Reasoning about ER models in a deductive environment

In this paper we present an approach to represent schema information, application data and integrity constraints as a logic program in form of Datalog. The schema information is supplied as an enhanced entity relationship (EER) model which is transformed by a one-to-one mapping into a set of ground facts. The application data corresponding to the schema is also represented by ground facts in a single table. In order to check whether the application data conforms to the given schema, generic functional and inclusion dependencies are introduced, which can be mapped into concrete dependencies using the schema information. The concrete dependencies are used for checking the consistency between application data and the schema. The formulation of the constraints based on functional and inclusion dependencies led to a small extension of the EER model by allowing identifying attributes in relationship types. This extension leads to both simpler constraints and simpler EER application models.Furthermore, we provide a meta EER model which can be used to check whether the application EER model is a structural valid EER model. Any application EER diagram is an instance of the meta EER diagram which can be specified using the proposed application data representation. The same integrity rules can be used to check the conformance between the application data and the application EER diagram, the meta EER diagram and the application EER diagram, and finally it can be used to check the meta EER model itself.     

Remote navigation of a mobile robot in an RFID-augmented environment

In the current article, we address the problem of constructing radiofrequency identification (RFID)-augmented environments for mobile robots and the issues related to creating user interfaces for efficient remote navigation with a mobile robot in such environments. First, we describe an RFID-based positioning and obstacle identification solution for remotely controlled mobile robots in indoor environments. In the robot system, an architecture specifically developed by the authors for remotely controlled robotic systems was tested in practice. Second, using the developed system, three techniques for displaying information about the position and movements of a remote robot to the user were compared. The experimental visualization techniques displayed the position of the robot on an indoor floor plan augmented with (1) a video view from a camera attached to the robot, (2) display of nearby obstacles (identified using RFID technology) on the floor plan, and (3) both features. In the experiment, test subjects controlled the mobile robot through predetermined routes as quickly as possible avoiding collisions. The results suggest that the developed RFID-based environment and the remote control system can be used for efficient control of mobile robots. The results from the comparison of the visualization techniques showed that the technique without a camera view (2) was the fastest, and the number of steering motions made was smallest using this technique, but it also had the highest need for physical human interventions. The technique with both additional features (3) was subjectively preferred by the users. The similarities and differences between the current results and those found in the literature are discussed.     

Experiments with a mobile robot operating in a cluttered unknown environment

Motion planning for mobile robots has been an active area of research in recent years. One reason for this is the increasing importance of applications that take place in unstructured and time-varying environments—such as outdoor waste management or delivery of food and medicines in a hospital. One of the main difficulties in automating such tasks is combining on-line sensing with “on the fly” intelligent motion planning. On the other hand, the theoretical work in this area has matured enough to warrant active hardware and experimentation work. Discussed below is an attempt to implement a class of strategies for motion planning with incomplete information. We address the following experimental issues: the robot's ability to cope with limited information available from typical sensors while operating in a cluttered environment with unknown obstacles; handling the registration problem to assess the robot's current location; performing necessary data processing and planning fast enough to assure acceptable motion speeds; and handling situations that require the robot to make loops, retreat, and visit some areas of its path more than once. The results are encouraging; they indicate the feasibility of practical systems capable of operating in a highly complex uncertain environment. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Double-track mobile robot for hazardous environment applications

This paper introduces a link-type tracked vehicle, which is developed for potential applications such as fire fighting, handicapped assistance and mine detection in various hazardous environments. The vehicle consists of three parts—front frame, rear frame and body. The front frame is connected to the rear frame by a rotational passive adaptation mechanism, which is the driving mechanism of the vehicle. This is similar to a link structure such that one frame rotates to the other by external forces between the vehicle and the ground. This passive adaptation mechanism permits good adaptability to uneven terrain including stairs. This link structure also improves energy efficiency, and makes the vehicle simple and small. The body is a control system for remote control of the vehicle. It communicates visual and distance information to the operator, and commands direction and velocity orders.     

Finding misplaced items using a mobile robot in a smart home environment

Frontiers of Information Technology & Electronic Engineering - Smart homes can provide complementary information to assist home service robots. We present a robotic misplaced item finding (MIF)...     

未知环境下的移动机器人环境建模研究

环境建模技术是移动机器人自主导航研究中的一个关键问题。为了实现机器人在未知环境下的自主导航,本文在分析当前普遍采用的一些环境建模方法及其缺点的基础上,提出一种基于多传感器信息融合的环境建模方法。实验结果表明该方法有效地克服了传感器的累计误差,有效地提高了环境建模的准确性。此方法的可行性和有效性通过Pioneer3-DX移动机器人得到了实验验证。     

未知环境下的移动机器人环境建模研究

环境建模技术是移动机器人自主导航研究中的一个关键问题。本文给出一种基于多传感器信息融合的环境建模方法。实验结果表明该方法有效地克服了传感器的累计误差,有效地提高了环境建模的准确性。此方法的可行性和有效性通过Pioneer3-DX移动机器人得到了实验验证。     

Intelligent adaptive immune-based motion planner of a mobile robot in cluttered environment

Learning of an autonomous mobile robot for path generation includes the use of previous experience to obtain the better path within its work space. When the robot is moving in its search space for target seeking, each task requires different form of learning. Therefore, the modeling of an efficient learning mechanism is the hardest problem for an autonomous mobile robot. To solve this problem, the present research work introduced an adaptive learning-based motion planner using artificial immune system, called adaptive immune-based path planner. Later the developed adaptive mechanism has been integrated to the innate immune-based path planner in order to obtain the better results. To verify the effectiveness of the proposed adaptive immune-based motion planner, simulation results as well as experimental results are presented in various unknown environments.     

Visual search for an object in a 3D environment using a mobile robot

Consider the problem of visually finding an object in a mostly unknown space with a mobile robot. It is clear that all possible views and images cannot be examined in a practical system. Visual attention is a complex phenomenon; we view it as a mechanism that optimizes the search processes inherent in vision (Tsotsos, 2001; Tsotsos et al., 2008) [1], [2]. Here, we describe a particular example of a practical robotic vision system that employs some of these attentive processes. We cast this as an optimization problem, i.e., optimizing the probability of finding the target given a fixed cost limit in terms of total number of robotic actions required to find the visual target. Due to the inherent intractability of this problem, we present an approximate solution and investigate its performance and properties. We conclude that our approach is sufficient to solve this problem and has additional desirable empirical characteristics.     

Kansei and human experience analysis for mobile robot navigation in a ubiquitous environment

Researchers are trying to construct an intelligent system with the help of advance in technology. Many successful milestones have been passed in achieving “humanoid robots” that are little closer to humans, but still not very good. Although the expectation level for the intelligence of these new systems is still unknown, it can be fairly assumed that reaching a goal at least up to the intelligence level of a human being may be a big success. In order to be closer to a human, it is necessary to analyze the behavioral patterns of humans in order to apply those to other artificial intelligence machines. Humans can be described as creatures of emotion. They have feelings toward themselves as well as towards others. These affect all the dealings they perform. Is there anything these feelings can do to robots? Will there be any improvements to robot by having them? This research project discusses the possibility of applying “feelings” to mobile robots in ubiquitous environments.     

A study of an autonomous mobile robot in an outdoor environment

This paper describes an experimental study of the fabrication of micro-mechanisms on a silicon wafer. Planar process technology developed in the industry of CMOS LSI was employed. The structural material is CVD-polycrystalline silicon with a thickness of 2.5 μm and the sacrificial material is CVD-SiO₂ with a thickness of 1.0 μm. In the experimental study, micro-rotors with a shaft and a cap in an assembled form were fabricated on a silicon wafer. The self-alignment process gave a tolerance of 1.0 μm between the rotor and the shaft. The maximum rotation speed observed was 9 x 10⁴ rpm by blowing nitrogen gas.     

Developing a way-finding system on mobile robot assisting visually impaired people in an indoor environment

Multimedia Tools and Applications - A way-finding system in an indoor environment consists of several components: localization, representation, path planning, and interaction. For each component,...     

Guidance of a mobile robot using an array of static cameras located in the environment

This paper presents a new proposal for positioning and guiding mobile robots in indoor environments. The proposal is based on the information provided by static cameras located in the movement environment. This proposal falls within the scope of what are known as intelligent environments; in this case, the environment is provided with cameras that, once calibrated, allow the position of the robots to be obtained. Based on this information, control orders for the robots can be generated using a radio frequency link. In order to facilitate identification of the robots, even under extremely adverse ambient lighting conditions, a beacon consisting of four circular elements constructed from infrared diodes is mounted on board the robots. In order to identify the beacon, an edge detection process is carried out. This is followed by a process that, based on the algebraic distance, obtains the estimated ellipses associated with each element of the beacon. Once the beacon has been identified, the coordinates of the centroids for the elements that make up the beacon are obtained on the various image planes. Based on these coordinates, an algorithm is proposed that takes into account the standard deviation of the error produced in the various cameras in ascertaining the coordinates of the beacon’s elements. An odometric system is also used in guidance that, in conjunction with a Kalman Filter, allows the position of the robot to be estimated during the time intervals required to process the visual information provided by the cameras.

Inverse kinematics of a mobile robot

The problem of kinematics is to describe the motion of the robotic system without consideration of the forces and torques causing the motion. This paper presents two methods to obtain the inverse kinematics of a mobile robot. In the first method, two rows of the forward kinematics are selected, the inverse of these two rows is obtained, and later the inverse matrix is combined with the third row of the forward kinematics. In the second method, the pseudo-inverse matrix of the forward kinematics matrix is obtained. The comparison result of the two proposed methods is presented. Two simulations show the effectiveness of the proposed inverse kinematics algorithm.     

Navigation control for a mobile robot

This article describes a navigation method of a mobile robot which uses a single camera and a guide mark. A travel path is instructed to the robot by means of path drawn on a monitor screen. The image of the guide mark provides information regarding the robot's position and heading direction. The heading direction is adjusted while moving if any deviation from the specified path is detected. The proposed method has been implemented in a mobile robot which runs at the average speed of 2.5 ft/s. without deviating more than one foot from the specified path in an indoor environment. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Response time of a mobile robot

The response time of an autonomous mobile robot is presented as an internal performance index that characterizes a robot regardless of a particular task. The response time is defined as the time between the occurrence of an event, its detection by a robot, its recognition, the decision making, and the response. For fully autonomous robots and robots that are controlled by and interact with a human, analytical expressions for estimating the response time are presented. An analysis of the robotreconfiguration time when overcoming obstacles is presented. The analytical expressions are supported by numerical examples.     

Fuzzy control of a mobile robot

This paper describes the design of a new fuzzy logic-based navigation algorithm for autonomous robots. This design effectively achieves correct environment modeling and noisy and uncertain sensory data processing on low-cost hardware equipment. A hierarchical control strategy is presented in which three different reactive behaviors are fused in a single control law by means of a fuzzy supervisor guaranteeing robot safety and task accomplishment. Due to the inherent transparency of fuzzy logic, the proposed algorithm is computationally light, easily reconfigurable, and well-performing in a wide range of differing operating conditions and environments     

Path planning for an autonomous mobile robot considering a region with a velocity constraint in a real environment

Recently, many research projects and competitions have attempted to find an autonomous mobile robot that can drive in the real world. In this article, we consider a path-planning method for an autonomous mobile robot that would be safe in a real environment. In such a case, it is very important for the robot to be able to identify its own position and orientation in real time. Therefore, we applied a localization method based on a particle filter. Moreover, in order to improve the safety of such autonomous locomotion, we improved the path-planning algorithm and the generation of the trajectory so that it can consider a region with a limited maximum velocity. In order to demonstrate the validity of the proposed method, we participated in the Real World Robot Challenge 2010. The experimental results are given.     

A dynamically reconfigurable stereoscopic/panoramic vision mobile robot head controlled from a virtual environment

We have built a mobile robotic platform that features an Active Robotic Head (ARH) with two high-resolution cameras that can be switched during robot operation between two configurations that produce respectively panoramic and stereoscopic images. Image disparity is used for improving the quality of the texture. The robot head switches dynamically, based on robot operation between the stereoscopic configuration and the panoramic configuration.