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     

Integration of a stereo vision system and a laser range finder for 3-D construction

In this article, we investigate the problem of integrating a binocular stereo vision system and a laser range finder to construct a 3-D map of the environment. The proposed scheme is realized by using the alignment parameters obtained in the 2-D map construction of the laser range finder for the 3-D data generated by the stereo vision system. The 2-D map alignment task is formulated as an optimization problem of minimizing the alignment errors between local maps and selected parts of the developing global map. The problem is then solved using the Simplex method. To increase the robustness of the searching process, multiple initial guesses are provided in the Simplex method. The performance of the proposed architecture is verified by experimental results from a mobile vehicle for obstacle avoidance.     

On-line tuning PID parameters in an idling engine based on a modified BP neural network by particle swarm optimization

PID control systems are widely used in many fields, and many methods to tune the parameters of PID controllers are known. When the characteristics of the object are changed, the traditional PID control should be adjusted by empirical knowledge. This may result in a worse performance by the system. In this article, a new method to tune PID parameters, called the back-propagation network modified by particle swarm optimization, is proposed. This algorithm combines conventional PID control with a back propagation neural network (BPNN) and particle swarm optimization (PSO). This method is demonstrated in the engine idling-speed control problem. The proposed method provides considerable performance benefits compared with a traditional controller in this simulation.     

Design and Implementation of a Ubiquitous Robotic Space

This paper describes a concerted effort to design and implement a robotic service framework. The proposed framework is comprised of three conceptual spaces: physical, semantic, and virtual spaces, collectively referred to as a ubiquitous robotic space. We implemented a prototype robotic security application in an office environment, which confirmed that the proposed framework is an efficient tool for developing a robotic service employing IT infrastructure, particularly for integrating heterogeneous technologies and robotic platforms.     

Robotic Companions for Smart Space Interactions

In this piece we take a brief peek at the possible world of robotic companions. In such a world, robots are adopted as butlers in our homes, as baby watchers, as friends and in general as life companions. For example, Helen lives with a robotic companion named Schpuffy. In the morning, Schpuffy checks Helen's schedule and finds out she has an appointment with a neighbor to take a walk at 8:30 a.m. Schpuffy recognizes that it takes 30 minutes for her to prepare to go for a walk and wakes her up at 8:00 a.m. After she gets up, Schpuffy reminds Helen of her appointment at 8:30 a.m. While she gets dressed, Schpuffy lets her know that current weather is very cold and suggests that she wear thermal clothing. When she's about to leave the house, Schpuffy says "good bye" to her and locks the door as she leaves. Schpuffy hasn't gained majored acceptance. It's not in every home or even in a tiny fraction of homes. However, it's a bold new research that is taking shape with early commercial products already hitting the marketplace. It could soon be the chief appliance in your home, or the new interface technology for smart spaces.     

Adaptive fuzzy IMM algorithm for uncertain target tracking

In real system application, the interacting multiple model (IMM)-based uncertain target tracking system operates with the following problems: it requires less computing resources as well as a robust performance with respect to the maneuvering such as a sub-model mismatched case, and further, it requires an easy design procedure related to its structures and parameters. To solve these problems, an adaptive fuzzy IMM (AFIMM) algorithm, which is based on well-defined basis sub-models and well-adjusted mode transition probabilities (MTPs), is proposed. The basis sub-models are defined by the detailed analysis in terms of kinematic models as well as the maneuvering property and the MTPs are adjusted by the fuzzy adaptor as well as the fuzzy decision maker. To verify the performance of the proposed algorithm, an airborne target tracking is performed. Simulation results show that the AFIMM effectively solves the problems experienced in the uncertain target tracking system online. Keywords: Adaptive fuzzy IMM, basis sub-models, mode transition probabilities, uncertain target.     

Discrimination of visual and haptic rendering delays in networked environments

Many networked human-machine interface systems have a distributed structure for certain purposes such as more computational power, tele-presence, collaboration, and portability. However, network delays are inevitable in the distributed structure, and often make sensory information delivered behind time to the user. In the literature, the effect of network delays on the quality of information presentation has been considered with respect to task performances in most cases. In this paper, we pay attention to a more stringent criterion, namely whether perceptual artifacts caused by network delays are perceptible by the user. We examined minimum perceptible visual and/or haptic rendering delays by measuring their discrimination thresholds between normal and delayed virtual environments with and without a task, and report the results in this paper. We also provide a simple guideline for determining whether active delay compensation algorithms are required in a networked human-machine interface system by comparing representative network delays to the measured discrimination thresholds. Recommended by Guest Editor Phill Kyu Rhee. This work was supported in parts by a grant R01-2006-000-10808-0 and a NRL grant R0A-2008-000-20087-0 both from KOSEF and by a ITRC support program C1090-0804-0002 from IITA, all funded by the Korea government. In Lee is a Ph.D student in Computer Science and Engineering at POSTECH, of Korea. He received the B.S. degree in Information and Communication Engineering from Sungkyunkwan University in 2006. His research interests include haptics, virtual reality, and human-computer interaction. Seungmoon Choi is an Assistant Professor in Computer Science and engineering at POSTECH, Korea. He received the B.S. and M.S. degrees in Control and Instrumentation Engineering from Seoul National University in 1995 and 1997, respectively, and the Ph.D. degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Purdue University in 2003. His research areas include haptics, virtual reality, data perceptualization, and applied perception.     

Feedback linearization vs. adaptive sliding mode control for a quadrotor helicopter

This paper presents two types of nonlinear controllers for an autonomous quadrotor helicopter. One type, a feedback linearization controller involves high-order derivative terms and turns out to be quite sensitive to sensor noise as well as modeling uncertainty. The second type involves a new approach to an adaptive sliding mode controller using input augmentation in order to account for the underactuated property of the helicopter, sensor noise, and uncertainty without using control inputs of large magnitude. The sliding mode controller performs very well under noisy conditions, and adaptation can effectively estimate uncertainty such as ground effects. Recommended by Editorial Board member Hyo-Choong Bang under the direction of Editor Hyun Seok Yang. This work was supported by the Korea Research Foundation Grant (MOEHRD) KRF-2005-204-D00002, the Korea Science and Engineering Foundation(KOSEF) grant funded by the Korea government(MOST) R0A-2007-000-10017-0 and Engineering Research Institute at Seoul National University. Daewon Lee received the B.S. degree in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from Seoul National University (SNU), Seoul, Korea, in 2005, where he is currently working toward a Ph.D. degree in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. He has been a member of the UAV research team at SNU since 2005. His research interests include applications of nonlinear control and vision-based control of UAV. H. Jin Kim received the B.S. degree from Korea Advanced Institute of Technology (KAIST) in 1995, and the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Mechanical Engineering from University of California, Berkeley in 1999 and 2001, respectively. From 2002–2004, she was a Postdoctoral Researcher and Lecturer in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS), University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley). From 2004–2009, she was an Assistant Professor in the School of in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Seoul National University (SNU), Seoul, Korea, where she is currently an Associate Professor. Her research interests include applications of nonlinear control theory and artificial intelligence for robotics, motion planning algorithms. Shankar Sastry received the B.Tech. degree from the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, in 1977, and the M.S. degree in EECS, the M.A. degree in mathematics, and the Ph.D. degree in EECS from UC Berkeley, in 1979, 1980, and 1981, respectively. He is currently Dean of the College of Engineering at UC Berkeley. He was formerly the Director of the Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society (CITRIS). He served as Chair of the EECS Department from January, 2001 through June 2004. In 2000, he served as Director of the Information Technology Office at DARPA. From 1996 to 1999, he was the Director of the Electronics Research Laboratory at Berkeley (an organized research unit on the Berkeley campus conducting research in computer sciences and all aspects of electrical engineering). He is the NEC Distinguished Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences and holds faculty appointments in the Departments of Bioengineering, EECS and Mechanical Engineering. Prior to joining the EECS faculty in 1983 he was a Professor with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and Fellow of the IEEE.     

MEMS-based gas flow sensors

Micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) devices integrate various mechanical elements, sensors, actuators, and electronics on a single silicon substrate in order to accomplish a multitude of different tasks in a diverse range of fields. The potential for device miniaturization made possible by MEMS micro-fabrication techniques has facilitated the development of many new applications, such as highly compact, non-invasive pressure sensors, accelerometers, gas sensors, etc. Besides their small physical footprint, such devices possess many other advantages compared to their macro-scale counterparts, including greater precision, lower power consumption, more rapid response, and the potential for low-cost batch production. One area in which MEMS technology has attracted particular attention is that of flow measurement. Broadly speaking, existing micro-flow sensors can be categorized as either thermal or non-thermal, depending upon their mode of operation. This paper commences by providing a high level overview of the MEMS field and then describes some of the fundamental thermal and non-thermal micro-flow sensors presented in the literature over the past 30 years or so.