Evolutionary control of bipedal locomotion in a high degree-of-freedom humanoid robot: first steps

This article describes a methodology, together with an associated series of experiments employing this methodology, for the evolution of walking behavior in a simulated humanoid robot with up to 20 degrees of freedom. The robots evolved in this study learn to walk smoothly in an upright or near-upright position and demonstrate a variety of different locomotive behaviors, including “skating,” “limping,” and walking in a manner curiously reminiscent of a mildly or heavily intoxicated person. A previous study demonstrated the possible potential utility of this approach while evolving controllers based on simulated humanoid robots with a restricted range of movements. Although walking behaviors were developed, these were slow and relied on the robot walking in an excessively stooped position, similar to the gait of an infirm elderly person. This article extends the previous work to a robot with many degrees of freedom, up to 20 in total (arms, elbows, legs, hips, knees, etc.), and demonstrates the automatic evolution of fully upright bipedal locomotion in a humanoid robot using an accurate physics simulator. This work was presented in part at the 11th International Symposium on Artificial Life and Robotics, Oita, Japan, January 23–25, 2006     

Further explorations in evolutionary humanoid robotics

The field of evolutionary humanoid robotics is a branch of evolutionary robotics specifically dealing with the application of evolutionary principles to humanoid robot design. Previous studies demonstrated the possible future potential of this approach by evolving walking behaviors for simulated humanoid robots with up to 20 degrees of freedom. In this paper we examine further the evolutionary process by looking at the changes in diversity over time. We then investigate the effect of the immobilization of an individual joint or joints in the robot. The latter study may be of potential future use in prosthetic design. We also explore the possibility of the evolution of humanoid robots which can cope with different environmental conditions. These include reduced ground friction (ice) and modified gravitation (moon walking). We present initial results on the implementation of our simulated humanoid robots in hardware using the Bioloid robotic platform, using a model of this robot in order to evolve the desired motion patterns, for subsequent transfer to the real robot. We finish the article with a summary and brief discussion of future work. This work was presented in part at the 12th International Symposium on Artificial Life and Robotics, Oita, Japan, January 25–27, 2007     

Timing control of the mobile robot using tau-margin

Recently, autonomous robots which are designed on the basis of biological mechanism have attracted much attention. In this paper, we focus on the mechanism of timing control studied by ecological psychology, and apply the framework to timing control of a mobile robot. Experiments using real robots have been conducted and effective behaviors have been realized. This work was presented in part at the 13th International Symposium on Artificial Life and Robotics, Oita, Japan, January 31–February 2, 2008     

Present state and future of Intelligent Space—Discussion on the implementation of RT in our environment—

In the latest advances in network sensor technology and state-of-the-art mobile robots, artificial intelligence research can be employed to develop autonomous and distributed monitoring systems. “Intelligent Space” is a platform on which we can easily implement advanced technologies to realize smart services for humans. We have developed and reported a vision system based on color information, a hand-over scheme networking multicameras, a human-following mobile robot system, a path generator based on human-watching, etc. Here, I will summarize the present state of intelligent space, and try to describe the future from the viewpoint of system integration. We are now introducing RT (robot technology) to develop intelligent-space as an actual standard platform which could be approved by the robotics community. I will discuss how to use RT in our intelligent space, and show our new results. This work was presented in part at the 11th International Symposium on Artificial Life and Robotics, Oita, Japan, January 23–25, 2006     

Obstacle avoidance algorithm for visual navigation using ultrasonic sensors and a CCD camera

An obstacle-avoidance algorithm is presented for autonomous mobile robots equipped with a CCD camera and ultrasonic sensors. This approach uses segmentation techniques to segregate the floor from other fixtures, and measurement techniques to measure the distance between the mobile robot and any obstacles. It uses a simple computation for the selection of a threshold value. This approach also uses a cost function, which is combined with image information, distance information, and a weight factor, to find an obstacle-free path. This algorithm, which uses a CCD camera and ultrasonic sensors, can be used for cases including shadow regions, and obstacles in visual navigation and in various lighting conditions. This work was presented in part at the 7th International Symposium on Artificial Life and Robotics, Oita, Japan, January 16–18, 2002     

Development of distance recognition using an ocellus camera for an autonomous personal robot

We are attempting to develop an autonomous personal robot that has the ability to perform practical tasks in a human living environment by using information derived from sensors. When a robot operates in a human environment, the issue of safety must be considered in regard to its autonomous movement. Thus, robots absolutely require systems that can recognize the external world and perform correct driving control. We have thus developed a navigation system for an autonomous robot. The system requires only image data captured by an ocellus CCD camera. In this system, we allow the robot to search for obstacles present on the floor. Then, the robot obtains distance recognition necessary for evasion of the object, including data of the obstacle’s width, height, and depth by calculating the angles of images taken by the CCD camera. We applied the system to a robot in an indoor environment and evaluated its performance, and we consider the resulting problems in the discussion of our experimental results. This work was presented in part at the 13th International Symposium on Artificial Life and Robotics, Oita, Japan, January 31–February 2, 2008     

Artificial life and embodied robotics: current issues and future challenges

In this article we explore some of the issues currently facing researchers in the interface between the twin fields of Artificial Life and Robotics, and the challenges and potential synergy of these two areas in the creation of future robotic life forms. There are three strands of research which we feel will be of key importance in the possible development of future embodied artificial life forms. These are the areas of evolutionary robotics and evolutionary humanoid robotics in particular, probabilistic robotics for deliberation, and robot benchmarking with associated metrics and standards. We briefly explore each of these areas in turn, focusing on our current research in each field and what we see as the potential issues and challenges for the future. This work was presented in part at the 13th International Symposium on Artificial Life and Robotics, Oita, Japan, January 31–February 2, 2008     

Learning control of autonomous robots using an instance-based classifier generator in continuous state space

A classifier system for the reinforcement learning control of autonomous mobile robots is proposed. The classifier system contains action selection, rules reproduction, and credit assignment mechanisms. An important feature of the classifier system is that it operates with continuous sensor and action spaces. The system is applied to the control of mobile robots. The local controllers use independent classifiers specified at the wheel-level. The controllers work autonomously, and with respect to each other represent dynamic systems connected through the external environment. The feasibility of the proposed system is tested in an experiment with a Khepera robot. It is shown that some patterns of global behavior can emerge from locally organized classifiers. This work was presented, in part, at the Third International Symposium on Artificial Life and Robotics, Oita, Japan, January 19–21, 1998     

Adaptive control of a looper-like robot based on the CPG-actor-critic method

Adaptability to the environment is crucial for mobile robots, because the circumstances, including the body of the robot, may change. A robot with a large number of degrees of freedom possesses the potential to adapt to such circumstances, but it is difficult to design a good controller for such a robot. We previously proposed a reinforcement learning (RL) method called the CPG actor-critic method, and applied it to the automatic acquisition of vermicular locomotion of a looper-like robot through computer simulations. In this study, we developed a looper-like robot and applied our RL method to the control of this robot. Experimental results demonstrate fast acquisition of a vermicular forward motion, supporting the real applicability of our method. This work was presented in part at the 12th International Symposium on Artificial Life and Robotics, Oita, Japan, January 25–27, 2007     

Robovie: Communication technologies for a social robot

ATR Media Information Science Laboratories has developed a humanoid-type robot that can work in our daily life and fit naturally into human society. This robot will be a platform for developing various types of service robots, such as cleaning robots, security patrol robots, and entertainment robots, based on a rich communication ability. This work was presented, in part, at the Sixth International Symposium on Artificial Life and Robotics, Tokyo, Japan, January 15–17, 2001     

Spontaneous behavior for cooperation through interaction: An emotionally intelligent robot system

This paper deals withspontaneous behavior for cooperation through interaction in a distributed autonomous robot system. Though a human gives the robots evaluation functions for the relation of cooperation among robots, each robot decides its behavior depending on its environment, its experience, and the behavior of other robots. The robot acquires a model of the behavior of the other robots through learning. Inspired by biological systems, the robot's behaviors are interpreted as emotional by an observer of the system. In psychology, the emotions have been considered to play important roles for generation of motivation and behavior selection. In this paper, the robot's behaviors are interpreted as follows: each robot feels frustration when its behavior decision does not fit its environment. Then, it changes its behavior to change its situation actively and spontaneously. The results show potential of intelligent behavior by emotions. This work was presented, in part, at the International Symposium on Artificial Life and Robotics, Oita, Japan, February 18–20, 1996     

Realization of flock behavior by using Tau-margin

Recently autonomous robot that is designed based on biological mechanism has attracted much attention. In this paper we focus on mechanism of timing control which is studied in ecological psychology, and we apply it for controlling of multi mobile robot. Simulations have been conducted and various flock behaviors have been realized. In addition, we have confirmed that by using two leader robots, separation of flock is also possible. We can conclude that it is possible to realize flock behaviors by using the timing control without information of distance. This work was presented in part at the 13th International Symposium on Artificial Life and Robotics, Oita, Japan, January 31–February 2, 2008     

A study of an autonomous mobile robot for a sewer inspection system

This article describes a prototype autonomous mobile robot, KANTARO, designed for inspecting sewer pipes. It is able to move autonomously in 200–300-mm-diameter sewer pipes, to turn smoothly through 90° at a junction, and to go down a 5-cm step. KANTARO carries all the resources required, such as a control unit, a camera, a 2D laser, and an IR sensor. Damage or abnormalities in sewer pipes are detected based on recorded sensory data. KANTARO has demonstrated its effectiveness in inspection and in autonomous navigation in a dry sewer test field at the FAIS–Robotics Development Support Office (FAIS–RDSO). This work was presented in part at the 11th International Symposium on Artificial Life and Robotics, Oita, Japan, January 23–25, 2006     

Robot populations and their controlled evolution

This paper reports recent results in controllability theory for a class of positive linear discrete-time systems which were employed to examine and analyse the reachability and controllability properties of cohort-type population models representing the dynamics of autonomous intelligent robot communities. This work was presented in part at the Fourth International Symposium on Artificial Life and Robotics, Oita, Japan, January 19–22, 1999     

RUNA: a multimodal command language for home robot users

This article describes a multimodal command language for home robot users, and a robot system which interprets users’ messages in the language through microphones, visual and tactile sensors, and control buttons. The command language comprises a set of grammar rules, a lexicon, and nonverbal events detected in hand gestures, readings of tactile sensors attached to the robots, and buttons on the controllers in the users’ hands. Prototype humanoid systems which immediately execute commands in the language are also presented, along with preliminary experiments of faceto-face interactions and teleoperations. Subjects unfamiliar with the language were able to command humanoids and complete their tasks with brief documents at hand, given a short demonstration beforehand. The command understanding system operating on PCs responded to multimodal commands without significant delay. This work was presented in part at the 13th International Symposium on Artificial Life and Robotics, Oita, Japan, January 31–February 2, 2008     

Khepera robots applied to highway autonomous mobiles

This article presents simulation models of autonomous Khepera robots which are assumed to be running on a highway. Each robot acts by following the fish-school algorithm. Although a school of fish does not need a special individual to lead it, an autonomous movement emerges from interactions among neighboring bodies. Our goal is multirobots which behave safely, with no accidents, solely through interactions with their surroundings. When Khepera robots run freely while sensing neighboring robots or the guard rails along the road by means of an infrared ray, the efficiency of their running, such as the distance covered and the number of accidents, is obtained with an evaluation function. Genetic algorithms (GA) with this evaluation function are applied to both the optimization of the discernible region, and the development of driving-type. As a result of optimization of the behavior models of a robot, multirobots could run smoothly while avoiding collisions with other robots or with guard rails, and yet run as fast as possible. The present study of autonomous multirobots approaches the realization of the autonomous control of vehicles running on a highway. This work was presented in part at the 7th International Symposium on Artificial Life and Robotics, Oita, Japan, January 16–18, 2002     

An indoor localization system in a multiblock workspace

As service robots and other ubiquitous technology have evolved, an increasing need for the autonomous navigation of mobile objects has arisen. In a large number of localization schemes, the absolute-position estimation method, which relies on navigation beacons or landmarks, has been widely used as it has the advantages of being economical and accurate. However, only a few of these schemes have expanded their application to complicated workspaces, or those that have many rooms or blocks. As the navigation of mobile objects in complicated workspaces is vital for ubiquitous technology, multiblock navigation is necessary. This article presents methodologies and techniques for the multiblock navigation of the indoor localization system with active beacon sensors. This new indoor localization system design includes ultrasonic attenuation compensation, dilution-of-precision analysis, and a fault detection and isolation algorithm using redundant measurements. This work was presented in part at the 13th International Symposium on Artificial Life and Robotics, Oita, Japan, January 31–February 2, 2008     

Toward a benchmarking framework for research into bio-inspired hardware-software artefacts

In this paper, we suggest that one of the more crucial tasks currently facing researchers into the field of autonomous mobile robotics is the provision of a common task, or set of tasks, as a means of evaluating different approaches to robot design and architecture, and the generation of a common set of experimental frameworks to facilitate these different approaches. This paper stars with a brief introduction to the field, and behavior-based control in particular. We then discuss the issue of animal versus robot behavior, and focus on simulated experimentation versus embodied robotics. Finally, we move to the feasibility of evaluating and benchmarking different architectures, with the aim of producing mobile robots of continuously higher utility, with specific reference to our current four-layered robot control architecture. This work was presented in part at the Fifth International Symposium on Artificial Life and Robotics, Oita, Japan, January 26–28, 2000     

PID landing orbit motion controller for an indoor blimp robot

Blimp robots are attractive as indoor flying robots because they can float in the air, land safely with low energy, and stay in motion for a long time compared with other flying robots. However, controlling blimp robots is difficult because they have nonlinear characteristics, are influenced by air streams, and can easily be influenced by inertia. Therefore, a robust and adaptive control system is needed for blimp robots. The applied research that has studied the features of indoor flying robots in recent years has prospered. Operating an indoor blimp robot for a long time is difficult because the payload is small, multiple batteries cannot be stacked, and the design of a thruster that gives freedom to the entire blimp robot is difficult. Therefore, an autonomous charge that allows operation for a long time is needed. We have developed a method of landing with orbital control of the charge point that gives autonomy to a blimp robot. The possibility of landing with orbital control is shown. This work was presented in part at the 10th International Symposium on Artificial Life and Robotics, Oita, Japan, February 4–6, 2005 An erratum to this article is available at .     

Development of rescue manipulator to search narrow space for victims

Recently, disasters such as earthquakes and so on occur at various places, and rescue operation using robots has attracted much attention. In this paper, we propose a new rescue robot with duplex mechanism that is realized by connecting two manipulators in parallel. We have demonstrated the validity and effectiveness of the proposed system by developing a prototype system. This work was presented in part at the 13th International Symposium on Artificial Life and Robotics, Oita, Japan, January 31–February 2, 2008