关键词： 奇思妙想   科技类社团   机器人竞赛   社团活动  

摘要： 姓名:张贝出生日期:1982年12月12日工作单位:仰天湖小学职务:科学教师、信息教师、机器人社团教练、科技创新社团指导教师、综合教研组负责人、办公室主任一句话介绍自己:一名热爱教育事业、热爱科技创新、热爱孩子的普通教师9月到,沉寂了一个暑假的仰天湖小学又热闹起来了。张贝也开始忙碌起来,上完两节科学课后还要带机器人社团的队员训练。更令他头大的是,10月份的校园科技节就要来了.

关键词： liquid metal   soft robotics   stiffness controllable materials   wire mesh materials  

摘要： Stiffness variable materials are of great interests to many fields, especially in soft robotics. However, most materials require external voltage or high temperature to trigger the stiffness regulation process, which limits their applications in many situations, such as underwater. Herein, an easy-operating low-melting-point-metal enhancer is proposed, which can discretionarily regulate the stiffness of copper (Cu) wire mesh and greatly improve the performances of the target network-organized material. The mechanical property is improved through swift stiffness variations in a large scale, from completely soft to high hardness. Over the experiments, such liquid-metal enhancer can also work as a "glue," meaning it can glue several individual meshes together in arbitrary shapes just by organizing them in proper positions. The bonding force produced by the enhancer permits a four-layer mesh combination (0.8 mm thickness) to successfully afford a load of 2 kg. In addition, the electrical resistance of the copper wire mesh decreases 10% after treated by the enhancer. Based on the results, the grabber and support structure are designed and built by the enhanced meshes and achieving the designed function. This study opens up a brand new method for fast fabrication of reconfigurable modular soft robotics that can tolerate large external forces.

关键词： Synergy formation   Motor imagery   Forward/inverse models   Body schema   Tool use and motor skill learning   Embodied cognition  

摘要： Emerging trends in neurosciences are providing converging evidence that cortical networks in predominantly motor areas are activated in several contexts related to 'action' that do not cause any overt movement. Indeed for any complex body, human or embodied robot inhabiting unstructured environments, the dual processes of shaping motor output during action execution and providing the self with information related to feasibility, consequence and understanding of potential actions (of oneself/others) must seamlessly alternate during goal -oriented behaviors, social interactions. While prominent approaches like Optimal Control, Active Inference converge on the role of forward models, they diverge on the underlying computational basis. In this context, revisiting older ideas from motor control like the Equilibrium Point Hypothesis and synergy formation, this article offers an alternative perspective emphasizing the functional role of a 'plastic, configurable' internal representation of the body (body-schema) as a critical link enabling the seamless continuum between motor control and imagery. With the central proposition that both "real and imagined" actions are consequences of an internal simulation process achieved though passive goal -oriented animation of the body schema, the computational/neural basis of muscleless motor synergies (and ensuing simulated actions without movements) is explored. The rationale behind this perspective is articulated in the context of several interdisciplinary studies in motor neurosciences (for example, intracranial depth recordings from the parietal cortex, FMRI studies highlighting a shared cortical basis for action 'execution, imagination and understanding'), animal cognition (in particular, tool -use and neuro-rehabilitation experiments, revealing how coordinated tools are incorporated as an extension to the body schema) and pertinent challenges towards building cognitive robots that can seamlessly "act, interact, anticipate and und

关键词： Friction stir welding   Automotive   Aluminium   Casting   Robot   Temperature control  

摘要： The automotive industry is going through a radical transformation from combustion engines to fully electric propulsion, aiming at improving key performance indicators related to efficiency, environmental sustainability and economic competitiveness. In this transition period, it is important to continue the innovation of combustion engines for e.g. plug-in hybrid vehicles. This led Volvo Cars to pursue radically new manufacturing processes such as Friction Stir Welding (FSW). The work presented in this paper is a case study whereby feasibility of using FSW to join a reinforcement element into the aluminium casted Cylinder Block was studied. The complex geometry of the joint required a flexible five-axis manipulator, i.e. an industrial robot, as well as advanced process control, i.e. temperature feedback control, in order to maintain a consistent weld quality throughout the whole component. The process was successfully demonstrated in a lab environment and offers a cost-efficient solution while maintaining the durability and higher efficiency. The outcome of this study shows the great potential of implementing the FSW process in combination with High Pressure Die Casted components, such a Cylinder Block.

关键词： Internal simulation   Embodied cognition   Cognitive robotics   Episodic future thinking  

关键词： Surgical robotics   Synergistic systems   Shared control   Robotic manipulators   Human-machine interaction   Haptics  

摘要： Purpose Surgical robotics has developed throughout the past 30 years resulting in more than 5000 different approaches proposed for various surgical disciplines supporting different surgical task sequences and differing ways of human-machine cooperation or degrees of automation. However, this diversity of systems influences cost as well as usability and might hinder their widespread adoption. In combination with the current trend toward open and modular "plug and play" dynamic networks of medical devices and IT systems in the operating room, a modular human-robot system design with versatile access to cooperative functions with varying degrees of automation on demand is desirable. Therefore, standardized robotic device profiles describing essential functional characteristics of cooperative robotic systems are mandatory. Methods Surgical robotics is analyzed from a human-machine interaction perspective to identify generic cooperative robotic device profiles, features and use cases. Therefore, cooperative aspects are introduced from a general point of view. Relevant communication channels used for human-machine interaction are then analyzed, referenced by surgical scenarios. Subsequently, proposed classifications of surgical task sequences and surgical robotic systems are analyzed with a focus on a modular design for cooperative robotics in surgery. Results Considerations based on cooperative guidelines are given and features are identified and summarized in a classification scheme used to define distinct generic cooperative robotic device profiles. The latter can be the basis for a modular architecture of future surgical robot systems. Conclusion Modular system design can be expanded toward functionalities or different degrees of autonomy, shared or manual control. The proposed device profiles of cooperative surgical robots could lay the foundation for integration into open and modular dynamic "plug and play" networks in the operating room to enhance versatility, bene

关键词： Skill-based   Anytime agent architecture   Mobile manipulation   Autonomous packaging   European robotics challenges (EuRoC)  

摘要： As demands on pragmatic solutions of robotics technology increase in the manufacturing industry, deep affinities between research experts and industry users are required. The European Robotics Challenges (EuRoC) research project has proposed a scientific competition and matched up research labs with industrial end users to establish challenger teams to develop and test solutions that will be applied in the real context of the industrial end-users. The paper reports the result of TIMAIRIS who is one of 6 challenger teams to advance to the final stage out of 103 teams and technical details used in the Challenge 2 - Shop Floor Logistics and Manipulation. To address the requirements and achieve the objectives of the challenge, a skill-based anytime agent architecture has been developed and extended to make the team focus on the challenging research that addresses real issues in the user environments. Finally, shop floor logistics and manipulation scenarios have been developed and demonstrated in a realistic environment for autonomous packaging. (C) 2019 Published by Elsevier B.V.