关键词： elastomeric prepregs   fluid-driven robots   soft robotics   viscosity measurements  

摘要： Typically, soft robots that are driven with compressed air consist of two parts which are bonded together, a top and a strain-limiting bottom part. This communication describes the possibility to simplify the manufacturing process by using textile semi-finished products preimpregnated with liquid elastomer (prepregs) as the strain-limiting part, which can be stored at low temperatures with significant slower cross-linking reaction. For this, in long-term tests, three typical elastomers (Elastosil M 4601, Ecoflex 00-30, and Sylgard 184) are stored at -25 degrees C, and in a weekly cycle over 12 weeks, the viscosity is measured to determine the curing characteristics. It turns out that Elastosil M 4601 and Sylgard 184 are suitable for this application. For comparison, short-term viscosity measurements are conducted at room temperature in a 10 min cycle. The impregnability of several textiles (polyester/cotton blended fabric, nylon fabric, fleece, and flax fabric) is tested with the suitable elastomers. The applicability of prepregs for soft robotic applications is demonstrated by manufacturing soft bending actuators with various textile-elastomer combinations.

关键词： social robotics   natural language generation   human-robot interaction  

摘要： In the increasingly popular and diverse research area of social robotics, the primary goal is to develop robot agents that exhibit socially intelligent behaviour while interacting in a face-to-face context with human partners. An important aspect of face-to-face social conversation is fluent, flexible linguistic interaction;face-to-face dialogue is both the basic form of human communication and the richest and most flexible, combining unrestricted verbal expression with meaningful non-verbal acts such as gestures and facial displays, along with instantaneous, continuous collaboration between the speaker and the listener. In practice, however, most developers of social robots tend not to use the full possibilities of the unrestricted verbal expression afforded by face-to-face conversation;instead, they generally tend to employ relatively simplistic processes for choosing the words for their robots to say. This contrasts with the work carried out Natural Language Generation (NLG), the field of computational linguistics devoted to the automated production of high-quality linguistic content;while this research area is also an active one, in general most effort in NLG is focused on producing high-quality written text. This article summarizes the state of the art in the two individual research areas of social robotics and natural language generation. It then discusses the reasons why so few current social robots make use of more sophisticated generation techniques. Finally, an approach is proposed to bringing some aspects of NLG into social robotics, concentrating on techniques and tools that are most appropriate to the needs of socially interactive robots. This article is part of the theme issue 'From social brains to social robots: applying neurocognitive insights to human-robot interaction'.

关键词： artificial curiosity   robots   computational models   intrinsic motivation  

摘要： Social interaction is an extremely complex yet vital component in daily life. We present a bottom-up approach for the emergence of social behaviours from the interaction of the curiosity drive, i.e. the intrinsic motivation to learn as much as possible, and the embedding environment of an agent. Implementing artificial curiosity algorithms in robots that explore human-like environments results in the emergence of a hierarchical structure of learning and behaviour. This structure resembles the sequential emergence of behavioural patterns in human babies, culminating in social behaviours, such as face detection, tracking and attention-grabbing facial expressions. These results suggest that an embodied curiosity drive may be the progenitor of many social behaviours if satiated by a social environment. This article is part of the theme issue 'From social brains to social robots: applying neurocognitive insights to human-robot interaction'.

关键词： trust   theory of mind   episodic memory   cognitive robotics   developmental robotics   human-robot interaction  

摘要： Trust is a critical issue in human-robot interactions: as robotic systems gain complexity, it becomes crucial for them to be able to blend into our society by maximizing their acceptability and reliability. Various studies have examined how trust is attributed by people to robots, but fewer have investigated the opposite scenario, where a robot is the trustor and a human is the trustee. The ability for an agent to evaluate the trustworthiness of its sources of information is particularly useful in joint task situations where people and robots must collaborate to reach shared goals. We propose an artificial cognitive architecture based on the developmental robotics paradigm that can estimate the trustworthiness of its human interactors for the purpose of decision making. This is accomplished using Theory of Mind (ToM), the psychological ability to assign to others beliefs and intentions that can differ from one's owns. Our work is focused on a humanoid robot cognitive architecture that integrates a probabilistic ToM and trust model supported by an episodic memory system. We tested our architecture on an established developmental psychological experiment, achieving the same results obtained by children, thus demonstrating a new method to enhance the quality of human and robot collaborations. This article is part of the theme issue 'From social brains to social robots: applying neurocognitive insights to human-robot interaction'.

关键词： social   robot   stereotypes   bias   prejudice   cognition  

摘要： The field of social robotics offers an unprecedented opportunity to probe the process of impression formation and the effects of identity-based stereotypes (e. g. about gender or race) on social judgements and interactions. We present the concept of fair proxy communication-a form of robot-mediated communication that proceeds in the absence of potentially biasing identity cues-and describe how this application of social robotics may be used to illuminate implicit bias in social cognition and inform novel interventions to reduce bias. We discuss key questions and challenges for the use of robots in research on the social cognition of bias and offer some practical recommendations. We conclude by discussing boundary conditions of this new form of interaction and by raising some ethical concerns about the inclusion of social robots in psychological research and interventions. This article is part of the theme issue 'From social brains to social robots: applying neurocognitive insights to human-robot interaction'.

关键词： Health and social care   evaluation of needs   robotics   assistive technology  

摘要： We report the needs and challenges identified by health and social care professionals and service users for robotics and autonomous systems that are of importance to researchers and policymakers. To this end, we held eight workshops in different locations across Cornwall (UK) in which we raised awareness of the applications and opportunities of assistive robots. The 223 participants could interact physically with four robots, watched a multimedia presentation including video and use-case scenarios and then took part in 33 focus groups. Content analysis was carried out based on summaries written by facilitators during the focus groups. The focus groups produced 163 challenges that may have digital solutions including 78 suitable for robotic assistive technology, in three main areas: maintaining independence at home, social isolation, and rurality. Although further research is needed with technology and its implementation, this study shows that health and social care professionals, patients, carers, and students are willing to consider using robotics and autonomous systems in health and social care settings.

关键词： Robotic-assisted upper extremity training   stroke   spinal cord injury   multiple sclerosis   motor neuron disease   Parkinson  

摘要： Purpose: The primary focus of this review was to find out the effectiveness of robotics in improving upper extremity functions among people with neurological problems in the arena of physical rehabilitation. Material and methods: Two reviewers independently scrutinized the included studies. The selected studies underwent quality assessment by Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) scale. Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) having a score of four or more were included in the review. A search was conducted in PUBMED, MEDLINE, CINAHL, EMBASE, PROQUEST, science direct, Cochrane Library, PEDro and Google Scholar. Results: A total of 202 studies were identified. After removal of duplication, inclusion and exclusion criteria's n = 23 studies were included in the review process. For analysis, only the primary outcome measures of the studies were taken into account. Studies finally included in analysis were n = 21. The included studies were 19 in stroke, 1 in cerebral palsy (CP) and 1 study in multiple sclerosis (MS). No RCTs were reportedly found in spinal cord injury (SCI), Parkinson and motor neuron disease (MND). Conclusions: Studies related to stroke showed a clear definiteness in the improvement of upper extremity functions. On the contrary, there still remains a need for quality trials in CP, MS to establish the efficacy of robotics in upper extremity rehabilitation.

关键词： State machines   Process algebra   CSP   Semantics   Refinement  

摘要： Simulation is a favoured technique for analysis of robotic systems. Currently, however, simulations are programmed in an ad hoc way, for specific simulators, using either proprietary languages or general languages like C or C++. Even when a higher-level language is used, no clear relation between the simulation and a design model is established. We describe a tool-independent notation called RoboSim, designed specifically for modelling of (verified) simulations. We describe the syntax, well-formedness conditions, and semantics of RoboSim. We also show how we can use RoboSim models to check if a simulation is consistent with a functional design written in a UML-like notation akin to those often used by practitioners on an informal basis. We show how to check whether the design enables a feasible scheduling of behaviours in cycles as needed for a simulation, and formalise implicit assumptions routinely made when programming simulations. We develop a running example and three additional case. studies to illustrate RoboSim and the proposed verification techniques. Tool support is also briefly discussed. Our results enable the description of simulations using tool-independent diagrammatic models amenable to verification and automatic generation of code. (C) 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

关键词： 深度学习   强化学习   机器人学  

摘要： 首先,对深度强化学习(DRL)的兴起与发展进行了回顾.然后,将用于高维连续动作空间的深度强化学习算法分为基于值函数近似的算法、基于策略近似的算法以及基于其他结构的算法3类,详细讲解了深度强化学习中的最新代表性算法及其特点,并重点阐述了其思路、优势及不足.最后,结合深度强化学习算法的发展方向,对使用深度强化学习方法解决机器人学问题的未来发展趋势进行了展望.

关键词： 分拣搬运机器人   STM32F103C8T6单片机   灰度识别   颜色识别   五自由度机械臂  

摘要： 为了实现仓库中多重目标的复杂搬运及堆垛任务,设计了一款光电分拣搬运机器人。该分拣搬运机器人以STM32F103C8T6单片机为主控芯片,采用灰度传感器SEN1595识别地面标识,通过颜色传感器GY-33识别物料颜色;机械臂与末端夹取机构利用PDI-6221MG舵机驱动五自由度小型机械臂,在保持末端处于垂直状态下,平稳抓取物料并存放至搬运车腹部的中心转盘内;仓储分拣机构通过PDI-6225MG-300舵机驱动中心转盘转动至5个档位;采用LV8731细分器控制步进电机MG42S1,驱动车体行进至目标堆垛区域;通过机械臂夹取转盘内的物料,结合堆垛辅助机构完成堆垛任务。在搬运工程赛项实验平台任务中,系统测试成功率达96%,满足使用要求。通过该分拣搬运系统可提高分拣运输自动化、智能化程度,改善物流仓储工作中人工依赖性较高的现状。