Wang, Yanzhen; Yang, Shaowu; Zhang, Bo; Wang, Zhiyuan; Zhou, Yun; Peng, Xuefeng

2016-01-01

Robots are developing in much the same way that personal computers did 40 years ago, and robot operating system is the critical basis. Current robot software is mainly designed for individual robots. We present in this paper the design of micROS, a morphable, intelligent and collective robot operating system for future collective and collaborative robots. We first present the architecture of micROS, including the distributed architecture for collective robot system as a whole and the layered architecture for every single node. We then present the design of autonomous behavior management based on the observe-orient-decide-act cognitive behavior model and the design of collective intelligence including collective perception, collective cognition, collective game and collective dynamics. We also give the design of morphable resource management, which first categorizes robot resources into physical, information, cognitive and social domains, and then achieve morphability based on self-adaptive software technology. We finally deploy micROS on NuBot football robots and achieve significant improvement in real-time performance.

Progress in EEG-Based Brain Robot Interaction Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiaoqian Mao

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The most popular noninvasive Brain Robot Interaction (BRI technology uses the electroencephalogram- (EEG- based Brain Computer Interface (BCI, to serve as an additional communication channel, for robot control via brainwaves. This technology is promising for elderly or disabled patient assistance with daily life. The key issue of a BRI system is to identify human mental activities, by decoding brainwaves, acquired with an EEG device. Compared with other BCI applications, such as word speller, the development of these applications may be more challenging since control of robot systems via brainwaves must consider surrounding environment feedback in real-time, robot mechanical kinematics, and dynamics, as well as robot control architecture and behavior. This article reviews the major techniques needed for developing BRI systems. In this review article, we first briefly introduce the background and development of mind-controlled robot technologies. Second, we discuss the EEG-based brain signal models with respect to generating principles, evoking mechanisms, and experimental paradigms. Subsequently, we review in detail commonly used methods for decoding brain signals, namely, preprocessing, feature extraction, and feature classification, and summarize several typical application examples. Next, we describe a few BRI applications, including wheelchairs, manipulators, drones, and humanoid robots with respect to synchronous and asynchronous BCI-based techniques. Finally, we address some existing problems and challenges with future BRI techniques.

Advances in Robotic Servicing Technology Development

Science.gov (United States)

Gefke, Gardell G.; Janas, Alex; Pellegrino, Joseph; Sammons, Matthew; Reed, Benjamin

2015-01-01

NASA's Satellite Servicing Capabilities Office (SSCO) has matured robotic and automation technologies applicable to in-space robotic servicing and robotic exploration over the last six years. This paper presents the progress of technology development activities at the Goddard Space Flight Center Servicing Technology Center and on the ISS, with an emphasis on those occurring in the past year. Highlighted advancements are design reference mission analysis for servicing in low Earth orbit (LEO) and asteroid redirection; delivery of the engineering development unit of the NASA Servicing Arm; an update on International Space Station Robotic Refueling Mission; and status of a comprehensive ground-based space robot technology demonstration expanding in-space robotic servicing capabilities beginning fall 2015.

Wheeled hopping robot

Science.gov (United States)

Fischer, Gary J [Albuquerque, NM

2010-08-17

The present invention provides robotic vehicles having wheeled and hopping mobilities that are capable of traversing (e.g. by hopping over) obstacles that are large in size relative to the robot and, are capable of operation in unpredictable terrain over long range. The present invention further provides combustion powered linear actuators, which can include latching mechanisms to facilitate pressurized fueling of the actuators, as can be used to provide wheeled vehicles with a hopping mobility.

Collective Modular Underwater Robotic System for Long-Term Autonomous Operation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christensen, David Johan; Andersen, Jens Christian; Blanke, Mogens

This paper provides a brief overview of an underwater robotic system for autonomous inspection in confined offshore underwater structures. The system, which is currently in development, consist of heterogeneous modular robots able to physically dock and communicate with other robots, transport...

FY1995 development of rehabilitation system for promoting social integration of people with disabilities. Development of a robotic orthosis assisting motion capabilities; 1995 nendo shogaino aru hito no shakai shinshutsu wo sokushinsuru rehabilitation system no kaihatsu. Rehabilitation kino wo yusuru doryoku sogu no kaihatsu

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1997-03-01

People with slight disabilities on motion. capability can be active in daily life using properly designed motion-assisting devices. Using these device in various cases would help the disabled participate in production activities, and would promote social integration of the disabled as rehabilitation in a broad sense. This research aims at developing such a device capable to help human motion by forearm based on technology and science in robotics. Two different methods are discussed in this research in order to develop robotic orthosis with good performance for assisting human motion by forearm. The first method is constructing a robotic orthosis with electronic motors and force sensors to produce a desired mechanical impedance. This orthosis was carefully designed such that mechanical safety for human is realized. The validity of the mechanism is illustrated by several experiments. The second method is constructing a low cost robotic orthosis with pneumatic actuators. A new type of pneumatic actuator is developed to realize this orthosis. Experimental results show that physical therapy can be performed effectively using this orthosis operated by direct teaching. (NEDO)

Robot-assisted vitreoretinal surgery: current perspectives.

Science.gov (United States)

Roizenblatt, Marina; Edwards, Thomas L; Gehlbach, Peter L

2018-01-01

Vitreoretinal microsurgery is among the most technically challenging of the minimally invasive surgical techniques. Exceptional precision is required to operate on micron scale targets presented by the retina while also maneuvering in a tightly constrained and fragile workspace. These challenges are compounded by inherent limitations of the unassisted human hand with regard to dexterity, tremor and precision in positioning instruments. The limited human ability to visually resolve targets on the single-digit micron scale is a further limitation. The inherent attributes of robotic approaches therefore, provide logical, strategic and promising solutions to the numerous challenges associated with retinal microsurgery. Robotic retinal surgery is a rapidly emerging technology that has witnessed an exponential growth in capabilities and applications over the last decade. There is now a worldwide movement toward evaluating robotic systems in an expanding number of clinical applications. Coincident with this expanding application is growth in the number of laboratories committed to "robotic medicine". Recent technological advances in conventional retina surgery have also led to tremendous progress in the surgeon's capabilities, enhanced outcomes, a reduction of patient discomfort, limited hospitalization and improved safety. The emergence of robotic technology into this rapidly advancing domain is expected to further enhance important aspects of the retinal surgery experience for the patients, surgeons and society.

Towards Real-Time Distributed Planning in Multi-Robot Systems

KAUST Repository

Abdelkader, Mohamed

2018-04-01

Recently, there has been an increasing interest in robotics related to multi-robot applications. Such systems can be involved in several tasks such as collaborative search and rescue, aerial transportation, surveillance, and monitoring, to name a few. There are two possible architectures for the autonomous control of multi-robot systems. In the centralized architecture, a master controller communicates with all the robots to collect information. It uses this information to make decisions for the entire system and then sends commands to each robot. In contrast, in the distributed architecture, each robot makes its own decision independent from a central authority. While distributed architecture is a more portable solution, it comes at the expense of extensive information exchange (communication). The extensive communication between robots can result in decision delays because of which distributed architecture is often impractical for systems with strict real-time constraints, e.g. when decisions have to be taken in the order of milliseconds. In this thesis, we propose a distributed framework that strikes a balance between limited communicated information and reasonable system-wide performance while running in real-time. We implement the proposed approach in a game setting of two competing teams of drones, defenders and attackers. Defending drones execute a proposed linear program algorithm (using only onboard computing modules) to obstruct attackers from infiltrating a defense zone while having minimal local message passing. Another main contribution is that we developed a realistic simulation environment as well as lab and outdoor hardware setups of customized drones for testing the system in realistic scenarios. Our software is completely open-source and fully integrated with the well-known Robot Operating System (ROS) in hopes to make our work easily reproducible and for rapid future improvements.

Multi-robots to micro-surgery: Selected robotic applications at Sandia National Laboratories

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bennett, P.C. [Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (United States). Intelligent Systems and Robotics Center

1996-11-01

The Intelligent Systems and Robotics Center (ISRC) at Sandia National Laboratories is a multi-program organization, pursuing research, development and applications in a wide range of field. Activities range from large-scale applications such as nuclear facility dismantlement for the US Department of Energy (DOE), to aircraft inspection and refurbishment, to automated script and program generation for robotic manufacturing and assembly, to miniature robotic devices and sensors for remote sensing and micro-surgery. This paper describes six activities in the large and small scale that are underway and either nearing technology transfer stage or seeking industrial partners to continue application development. The topics of the applications include multiple arm coordination for intuitively maneuvering large, ungainly work pieces; simulation, analysis and graphical training capability for CP-5 research reactor dismantlement; miniature robots with volumes of 16 cubic centimeters and less developed for inspection and sensor deployment; and biomedical sensors to enhance automated prosthetic device production and fill laparoscopic surgery information gap.

A study on in-pipe inspection mobile robots, 3

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fukuda, Toshio; Hosokai, Hidemi; Uemura, Masahiro.

1990-01-01

This paper deals with inspection path planning for in-pipe inspection mobile robots which have the capability of moving through complicated pipeline networks. It is imperative that the robot systems have an inspection path planning system for such networks for their reasonable and rational operation, controlled by themselves or by the operators. The planning mainly requires two projects: the selection of the place to put the robot in or out, and the generation of the paths in the networks. This system provides the for complicated problems with plural inspection points using a basic strategy of systematically producing patterns and dividing partial problems of simple searches based on rules. (author)

Gesture-Based Extraction of Robot Skill Parameters for Intuitive Robot Programming

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, Mikkel Rath; Krüger, Volker

2015-01-01

a working system capable of TbD would be ideal. Contrary to current TbD approaches, that generally aim to recognize both action and where it is applied, we propose a division of labor, where the operator manually specifies the action the robot should perform, while gestures are used for specifying...... the relevant action parameter (e.g. on which object to apply the action). Using this two-step method has the advantages that there is no uncertainty of which action the robot will perform, it takes into account that the environment changes, so objects do not need to be at predefined locations......, and the parameter specification is possible even for inexperienced users. Experiments with 24 people in 3 different environments verify that it is indeed intuitive, even for a robotics novice, to program a mobile manipulator using this method....

Interactive computer-enhanced remote viewing system with data fusion capabilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Walter, T.J.

1997-01-01

Robotic missions will increasingly involve sending autonomous and semiautonomous vehicles into unstructured work environments. Mission success will often depend on the ability to accurately map scenes, to combine information from a variety of sensor types, to convey the three-dimensional (3-D) characteristics of these spaces to operators, and to construct geometric model task planning and collision avoidance. To meet these needs, an interactive computer-enhanced remote viewing system (ICERVS) has been developed with general-purpose capabilities for data visualization and geometric modeling. ICERVS has been augmented with software that enables fusing data from multiple mapping sensors and poses to reduce the error effects in individual data sets and improve the mapping accuracy of a work space

Socially Impaired Robots: Human Social Disorders and Robots' Socio-Emotional Intelligence

OpenAIRE

Vitale, Jonathan; Williams, Mary-Anne; Johnston, Benjamin

2016-01-01

Social robots need intelligence in order to safely coexist and interact with humans. Robots without functional abilities in understanding others and unable to empathise might be a societal risk and they may lead to a society of socially impaired robots. In this work we provide a survey of three relevant human social disorders, namely autism, psychopathy and schizophrenia, as a means to gain a better understanding of social robots' future capability requirements. We provide evidence supporting...

Vision-based robotic system for object agnostic placing operations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rofalis, Nikolaos; Nalpantidis, Lazaros; Andersen, Nils Axel

2016-01-01

Industrial robots are part of almost all modern factories. Even though, industrial robots nowadays manipulate objects of a huge variety in different environments, exact knowledge about both of them is generally assumed. The aim of this work is to investigate the ability of a robotic system to ope...... to the system, neither for the objects nor for the placing box. The experimental evaluation of the developed robotic system shows that a combination of seemingly simple modules and strategies can provide effective solution to the targeted problem....... to operate within an unknown environment manipulating unknown objects. The developed system detects objects, finds matching compartments in a placing box, and ultimately grasps and places the objects there. The developed system exploits 3D sensing and visual feature extraction. No prior knowledge is provided...

Autonomous mobile robot for radiologic surveys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dudar, A.M.; Wagner, D.G.; Teese, G.D.

1994-01-01

An apparatus is described for conducting radiologic surveys. The apparatus comprises in the main a robot capable of following a preprogrammed path through an area, a radiation monitor adapted to receive input from a radiation detector assembly, ultrasonic transducers for navigation and collision avoidance, and an on-board computer system including an integrator for interfacing the radiation monitor and the robot. Front and rear bumpers are attached to the robot by bumper mounts. The robot may be equipped with memory boards for the collection and storage of radiation survey information. The on-board computer system is connected to a remote host computer via a UHF radio link. The apparatus is powered by a rechargeable 24-volt DC battery, and is stored at a docking station when not in use and/or for recharging. A remote host computer contains a stored database defining paths between points in the area where the robot is to operate, including but not limited to the locations of walls, doors, stationary furniture and equipment, and sonic markers if used. When a program consisting of a series of paths is downloaded to the on-board computer system, the robot conducts a floor survey autonomously at any preselected rate. When the radiation monitor detects contamination, the robot resurveys the area at reduced speed and resumes its preprogrammed path if the contamination is not confirmed. If the contamination is confirmed, the robot stops and sounds an alarm. 5 figures

A cognitive robotics system: the symbolic and sub-symbolic robotic intelligence control system (SS-RICS)

Science.gov (United States)

Kelley, Troy D.; Avery, Eric

2010-04-01

This paper will detail the progress on the development of the Symbolic and Subsymbolic Robotics Intelligence Control System (SS-RICS). The system is a goal oriented production system, based loosely on the cognitive architecture, the Adaptive Control of Thought-Rational (ACT-R) some additions and changes. We have found that in order to simulate complex cognition on a robot, many aspects of cognition (long term memory (LTM), perception) needed to be in place before any generalized intelligent behavior can be produced. In working with ACT-R, we found that it was a good instantiation of working memory, but that we needed to add other aspects of cognition including LTM and perception to have a complete cognitive system. Our progress to date will be noted and the challenges that remain will be addressed.

DOE EM industry programs robotics development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Staubly, R.; Kothari, V.

1998-01-01

The Office of Science and Technology (OST) manages an aggressive program for RD and D, as well as testing and evaluation for the Department of Energy's (DOE's) Environmental Management (EM) organization. The goal is to develop new and improved environmental restoration and waste management technologies to clean up the inventory of the DOE weapons complex faster, safer, and cheaper than is possible with currently available technologies. Robotic systems reduce worker exposure to the absolute minimum, while providing proven, cost-effective, and, for some applications, the only acceptable technique for addressing challenging problems. Development of robotic systems for remote operations occurs in three main categories: tank waste characterization and retrieval; decontamination and dismantlement; and characterization, mapping, and inspection systems. In addition, the Federal Energy Technology Center (FETC) has some other projects which fall under the heading of supporting R and D. The central objective of all FETC robotic projects is to make robotic systems more attractive by reducing costs and health risks associated with the deployment of robotic technologies in the cleanup of the nuclear weapons complex. This will be accomplished through development of robots that are cheaper, faster, safer, and more reliable, as well as more straightforward to modify/adapt and more intuitive to operate with autonomous capabilities and intelligent controls that prevent accidents and optimize task execution

System design for safe robotic handling of nuclear materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Drotning, W.; Wapman, W.; Fahrenholtz, J.; Kimberly, H.; Kuhlmann, J.

1996-01-01

Robotic systems are being developed by the Intelligent Systems and Robotics Center at Sandia National Laboratories to perform automated handling tasks with radioactive nuclear materials. These systems will reduce the occupational radiation exposure to workers by automating operations which are currently performed manually. Because the robotic systems will handle material that is both hazardous and valuable, the safety of the operations is of utmost importance; assurance must be given that personnel will not be harmed and that the materials and environment will be protected. These safety requirements are met by designing safety features into the system using a layered approach. Several levels of mechanical, electrical and software safety prevent unsafe conditions from generating a hazard, and bring the system to a safe state should an unexpected situation arise. The system safety features include the use of industrial robot standards, commercial robot systems, commercial and custom tooling, mechanical safety interlocks, advanced sensor systems, control and configuration checks, and redundant control schemes. The effectiveness of the safety features in satisfying the safety requirements is verified using a Failure Modes and Effects Analysis. This technique can point out areas of weakness in the safety design as well as areas where unnecessary redundancy may reduce the system reliability

Intelligent viewing control for robotic and automation systems

Science.gov (United States)

Schenker, Paul S.; Peters, Stephen F.; Paljug, Eric D.; Kim, Won S.

1994-10-01

We present a new system for supervisory automated control of multiple remote cameras. Our primary purpose in developing this system has been to provide capability for knowledge- based, `hands-off' viewing during execution of teleoperation/telerobotic tasks. The reported technology has broader applicability to remote surveillance, telescience observation, automated manufacturing workcells, etc. We refer to this new capability as `Intelligent Viewing Control (IVC),' distinguishing it from a simple programmed camera motion control. In the IVC system, camera viewing assignment, sequencing, positioning, panning, and parameter adjustment (zoom, focus, aperture, etc.) are invoked and interactively executed by real-time by a knowledge-based controller, drawing on a priori known task models and constraints, including operator preferences. This multi-camera control is integrated with a real-time, high-fidelity 3D graphics simulation, which is correctly calibrated in perspective to the actual cameras and their platform kinematics (translation/pan-tilt). Such merged graphics- with-video design allows the system user to preview and modify the planned (`choreographed') viewing sequences. Further, during actual task execution, the system operator has available both the resulting optimized video sequence, as well as supplementary graphics views from arbitrary perspectives. IVC, including operator-interactive designation of robot task actions, is presented to the user as a well-integrated video-graphic single screen user interface allowing easy access to all relevant telerobot communication/command/control resources. We describe and show pictorial results of a preliminary IVC system implementation for telerobotic servicing of a satellite.

A Robotic System for Inspection and Repair of Small Diameter Pipelines

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. A. Vorotnikov

2015-01-01

Full Text Available This paper deals with the construction and control system of miniature robotic system that is designed to move and make inspection inside small diameter pipelines. It gives an overview of ways to move a microsize robotic system inside the small diameter pipe. The proposed design consists of information module and three traction modules, including modules for fixing, linear moving and angular positioning. This paper describes the design and operation of a robotic system and its different modules. Also are shown the structure of the robot control system, the basic calculations of construct and some simulation results of the individual modules of the robot.

Robotic radical perineal cystectomy and extended pelvic lymphadenectomy: initial investigation using a purpose-built single-port robotic system.

Science.gov (United States)

Maurice, Matthew J; Kaouk, Jihad H

2017-12-01

To assess the feasibility of radical perineal cystoprostatectomy using the latest generation purpose-built single-port robotic surgical system. In two male cadavers the da Vinci ® SP1098 Surgical System (Intuitive Surgical, Sunnyvale, CA, USA) was used to perform radical perineal cystoprostatectomy and bilateral extended pelvic lymph node dissection (ePLND). New features in this model include enhanced high-definition three-dimensional optics, improved instrument manoeuvrability, and a real-time instrument tracking and guidance system. The surgery was accomplished through a 3-cm perineal incision via a novel robotic single-port system, which accommodates three double-jointed articulating robotic instruments, an articulating camera, and an accessory laparoscopic instrument. The primary outcomes were technical feasibility, intraoperative complications, and total robotic operative time. The cases were completed successfully without conversion. There were no accidental punctures or lacerations. The robotic operative times were 197 and 202 min. In this preclinical model, robotic radical perineal cystoprostatectomy and ePLND was feasible using the SP1098 robotic platform. Further investigation is needed to assess the feasibility of urinary diversion using this novel approach and new technology. © 2017 The Authors BJU International © 2017 BJU International Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

How Developmental Psychology and Robotics Complement Each Other

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Scassellati, Brian

2000-01-01

.... First, the use of developmental models will be a critical requirement in the construction of robotic systems that can acquire a large repertoire of motor, perceptual, and cognitive capabilities...

Behaviour based Mobile Robot Navigation Technique using AI System: Experimental Investigation on Active Media Pioneer Robot

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Parasuraman, V.Ganapathy

2012-10-01

Full Text Available A key issue in the research of an autonomous robot is the design and development of the navigation technique that enables the robot to navigate in a real world environment. In this research, the issues investigated and methodologies established include (a Designing of the individual behavior and behavior rule selection using Alpha level fuzzy logic system  (b Designing of the controller, which maps the sensors input to the motor output through model based Fuzzy Logic Inference System and (c Formulation of the decision-making process by using Alpha-level fuzzy logic system. The proposed method is applied to Active Media Pioneer Robot and the results are discussed and compared with most accepted methods. This approach provides a formal methodology for representing and implementing the human expert heuristic knowledge and perception-based action in mobile robot navigation. In this approach, the operational strategies of the human expert driver are transferred via fuzzy logic to the robot navigation in the form of a set of simple conditional statements composed of linguistic variables.Keywards: Mobile robot, behavior based control, fuzzy logic, alpha level fuzzy logic, obstacle avoidance behavior and goal seek behavior

A cognitive robotic system based on the Soar cognitive architecture for mobile robot navigation, search, and mapping missions

Science.gov (United States)

Hanford, Scott D.

Most unmanned vehicles used for civilian and military applications are remotely operated or are designed for specific applications. As these vehicles are used to perform more difficult missions or a larger number of missions in remote environments, there will be a great need for these vehicles to behave intelligently and autonomously. Cognitive architectures, computer programs that define mechanisms that are important for modeling and generating domain-independent intelligent behavior, have the potential for generating intelligent and autonomous behavior in unmanned vehicles. The research described in this presentation explored the use of the Soar cognitive architecture for cognitive robotics. The Cognitive Robotic System (CRS) has been developed to integrate software systems for motor control and sensor processing with Soar for unmanned vehicle control. The CRS has been tested using two mobile robot missions: outdoor navigation and search in an indoor environment. The use of the CRS for the outdoor navigation mission demonstrated that a Soar agent could autonomously navigate to a specified location while avoiding obstacles, including cul-de-sacs, with only a minimal amount of knowledge about the environment. While most systems use information from maps or long-range perceptual capabilities to avoid cul-de-sacs, a Soar agent in the CRS was able to recognize when a simple approach to avoiding obstacles was unsuccessful and switch to a different strategy for avoiding complex obstacles. During the indoor search mission, the CRS autonomously and intelligently searches a building for an object of interest and common intersection types. While searching the building, the Soar agent builds a topological map of the environment using information about the intersections the CRS detects. The agent uses this topological model (along with Soar's reasoning, planning, and learning mechanisms) to make intelligent decisions about how to effectively search the building. Once the

Advances in soft computing, intelligent robotics and control

CERN Document Server

Fullér, Robert

2014-01-01

Soft computing, intelligent robotics and control are in the core interest of contemporary engineering. Essential characteristics of soft computing methods are the ability to handle vague information, to apply human-like reasoning, their learning capability, and ease of application. Soft computing techniques are widely applied in the control of dynamic systems, including mobile robots. The present volume is a collection of 20 chapters written by respectable experts of the fields, addressing various theoretical and practical aspects in soft computing, intelligent robotics and control. The first part of the book concerns with issues of intelligent robotics, including robust xed point transformation design, experimental verification of the input-output feedback linearization of differentially driven mobile robot and applying kinematic synthesis to micro electro-mechanical systems design. The second part of the book is devoted to fundamental aspects of soft computing. This includes practical aspects of fuzzy rule ...

Human-Robot Planetary Exploration Teams

Science.gov (United States)

Tyree, Kimberly

2004-01-01

The EVA Robotic Assistant (ERA) project at NASA Johnson Space Center studies human-robot interaction and robotic assistance for future human planetary exploration. Over the past four years, the ERA project has been performing field tests with one or more four-wheeled robotic platforms and one or more space-suited humans. These tests have provided experience in how robots can assist humans, how robots and humans can communicate in remote environments, and what combination of humans and robots works best for different scenarios. The most efficient way to understand what tasks human explorers will actually perform, and how robots can best assist them, is to have human explorers and scientists go and explore in an outdoor, planetary-relevant environment, with robots to demonstrate what they are capable of, and roboticists to observe the results. It can be difficult to have a human expert itemize all the needed tasks required for exploration while sitting in a lab: humans do not always remember all the details, and experts in one arena may not even recognize that the lower level tasks they take for granted may be essential for a roboticist to know about. Field tests thus create conditions that more accurately reveal missing components and invalid assumptions, as well as allow tests and comparisons of new approaches and demonstrations of working systems. We have performed field tests in our local rock yard, in several locations in the Arizona desert, and in the Utah desert. We have tested multiple exploration scenarios, such as geological traverses, cable or solar panel deployments, and science instrument deployments. The configuration of our robot can be changed, based on what equipment is needed for a given scenario, and the sensor mast can even be placed on one of two robot bases, each with different motion capabilities. The software architecture of our robot is also designed to be as modular as possible, to allow for hardware and configuration changes. Two focus

Admittance Control for Robot Assisted Retinal Vein Micro-Cannulation under Human-Robot Collaborative Mode.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, He; Gonenc, Berk; Iordachita, Iulian

2017-10-01

Retinal vein occlusion is one of the most common retinovascular diseases. Retinal vein cannulation is a potentially effective treatment method for this condition that currently lies, however, at the limits of human capabilities. In this work, the aim is to use robotic systems and advanced instrumentation to alleviate these challenges, and assist the procedure via a human-robot collaborative mode based on our earlier work on the Steady-Hand Eye Robot and force-sensing instruments. An admittance control method is employed to stabilize the cannula relative to the vein and maintain it inside the lumen during the injection process. A pre-stress strategy is used to prevent the tip of microneedle from getting out of vein in in prolonged infusions, and the performance is verified through simulations.

Developing and modeling of voice control system for prosthetic robot arm in medical systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Koksal Gundogdu

2018-04-01

Full Text Available In parallel with the development of technology, various control methods are also developed. Voice control system is one of these control methods. In this study, an effective modelling upon mathematical models used in the literature is performed, and a voice control system is developed in order to control prosthetic robot arms. The developed control system has been applied on four-jointed RRRR robot arm. Implementation tests were performed on the designed system. As a result of the tests; it has been observed that the technique utilized in our system achieves about 11% more efficient voice recognition than currently used techniques in the literature. With the improved mathematical modelling, it has been shown that voice commands could be effectively used for controlling the prosthetic robot arm. Keywords: Voice recognition model, Voice control, Prosthetic robot arm, Robotic control, Forward kinematic

A Novel Docking System for Modular Self-Reconfigurable Robots

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tan Zhang

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Existing self-reconfigurable robots achieve connections and disconnections by a separate drive of the docking system. In this paper, we present a new docking system with which the connections and disconnections are driven by locomotion actuators, without the need for a separate drive, which reduces the weight and the complexity of the modules. This self-reconfigurable robot consists of two types of fundamental modules, i.e., active and passive modules. By the docking system, two types of connections are formed with the fundamental modules, and the docking and undocking actions are achieved through simple control with less sensory feedback. This paper describes the design of the robotic modules, the docking system, the docking process, and the docking force analysis. An experiment is performed to demonstrate the self-reconfigurable robot with the docking system.

Design and Implementation of a Brain Computer Interface System for Controlling a Robotic Claw

Science.gov (United States)

Angelakis, D.; Zoumis, S.; Asvestas, P.

2017-11-01

The aim of this paper is to present the design and implementation of a brain-computer interface (BCI) system that can control a robotic claw. The system is based on the Emotiv Epoc headset, which provides the capability of simultaneous recording of 14 EEG channels, as well as wireless connectivity by means of the Bluetooth protocol. The system is initially trained to decode what user thinks to properly formatted data. The headset communicates with a personal computer, which runs a dedicated software application, implemented under the Processing integrated development environment. The application acquires the data from the headset and invokes suitable commands to an Arduino Uno board. The board decodes the received commands and produces corresponding signals to a servo motor that controls the position of the robotic claw. The system was tested successfully on a healthy, male subject, aged 28 years. The results are promising, taking into account that no specialized hardware was used. However, tests on a larger number of users is necessary in order to draw solid conclusions regarding the performance of the proposed system.

Robotic Materials Handling in Space: Mechanical Design of the Robot Operated Materials Processing System HitchHiker Experiment

Science.gov (United States)

Voellmer, George

1997-01-01

The Goddard Space Flight Center has developed the Robot Operated Materials Processing System (ROMPS) that flew aboard STS-64 in September, 1994. The ROMPS robot transported pallets containing wafers of different materials from their storage racks to a furnace for thermal processing. A system of tapered guides and compliant springs was designed to deal with the potential misalignments. The robot and all the sample pallets were locked down for launch and landing. The design of the passive lockdown system, and the interplay between it and the alignment system are presented.

Design of a Sapling Branch Grafting Robot

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Qun Sun

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The automatic sapling grafting methods and grafting robot technologies are not comprehensively studied despite the fact that they are urgently required in practice. For this reason, a sapling grafting robot is developed to implement automatic grafting for saplings. The developed grafting robot includes clipping mechanism, moving mechanism, cutting mechanism, binding mechanism, and Arduino MCU based control system, which is capable of clipping, moving, positioning, cutting, grafting, and binding saplings. Experiments show that the stock cutting efficiency is 98.4%, the scion cutting efficiency is 98.9%, the grafting efficiency is 87.3%, and the binding efficiency is 68.9%.

An Interactive Astronaut-Robot System with Gesture Control

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jinguo Liu

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Human-robot interaction (HRI plays an important role in future planetary exploration mission, where astronauts with extravehicular activities (EVA have to communicate with robot assistants by speech-type or gesture-type user interfaces embedded in their space suits. This paper presents an interactive astronaut-robot system integrating a data-glove with a space suit for the astronaut to use hand gestures to control a snake-like robot. Support vector machine (SVM is employed to recognize hand gestures and particle swarm optimization (PSO algorithm is used to optimize the parameters of SVM to further improve its recognition accuracy. Various hand gestures from American Sign Language (ASL have been selected and used to test and validate the performance of the proposed system.

Electroactive Polymer (EAP) Actuation of Mechanisms and Robotic Devices

Science.gov (United States)

Bar-Cohen, Y.; Leary, S.; Harrison, J.; Smith, J.

1999-01-01

Actuators are responsible to the operative capability of manipulation systems and robots. In recent years, electroactive polymers (EAP) have emerged as potential alternative to conventional actuators.

A Multimodal Emotion Detection System during Human-Robot Interaction

Science.gov (United States)

Alonso-Martín, Fernando; Malfaz, María; Sequeira, João; Gorostiza, Javier F.; Salichs, Miguel A.

2013-01-01

In this paper, a multimodal user-emotion detection system for social robots is presented. This system is intended to be used during human–robot interaction, and it is integrated as part of the overall interaction system of the robot: the Robotics Dialog System (RDS). Two modes are used to detect emotions: the voice and face expression analysis. In order to analyze the voice of the user, a new component has been developed: Gender and Emotion Voice Analysis (GEVA), which is written using the Chuck language. For emotion detection in facial expressions, the system, Gender and Emotion Facial Analysis (GEFA), has been also developed. This last system integrates two third-party solutions: Sophisticated High-speed Object Recognition Engine (SHORE) and Computer Expression Recognition Toolbox (CERT). Once these new components (GEVA and GEFA) give their results, a decision rule is applied in order to combine the information given by both of them. The result of this rule, the detected emotion, is integrated into the dialog system through communicative acts. Hence, each communicative act gives, among other things, the detected emotion of the user to the RDS so it can adapt its strategy in order to get a greater satisfaction degree during the human–robot dialog. Each of the new components, GEVA and GEFA, can also be used individually. Moreover, they are integrated with the robotic control platform ROS (Robot Operating System). Several experiments with real users were performed to determine the accuracy of each component and to set the final decision rule. The results obtained from applying this decision rule in these experiments show a high success rate in automatic user emotion recognition, improving the results given by the two information channels (audio and visual) separately. PMID:24240598

Controlling Underwater Robots with Electronic Nervous Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Joseph Ayers

2010-01-01

Full Text Available We are developing robot controllers based on biomimetic design principles. The goal is to realise the adaptive capabilities of the animal models in natural environments. We report feasibility studies of a hybrid architecture that instantiates a command and coordinating level with computed discrete-time map-based (DTM neuronal networks and the central pattern generators with analogue VLSI (Very Large Scale Integration electronic neuron (aVLSI networks. DTM networks are realised using neurons based on a 1-D or 2-D Map with two additional parameters that define silent, spiking and bursting regimes. Electronic neurons (ENs based on Hindmarsh–Rose (HR dynamics can be instantiated in analogue VLSI and exhibit similar behaviour to those based on discrete components. We have constructed locomotor central pattern generators (CPGs with aVLSI networks that can be modulated to select different behaviours on the basis of selective command input. The two technologies can be fused by interfacing the signals from the DTM circuits directly to the aVLSI CPGs. Using DTMs, we have been able to simulate complex sensory fusion for rheotaxic behaviour based on both hydrodynamic and optical flow senses. We will illustrate aspects of controllers for ambulatory biomimetic robots. These studies indicate that it is feasible to fabricate an electronic nervous system controller integrating both aVLSI CPGs and layered DTM exteroceptive reflexes.

IMPERA: Integrated Mission Planning for Multi-Robot Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniel Saur

2015-10-01

Full Text Available This paper presents the results of the project IMPERA (Integrated Mission Planning for Distributed Robot Systems. The goal of IMPERA was to realize an extraterrestrial exploration scenario using a heterogeneous multi-robot system. The main challenge was the development of a multi-robot planning and plan execution architecture. The robot team consists of three heterogeneous robots, which have to explore an unknown environment and collect lunar drill samples. The team activities are described using the language ALICA (A Language for Interactive Agents. Furthermore, we use the mission planning system pRoPhEt MAS (Reactive Planning Engine for Multi-Agent Systems to provide an intuitive interface to generate team activities. Therefore, we define the basic skills of our team with ALICA and define the desired goal states by using a logic description. Based on the skills, pRoPhEt MAS creates a valid ALICA plan, which will be executed by the team. The paper describes the basic components for communication, coordinated exploration, perception and object transportation. Finally, we evaluate the planning engine pRoPhEt MAS in the IMPERA scenario. In addition, we present further evaluation of pRoPhEt MAS in more dynamic environments.

Teaching Human Poses Interactively to a Social Robot

Science.gov (United States)

Gonzalez-Pacheco, Victor; Malfaz, Maria; Fernandez, Fernando; Salichs, Miguel A.

2013-01-01

The main activity of social robots is to interact with people. In order to do that, the robot must be able to understand what the user is saying or doing. Typically, this capability consists of pre-programmed behaviors or is acquired through controlled learning processes, which are executed before the social interaction begins. This paper presents a software architecture that enables a robot to learn poses in a similar way as people do. That is, hearing its teacher's explanations and acquiring new knowledge in real time. The architecture leans on two main components: an RGB-D (Red-, Green-, Blue- Depth) -based visual system, which gathers the user examples, and an Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) system, which processes the speech describing those examples. The robot is able to naturally learn the poses the teacher is showing to it by maintaining a natural interaction with the teacher. We evaluate our system with 24 users who teach the robot a predetermined set of poses. The experimental results show that, with a few training examples, the system reaches high accuracy and robustness. This method shows how to combine data from the visual and auditory systems for the acquisition of new knowledge in a natural manner. Such a natural way of training enables robots to learn from users, even if they are not experts in robotics. PMID:24048336

Teaching Human Poses Interactively to a Social Robot

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Miguel A. Salichs

2013-09-01

Full Text Available The main activity of social robots is to interact with people. In order to do that, the robot must be able to understand what the user is saying or doing. Typically, this capability consists of pre-programmed behaviors or is acquired through controlled learning processes, which are executed before the social interaction begins. This paper presents a software architecture that enables a robot to learn poses in a similar way as people do. That is, hearing its teacher’s explanations and acquiring new knowledge in real time. The architecture leans on two main components: an RGB-D (Red-, Green-, Blue- Depth -based visual system, which gathers the user examples, and an Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR system, which processes the speech describing those examples. The robot is able to naturally learn the poses the teacher is showing to it by maintaining a natural interaction with the teacher. We evaluate our system with 24 users who teach the robot a predetermined set of poses. The experimental results show that, with a few training examples, the system reaches high accuracy and robustness. This method shows how to combine data from the visual and auditory systems for the acquisition of new knowledge in a natural manner. Such a natural way of training enables robots to learn from users, even if they are not experts in robotics.

Development and verification of ground-based tele-robotics operations concept for Dextre

Science.gov (United States)

Aziz, Sarmad

2013-05-01

The Special Purpose Dextreous Manipulator (Dextre) is the latest addition to the on-orbit segment of the Mobile Servicing System (MSS); Canada's contribution to the International Space Station (ISS). Launched in March 2008, the advanced two-armed robot is designed to perform various ISS maintenance tasks on robotically compatible elements and on-orbit replaceable units using a wide variety of tools and interfaces. The addition of Dextre has increased the capabilities of the MSS, and has introduced significant complexity to ISS robotics operations. While the initial operations concept for Dextre was based on human-in-the-loop control by the on-orbit astronauts, the complexities of robotic maintenance and the associated costs of training and maintaining the operator skills required for Dextre operations demanded a reexamination of the old concepts. A new approach to ISS robotic maintenance was developed in order to utilize the capabilities of Dextre safely and efficiently, while at the same time reducing the costs of on-orbit operations. This paper will describe the development, validation, and on-orbit demonstration of the operations concept for ground-based tele-robotics control of Dextre. It will describe the evolution of the new concepts from the experience gained from the development and implementation of the ground control capability for the Space Station Remote Manipulator System; Canadarm 2. It will discuss the various technical challenges faced during the development effort, such as requirements for high positioning accuracy, force/moment sensing and accommodation, failure tolerance, complex tool operations, and the novel operational tools and techniques developed to overcome them. The paper will also describe the work performed to validate the new concepts on orbit and will discuss the results and lessons learned from the on-orbit checkout and commissioning of Dextre using the newly developed tele-robotics techniques and capabilities.

Evaluation of modular robot system for maintenance tasks in hot cell

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pagala, Prithvi Sekhar, E-mail: ps.pagala@upm.es [Centre for Automation and Robotics UPM-CSIC (Spain); Ferre, Manuel, E-mail: m.ferre@upm.es [Centre for Automation and Robotics UPM-CSIC (Spain); Orona, Luis, E-mail: l.orona@gsi.de [GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung (Germany)

2014-10-15

Highlights: •Modular robot deployment inside hot cell for remote manipulation evaluated. •Flexible and adaptable system for variety of tasks presented. •Uses in large workspaces and evolving requirements shown. -- Abstract: This work assesses the use of a modular robot system to perform maintenance and inspection tasks such as, remote flexible inspection, manipulation and cooperation with deployed systems inside the hot cell. A flexible modular solution for the inclusion in maintenance operations is presented. The proposed heterogeneous modular robotic system is evaluated using simulations of the prototype across selected robot configuration to perform tasks. Results obtained show the advantages and ability of the modular robot to perform the necessary tasks as well as its ability to adapt and evolve depending on the need. The simulation test case inside hot cell shows modular robot configuration, a two modular arm to perform tele-operation tasks in the workspace and a wheeled platform for inspection collaborating to perform tasks. The advantage of using re-configurable modular robot over conventional robot platforms is shown.

Advanced mechanics in robotic systems

CERN Document Server

Nava Rodríguez, Nestor Eduardo

2011-01-01

Illustrates original and ambitious mechanical designs and techniques for the development of new robot prototypes Includes numerous figures, tables and flow charts Discusses relevant applications in robotics fields such as humanoid robots, robotic hands, mobile robots, parallel manipulators and human-centred robots

Task path planning, scheduling and learning for free-ranging robot systems

Science.gov (United States)

Wakefield, G. Steve

1987-01-01

The development of robotics applications for space operations is often restricted by the limited movement available to guided robots. Free ranging robots can offer greater flexibility than physically guided robots in these applications. Presented here is an object oriented approach to path planning and task scheduling for free-ranging robots that allows the dynamic determination of paths based on the current environment. The system also provides task learning for repetitive jobs. This approach provides a basis for the design of free-ranging robot systems which are adaptable to various environments and tasks.

A multimodal interface for real-time soldier-robot teaming

Science.gov (United States)

Barber, Daniel J.; Howard, Thomas M.; Walter, Matthew R.

2016-05-01

Recent research and advances in robotics have led to the development of novel platforms leveraging new sensing capabilities for semantic navigation. As these systems becoming increasingly more robust, they support highly complex commands beyond direct teleoperation and waypoint finding facilitating a transition away from robots as tools to robots as teammates. Supporting future Soldier-Robot teaming requires communication capabilities on par with human-human teams for successful integration of robots. Therefore, as robots increase in functionality, it is equally important that the interface between the Soldier and robot advances as well. Multimodal communication (MMC) enables human-robot teaming through redundancy and levels of communications more robust than single mode interaction. Commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) technologies released in recent years for smart-phones and gaming provide tools for the creation of portable interfaces incorporating MMC through the use of speech, gestures, and visual displays. However, for multimodal interfaces to be successfully used in the military domain, they must be able to classify speech, gestures, and process natural language in real-time with high accuracy. For the present study, a prototype multimodal interface supporting real-time interactions with an autonomous robot was developed. This device integrated COTS Automated Speech Recognition (ASR), a custom gesture recognition glove, and natural language understanding on a tablet. This paper presents performance results (e.g. response times, accuracy) of the integrated device when commanding an autonomous robot to perform reconnaissance and surveillance activities in an unknown outdoor environment.

Coordinated robotic system for civil structural health monitoring

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Qidwai Uvais

2017-01-01

Full Text Available With the recent advances in sensors, robotics, unmanned aerial vehicles, communication, and information technologies, it is now feasible to move towards the vision of ubiquitous cities, where virtually everything throughout the city is linked to an information system through technologies such as wireless networking and radio-frequency identification (RFID tags, to provide systematic and more efficient management of urban systems, including civil and mechanical infrastructure monitoring, to achieve the goal of resilient and sustainable societies. In this proposed system, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAVs is used to ascertain the coarse defect signature using panoramic imaging. This involves image stitching and registration so that a complete view of the surface is seen with reference to a common reference or origin point. Thereafter, crack verification and localization has been done using the magnetic flux leakage (MFL approach which has been performed with the help of a coordinated robotic system. In which the first robot is placed at the top of the structure whereas the second robot is equipped with the designed MFL sensory system. With the initial findings, the proposed system identifies and localize the crack in the given structure.

ARV robotic technologies (ART): a risk reduction effort for future unmanned systems

Science.gov (United States)

Jaster, Jeffrey F.

2006-05-01

The Army's ARV (Armed Robotic Vehicle) Robotic Technologies (ART) program is working on the development of various technological thrusts for use in the robotic forces of the future. The ART program will develop, integrate and demonstrate the technology required to advance the maneuver technologies (i.e., perception, mobility, tactical behaviors) and increase the survivability of unmanned platforms for the future force while focusing on reducing the soldiers' burden by providing an increase in vehicle autonomy coinciding with a decrease in the total number user interventions required to control the unmanned assets. This program will advance the state of the art in perception technologies to provide the unmanned platform an increasingly accurate view of the terrain that surrounds it; while developing tactical/mission behavior technologies to provide the Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) the capability to maneuver tactically, in conjunction with the manned systems in an autonomous mode. The ART testbed will be integrated with the advanced technology software and associated hardware developed under this effort, and incorporate appropriate mission modules (e.g. RSTA sensors, MILES, etc.) to support Warfighter experiments and evaluations (virtual and field) in a military significant environment (open/rolling and complex/urban terrain). The outcome of these experiments as well as other lessons learned through out the program life cycle will be used to reduce the current risks that are identified for the future UGV systems that will be developed under the Future Combat Systems (FCS) program, including the early integration of an FCS-like autonomous navigation system onto a tracked skid steer platform.

Regenerative patterning in Swarm Robots: mutual benefits of research in robotics and stem cell biology

Science.gov (United States)

RUBENSTEIN, MICHAEL; SAI, YING; CHUONG, CHENG-MING; SHEN, WEI-MIN

2010-01-01

This paper presents a novel perspective of Robotic Stem Cells (RSCs), defined as the basic non-biological elements with stem cell like properties that can self-reorganize to repair damage to their swarming organization. “Self” here means that the elements can autonomously decide and execute their actions without requiring any preset triggers, commands, or help from external sources. We develop this concept for two purposes. One is to develop a new theory for self-organization and self-assembly of multi-robots systems that can detect and recover from unforeseen errors or attacks. This self-healing and self-regeneration is used to minimize the compromise of overall function for the robot team. The other is to decipher the basic algorithms of regenerative behaviors in multi-cellular animal models, so that we can understand the fundamental principles used in the regeneration of biological systems. RSCs are envisioned to be basic building elements for future systems that are capable of self-organization, self-assembly, self-healing and self-regeneration. We first discuss the essential features of biological stem cells for such a purpose, and then propose the functional requirements of robotic stem cells with properties equivalent to gene controller, program selector and executor. We show that RSCs are a novel robotic model for scalable self-organization and self-healing in computer simulations and physical implementation. As our understanding of stem cells advances, we expect that future robots will be more versatile, resilient and complex, and such new robotic systems may also demand and inspire new knowledge from stem cell biology and related fields, such as artificial intelligence and tissue engineering. PMID:19557691

Regenerative patterning in Swarm Robots: mutual benefits of research in robotics and stem cell biology.

Science.gov (United States)

Rubenstein, Michael; Sai, Ying; Chuong, Cheng-Ming; Shen, Wei-Min

2009-01-01

This paper presents a novel perspective of Robotic Stem Cells (RSCs), defined as the basic non-biological elements with stem cell like properties that can self-reorganize to repair damage to their swarming organization. Self here means that the elements can autonomously decide and execute their actions without requiring any preset triggers, commands, or help from external sources. We develop this concept for two purposes. One is to develop a new theory for self-organization and self-assembly of multi-robots systems that can detect and recover from unforeseen errors or attacks. This self-healing and self-regeneration is used to minimize the compromise of overall function for the robot team. The other is to decipher the basic algorithms of regenerative behaviors in multi-cellular animal models, so that we can understand the fundamental principles used in the regeneration of biological systems. RSCs are envisioned to be basic building elements for future systems that are capable of self-organization, self-assembly, self-healing and self-regeneration. We first discuss the essential features of biological stem cells for such a purpose, and then propose the functional requirements of robotic stem cells with properties equivalent to gene controller, program selector and executor. We show that RSCs are a novel robotic model for scalable self-organization and self-healing in computer simulations and physical implementation. As our understanding of stem cells advances, we expect that future robots will be more versatile, resilient and complex, and such new robotic systems may also demand and inspire new knowledge from stem cell biology and related fields, such as artificial intelligence and tissue engineering.

Organizational System for the LEGO WeDo 2.0 Robotics System

Science.gov (United States)

Dolecheck, Suzann Hagan; Ewers, Timothy

2017-01-01

In this article, we explain an organizational system for the new LEGO Education WeDo 2.0 Core Set used in 4-H robotics; in school enrichment, afterschool, and other youth robotics programs; and by hobbyists. The system presented is for organizing WeDo parts into a translucent parts tray that includes part names and numbers. The article provides…

Intelligent Robot-assisted Humanitarian Search and Rescue System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Henry Y. K. Lau

2009-11-01

Full Text Available The unprecedented scale and number of natural and man-made disasters in the past decade has urged international emergency search and rescue communities to seek for novel technology to enhance operation efficiency. Tele-operated search and rescue robots that can navigate deep into rubble to search for victims and to transfer critical field data back to the control console has gained much interest among emergency response institutions. In response to this need, a low-cost autonomous mini robot equipped with thermal sensor, accelerometer, sonar, pin-hole camera, microphone, ultra-bright LED and wireless communication module is developed to study the control of a group of decentralized mini search and rescue robots. The robot can navigate autonomously between voids to look for living body heat and can send back audio and video information to allow the operator to determine if the found object is a living human. This paper introduces the design and control of a low-cost robotic search and rescue system based on an immuno control framework developed for controlling decentralized systems. Design and development of the physical prototype and the immunity-based control system are described in this paper.

Intelligent Robot-Assisted Humanitarian Search and Rescue System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Albert W. Y. Ko

2009-06-01

Full Text Available The unprecedented scale and number of natural and man-made disasters in the past decade has urged international emergency search and rescue communities to seek for novel technology to enhance operation efficiency. Tele-operated search and rescue robots that can navigate deep into rubble to search for victims and to transfer critical field data back to the control console has gained much interest among emergency response institutions. In response to this need, a low-cost autonomous mini robot equipped with thermal sensor, accelerometer, sonar, pin-hole camera, microphone, ultra-bright LED and wireless communication module is developed to study the control of a group of decentralized mini search and rescue robots. The robot can navigate autonomously between voids to look for living body heat and can send back audio and video information to allow the operator to determine if the found object is a living human. This paper introduces the design and control of a low-cost robotic search and rescue system based on an immuno control framework developed for controlling decentralized systems. Design and development of the physical prototype and the immunity-based control system are described in this paper.

Model-based systems engineering to design collaborative robotics applications

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hernandez Corbato, Carlos; Fernandez-Sanchez, Jose Luis; Rassa, Bob; Carbone, Paolo

2017-01-01

Novel robot technologies are becoming available to automate more complex tasks, more flexibly, and collaborating with humans. Methods and tools are needed in the automation and robotics industry to develop and integrate this new breed of robotic systems. In this paper, the ISE&PPOOA

Audio-Visual Perception System for a Humanoid Robotic Head

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Raquel Viciana-Abad

2014-05-01

Full Text Available One of the main issues within the field of social robotics is to endow robots with the ability to direct attention to people with whom they are interacting. Different approaches follow bio-inspired mechanisms, merging audio and visual cues to localize a person using multiple sensors. However, most of these fusion mechanisms have been used in fixed systems, such as those used in video-conference rooms, and thus, they may incur difficulties when constrained to the sensors with which a robot can be equipped. Besides, within the scope of interactive autonomous robots, there is a lack in terms of evaluating the benefits of audio-visual attention mechanisms, compared to only audio or visual approaches, in real scenarios. Most of the tests conducted have been within controlled environments, at short distances and/or with off-line performance measurements. With the goal of demonstrating the benefit of fusing sensory information with a Bayes inference for interactive robotics, this paper presents a system for localizing a person by processing visual and audio data. Moreover, the performance of this system is evaluated and compared via considering the technical limitations of unimodal systems. The experiments show the promise of the proposed approach for the proactive detection and tracking of speakers in a human-robot interactive framework.

Robots, systems, and methods for hazard evaluation and visualization

Science.gov (United States)

Nielsen, Curtis W.; Bruemmer, David J.; Walton, Miles C.; Hartley, Robert S.; Gertman, David I.; Kinoshita, Robert A.; Whetten, Jonathan

2013-01-15

A robot includes a hazard sensor, a locomotor, and a system controller. The robot senses a hazard intensity at a location of the robot, moves to a new location in response to the hazard intensity, and autonomously repeats the sensing and moving to determine multiple hazard levels at multiple locations. The robot may also include a communicator to communicate the multiple hazard levels to a remote controller. The remote controller includes a communicator for sending user commands to the robot and receiving the hazard levels from the robot. A graphical user interface displays an environment map of the environment proximate the robot and a scale for indicating a hazard intensity. A hazard indicator corresponds to a robot position in the environment map and graphically indicates the hazard intensity at the robot position relative to the scale.

Method and System for Controlling a Dexterous Robot Execution Sequence Using State Classification

Science.gov (United States)

Sanders, Adam M. (Inventor); Platt, Robert J., Jr. (Inventor); Quillin, Nathaniel (Inventor); Permenter, Frank Noble (Inventor); Pfeiffer, Joseph (Inventor)

2014-01-01

A robotic system includes a dexterous robot and a controller. The robot includes a plurality of robotic joints, actuators for moving the joints, and sensors for measuring a characteristic of the joints, and for transmitting the characteristics as sensor signals. The controller receives the sensor signals, and is configured for executing instructions from memory, classifying the sensor signals into distinct classes via the state classification module, monitoring a system state of the robot using the classes, and controlling the robot in the execution of alternative work tasks based on the system state. A method for controlling the robot in the above system includes receiving the signals via the controller, classifying the signals using the state classification module, monitoring the present system state of the robot using the classes, and controlling the robot in the execution of alternative work tasks based on the present system state.

Nested Reconfigurable Robots: Theory, Design, and Realization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ning Tan

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Rather than the conventional classification method, we propose to divide modular and reconfigurable robots into intra-, inter-, and nested reconfigurations. We suggest designing the robot with nested reconfigurability, which utilizes individual robots with intra-reconfigurability capable of combining with other homogeneous/heterogeneous robots (inter-reconfigurability. The objective of this approach is to generate more complex morphologies for performing specific tasks that are far from the capabilities of a single module or to respond to programmable assembly requirements. In this paper, we discuss the theory, concept, and initial mechanical design of Hinged-Tetro, a self-reconfigurable module conceived for the study of nested reconfiguration. Hinged-Tetro is a mobile robot that uses the principle of hinged dissection of polyominoes to transform itself into any of the seven one-sided tetrominoes in a straightforward way. The robot can also combine with other modules for shaping complex structures or giving rise to a robot with new capabilities. Finally, the validation experiments verify the nested reconfigurability of Hinged-Tetro. Extensive tests and analyses of intra-reconfiguration are provided in terms of energy and time consumptions. Experiments using two robots validate the inter-reconfigur ability of the proposed module.

Safety assessment of a robotic system handling nuclear material

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Atcitty, C.B.; Robinson, D.G.

1996-01-01

This paper outlines the use of a Failure Modes and Effects Analysis for the safety assessment of a robotic system being developed at Sandia National Laboratories. The robotic system, The Weigh and Leak Check System, is to replace a manual process at the Department of Energy facility at Pantex by which nuclear material is inspected for weight and leakage. Failure Modes and Effects Analyses were completed for the robotics process to ensure that safety goals for the system had been meet. These analyses showed that the risks to people and the internal and external environment were acceptable

A Fast Vision System for Soccer Robot

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tianwu Yang

2012-01-01

Full Text Available This paper proposes a fast colour-based object recognition and localization for soccer robots. The traditional HSL colour model is modified for better colour segmentation and edge detection in a colour coded environment. The object recognition is based on only the edge pixels to speed up the computation. The edge pixels are detected by intelligently scanning a small part of whole image pixels which is distributed over the image. A fast method for line and circle centre detection is also discussed. For object localization, 26 key points are defined on the soccer field. While two or more key points can be seen from the robot camera view, the three rotation angles are adjusted to achieve a precise localization of robots and other objects. If no key point is detected, the robot position is estimated according to the history of robot movement and the feedback from the motors and sensors. The experiments on NAO and RoboErectus teen-size humanoid robots show that the proposed vision system is robust and accurate under different lighting conditions and can effectively and precisely locate robots and other objects.

The Development of a Radiation Hardened Robot for Nuclear Facilities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jung, Seung Ho; Kim, Chang Hoi; Seo, Yong Chil (and others)

2007-04-15

We has been developed two remotely controlled robotic systems. One is a underwater vehicle for inspection of the internal structures of PWRs and retrieving foreign stubs in the reactor pressure vessels and reactor coolant pipes. The other robotic system consists of a articulated-type mobile robot capable of recovering the failure of the fuel exchange machine and a mini modular mobile robot for inspection of feeder pipes with ultrasonic array sensors in PHWRs. The underwater robot has been designed by considering radiation effect, underwater condition, and accessibility to the working area. The size of underwater robot is designed to enter the cold legs. A extendable manipulator is mounted on the mobile robot, which can restore nuclear fuel exchange machine. The mini modular mobile robot is composed of dual inch worm mechanisms, which are constructed by two gripper bodies that can fix the robot body on to the pipe and move along the longitudinal and to rotate in a circumferential direction to access all of the outer surfaces of the pipe.

Artificial intelligence and information-control systems of robots - 87

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Plander, I.

1987-01-01

Independent research areas of artificial intelligence represent the following problems: automatic problem solving and new knowledge discovering, automatic program synthesis, natural language, picture and scene recognition and understanding, intelligent control systems of robots equipped with sensoric subsystems, dialogue of two knowledge systems, as well as studying and modelling higher artificial intelligence attributes, such as emotionality and personality. The 4th Conference draws on the problems treated at the preceding Conferences, and presents the most recent knowledge on the following topics: theoretical problems of artificial intelligence, knowledge-based systems, expert systems, perception and pattern recognition, robotics, intelligent computer-aided design, special-purpose computer systems for artificial intelligence and robotics

Interventional robotic systems: Applications and technology state-of-the-art