Modular robotics as a tool for education and entertainment

We developed I-BLOCKS, a modular electronic building block system and here we show how this system has proven useful, especially as an educational tool that allows hands-on learning in an easy manner. Through user studies we find limitations of the first I-BLOCKS system, and we show how the system can be improved by introducing a graphical user interface for authoring the contents of the individual I-BLOCK. This is done by developing a new cubic block shape with new physical and electrical connectors, and by including new embedded electronics. We developed and evaluated the I-BLOCKS as a manipulative technology through studies in both schools and hospitals, and in diverse cultures such as in Denmark, Finland, Italy and Tanzania.     

Adaptive data-driven error detection in swarm robotics with statistical classifiers

Swarm robotics is an example of a complex system with interactions among distributed autonomous robots as well with the environment. Within the swarm there is no centralised control, behaviour emerges from interactions between agents within the swarm. Agents within the swarm exhibit time varying behaviour in dynamic environments, and are subject to a variety of possible anomalies. The focus within our work is on specific faults in individual robots that can affect the global performance of the robotic swarm. We argue that classical approaches for achieving tolerance through implicit redundancy is insufficient in some cases and additional measures should be explored. Our contribution is to demonstrate that tolerance through explicit detection with statistical techniques works well and is suitable due to its lightweight computation.     

Adaptive supervision of moving objects for mobile robotics applications

One of the main tasks of mobile robotics is vision. Lighting independence, adaptivity and automated learning are still the main issues when it comes to applications. In this article, we present an image understanding system and its methods targeting automatic, lighting-independent and reliable color-based object recognition under real time conditions. Its application test bed is global vision robot soccer (i.e. FIRA MiroSot und RoboCup Small Size leagues) but it has many other applications in color-based supervision of moving objects. Under typical conditions, it learns the objects of recognition automatically, has zero setup time and tolerates environmental changes during run-time.     

Simulation in robotics

Simulation has been recognized as an important research tool since the beginning of the 20th century. However, the “good times” for simulation started with the development of computers and now the simulation is a powerful visualization, planning, and strategic tool in different areas of research and development. The simulation has also a very important role in robotics. Different tools are used for the analysis of kinematics and dynamics of robotic manipulators, for off-line programming, to design different control algorithms, to design mechanical structure of robots, to design robotic cells and production lines, etc.     

Development of Adaptive Modular Active Leg (AMAL) using bipedal robotics technology

The objective of the work presented here is to develop a low cost active above knee prosthetic device exploiting bipedal robotics technology which will work utilizing the available biological motor control circuit properly integrated with a Central Pattern Generator (CPG) based control scheme. The approach is completely different from the existing Active Prosthetic devices, designed primarily as standalone systems utilizing multiple sensors and embedded rigid control schemes. In this research, first we designed a fuzzy logic based methodology for offering suitable gait pattern for an amputee, followed by formulating a suitable algorithm for designing a CPG, based on Rayleigh’s oscillator. An indigenous probe, Humanoid Gait Oscillator Detector (HGOD) has been designed for capturing gait patterns from various individuals of different height, weight and age. These data are used to design a Fuzzy inference system which generates most suitable gait pattern for an amputee. The output of the Fuzzy inference system is used for designing a CPG best suitable for the amputee. We then developed a CPG based control scheme for calculating the damping profile in real time for maneuvering a prosthetic device called AMAL (Adaptive Modular Active Leg).Also a number of simulation results are presented which show the stable behavior of knee and hip angles and determine the stable limit cycles of the network.     

Micromanipulation in robotics

Achievements in the area of research into the micromanipulation of objects within the micron range are considered. The similarities and differences between objects in the macro-and micromanipulation area are discussed. The author describes the adhesive mechanisms that act in the microworld in adhesion to hard surfaces in the presence of liquid adhesives and without their participation. Theoretical models are presented for estimating the adhesion forces arising between micro-objects and the area of micromanipulation, as well as some practical experiments with mechanical and biological objects in regard to their grasping and clinging to surfaces.     

Web-top robotics

This paper deals with the use of the World Wide Web (WWW) as a platform for building robotic systems. We revisit the anatomy of the WWW system together with CORBA, the standard object request broker architecture, and show how to map robotic systems on it. We also review the current status of several meta-computing infrastructures for distributed computing on a wide-area network. Several implementation results are also shown     

Underwater robotics

As the ocean attracts great attention on environmental issues and resources as well as scientific and military tasks, the need for and use of underwater robotic systems has become more apparent. Underwater robotics represents a fast growing research area and promising industry as advanced technologies in various subsystems develop and potential application areas are explored. Great efforts have been made in developing autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) to overcome challenging scientific and engineering problems caused by the unstructured and hazardous ocean environment. With the development of new materials, advanced computing and sensory technology, as well as theoretical advancements, R & D activities in the AUV community have increased. This paper describes current state-of-the art in the area of underwater robotics focusing on some key subsystems.     

Soft robotics

In this article, we gave an overview on the DLR activities related to two approaches for the realization of soft robotics: actively torque-controlled LWRs and VSA. On the basis of our experience with torque-controlled robots, we presented an analysis on expected advantages and also disadvantages of VSA actuators. Furthermore, two VSA joint designs motivated by this analysis were presented. Torque-controlled robots currently represent a technology mature enough for the market, but we believe that impressive research progress can be expected in the area of VSA-actuated robots in the next decade.     

群机器人学

介绍了群机器人学的含义、特点和发展现状,分析了研究群机器人系统的相关理论和方法,总结了群机器人学研究的主要内容,并指出其发展趋势。     

Exception handling in robotics

The construction of robust and reliable robot systems able to handle errors arising from abnormal operating conditions is addressed. It is assumed that the robot program is logically correct but fails due to hardware or external state errors. The error-handling technique called exception handling is treated. The type of errors that can occur in a robot system and their error-handling requirements are described, and approaches to error handling and recovery are reviewed. Exception-handling facilities in Ada and AML/X are mentioned, and Exceptional C, the language chosen for exposition, is described. The use of exception-handling facilities is illustrated with two examples     

Gravity compensation in robotics

The actuator power required to resist joint torque caused by the weight of robot links can be a significant problem. Gravity compensation is a well-known technique in robot design to achieve equilibrium throughout the range of motion and as a result to reduce the loads on the actuator. Therefore, it is desirable and commonly implemented in many situations. Various design concepts for gravity compensation are available in the literature. This paper proposes an overview of gravity compensation methods applied in robotics. The examined properties of the gravity compensation are disclosed and illustrated via kinematic schemes. In order to classify the considered balancing schemes three principal groups are distinguished due to the nature of the compensation force: counterweight, spring or active force developed by an auxiliary actuator. Then, each group is reviewed through sub-groups organized via structural features of balancing schemes. The author believes that such an arrangement of gravity compensation methods allows one to carry out a systematized analysis and provides a comprehensive view on the problem.     

Construction robotics

First construction robots had been designed in the beginning seventies in order to increase the quality in prefabrication of modular homes in Japan and the late 70ies planning started for use of robots in construction sites. In the 80ies the first construction robots appeared on sites and in the 90ies integrated automated building construction sites had been developped and implemented about 20 times. Furthermore maintenance robots for cleaning and inspection of buildings, infrastructure and real estate and safety robots guarding buildings had been developped. In the first decade of this century humanoid construction robots had been tested. In the future service robots will be a big market in the built envrironment.     

Evolutionary computing in robotics

Intelligent systems are required in knowledge engineering, computer science, mechatronics, and robotics. This article discusses machine (system) intelligence from the viewpoints of the learning and adaptation of living things. We then introduce computational intelligence, including neural networks, fuzzy systems, and genetic algorithms, and end with a discussion of recent work on computational intelligence in robotics. This work was presented, in part, at the Sixth International Symposium on Artificial Life and Robotics, Tokyo, Japan, January 15–17, 2001     

Field and service appkications - Dinosaur robotics for entertainment applications - Design, Configurations, Controt, and Exhibition at the World Exposition

We developed biped dinosaur robots to make a breakthrough in the barrier that has prevented humanoid robots from being deployed. As the result, we showed that millions of people could be attracted to see robot bipeds walking. The robots were used for the communication of natural science (the history of dinosaurs) to the general public but also to demonstrate the power of modern robotics technology. The robots were really popular especially for the children and sometimes made them cry, since the robots looked quite realistic. We showed that the robots could be operated for a long period regardless of the risk of the damage. As we expected, the soft and thick skin could absorb the impact on the landing of the body, and the resulting damage was minor.     

Adaptive nonsingular fast terminal sliding mode control for underwater manipulator robotics with asymmetric saturation actuators

In this paper, an adaptive nonsingular fast terminal sliding mode control (ANFTSMC) is proposed for underwater manipulator robotics with asymmetric actuator saturations and unknown time-varying (TV) external disturbances. Firstly, the nonsingular fast terminal sliding mode (NFTSM) control scheme is conducted for the underwater manipulator robotics, which guarantees the boundedness of all the signals in the control system. Secondly, the adaptive method and the smooth hyperbolic tangent (tanh) function are introduced to address the unknown TV external disturbances and the input saturation errors. Thus the prior knowledge about the upper bounds of the system uncertainties is not needed in this paper. To deal with the nonlinear asymmetric input saturation issue, a Gaussian error function is employed in the asymmetric saturation module so that the discontinuous input signals can be transformed into smooth forms. Thirdly, the rigorous mathematical verification is conducted to demonstrate the stability and finite-time convergence of the closed-loop control system via the Lyapunov theory. Finally, numerical simulations are performed on a two-link underwater manipulator robotic system to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed controller.     

Technology-based out-of-home entertainment

Technology based out of home entertainment has not proven successful in the marketplace. The article assesses non technological factors that contribute to an entertainment facility's profitability: human element; economic metrics; and operational issues     

Compound behaviors in pheromone robotics

We are pursuing techniques for coordinating the actions of large numbers of small-scale robots to achieve useful large-scale results in surveillance, reconnaissance, hazard detection, and path finding. Using the biologically inspired notion of “virtual pheromone” messaging, we describe how many coordinated activities can be accomplished without centralized control. By virtue of this simple messaging scheme, a robot swarm can become a distributed computing mesh embedded within the environment, while simultaneously acting as a physical embodiment of the user interface. We further describe a set of logical primitives for controlling the flow of virtual pheromone messages throughout the robot swarm. These enable the design of complex group behaviors mediated by messages exchanged between neighboring robots.