关键词： Rehabilitation robots   Time delay control   Time delay error   Uncertainties, recursive control  

摘要： In this paper, we propose a new adaptive visual tracking control approach based on sliding mode control in Cartesian space applied to an exoskeleton robot with uncertain kinematics and dynamics, taking into account uncertainties in visual system (camera) parameters. The adaptation of kinematic uncertainties is based on a filtered regressor kinematic matrix, whereas, the adaptation of dynamic uncertainties is based on a Time Delay Estimation approach. This is performed considering the Time Delay Error (TDR) to provide a control action capable of following the designed functional therapy tasks. A new recursive controller is combined with TDE in order to estimate the TDR and limit its effect. The proposed strategy does not need the accurate dynamic and kinematic models of the exoskeleton. The update laws are designed using Lyapunov theory to solve the adaptation problem methodically and to show the stability of the robot system. Experimental results confirm the effectiveness and feasibility of the designed approach. (C) 2018 European Control Association. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

关键词： Needles   Medical robotics   Cardiology   Soft robotics   Clinical diagnosis   Biomedical imaging  

摘要： Innovative researchers are employing flexible, rather than rigid materials in combination with new design approaches as part of the emerging field of biomedical soft robotics. The idea is to generate tools that conform to and interact with the human body in a much more natural and lightweight way, providing better treatment options for clinicians and translating into better outcomes for patients.

关键词： Spatial cognition   Robot navigation   Place cells   Grid cells   Head direction cells  

摘要： The paper presents a bio-inspired robotics model for spatial cognition derived from neurophysiological and experimental studies in rats. The model integrates Hippocampus place cells providing long-term spatial localization with Enthorinal Cortex grid cells providing short-term spatial localization in the form of "neural odometry". Head direction cells provide for orientation in the rat brain. The spatial cognition model is evaluated in simulation and experimentation showing a reduced number of localization errors during robot navigation when contrasted to previous versions of our model.

关键词： WINNERS   SCHOLARSHIPS  

摘要： The article announces that Jacob Barnes has been selected as the winner of the 2018 NFPA Robotics Challenge Scholarship from the National Fluid Power Association (NFPA).

关键词： Swarm intelligence   Ant algorithm   Distributed control   Self-coordination of mobile robots  

摘要： The mine detection in an unexplored area is an optimization problem where multiple mines, randomly distributed throughout an area, need to be discovered and disarmed in a minimum amount of time. We propose a strategy to explore an unknown area, using a stigmergy approach based on ants behavior, and a novel swarm-based protocol to recruit and coordinate robots for disarming the mines cooperatively. Simulation tests are presented to show the effectiveness of our proposed ant-based task robot coordination with only the exploration task and with both exploration and recruiting strategies. Multiple minimization objectives have been considered: the robots' recruiting time and the overall area exploration time. We discuss, through simulation, different cases under different network and field conditions, performed by the robots. The results have shown that the proposed decentralized approaches enable the swarm of robots to perform cooperative tasks intelligently without any central control.

关键词： stereo PIV   robotics   large scale PIV   automotive wind tunnels  

摘要： This work demonstrates how the interaction between particle image velocimetry (PIV) and robotics can massively increase measurement efficiency. The interdisciplinary approach is shown using the complex example of an automated, large scale, industrial environment: a typical automotive wind tunnel application. Both the high degree of flexibility in choosing the measurement region and the complete automation of stereo PIV measurements are presented. The setup consists of a combination of three robots, individually used as a 6D traversing unit for the laser illumination system as well as for each of the two cameras. Synchronised movements in the same reference frame are realised through a master-slave setup with a single interface to the user. By integrating the interface into the standard wind tunnel management system, a single measurement plane or a predefined sequence of several planes can be requested through a single trigger event, providing the resulting vector fields within minutes. In this paper, a brief overview on the demands of large scale industrial PIV and the existing solutions is given. Afterwards, the concept of RoboPIV is introduced as a new approach. In a first step, the usability of a selection of commercially available robot arms is analysed. The challenges of pose uncertainty and importance of absolute accuracy are demonstrated through comparative measurements, explaining the individual pros and cons of the analysed systems. Subsequently, the advantage of integrating RoboPIV directly into the existing wind tunnel management system is shown on basis of a typical measurement sequence. In a final step, a practical measurement procedure, including post-processing, is given by using real data and results. Ultimately, the benefits of high automation are demonstrated, leading to a drastic reduction in necessary measurement time compared to non-automated systems, thus massively increasing the efficiency of PIV measurements.

关键词： Mentoring   Self efficacy   Design engineering   Robots   Engineering education   English teachers   Coaching   Science teachers  

摘要： Mentoring a robotics team can teach you how to incorporate engineering principles into your science curriculum, as called for in the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), by allowing you to engage in engineering design experiences and increase your comfort with these activities. Bringing engineering into science classrooms takes time and practice, and science teachers with no engineering experience can find it challenging to integrate engineering design into the science curriculum in a way that maintains connections between engineering design and science content (Cunningham and Carlsen 2014; Dare, Ellis, and Roehrig 2014). [...]mentors face a range of challenges, from forming and managing teams to helping students maintain motivation and interest. In a recent National Science Foundation Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers-funded project, researchers used a combination of online modules, interactive webinars, and face-to-face sessions to prepare middle school teachers to address the challenges of mentoring robotics teams.

关键词： Cloud Robotics   Hadoop   FastSLAM   SLAM   Map/Reduce  

摘要： The Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) by an autonomous robot is an intensive computational problem and is considered to be a time consuming process. A major limitation of the pose tracking is the real-time constraint. The pose estimation should be done at an acceptable latency to get accurate position information. In this paper, FastSLAM 2.0 approach is proposed, where the computational process is divided into two parallel tasks, the pose tracking and the map optimization. The presented work depends on a distributed architecture where the tracking and mapping tasks concurrently operate as a service in the Cloud. Therefore, the robot onboard system is freed from all the heavy computations. The experiments are performed on public dataset comparable to state-of-the-art techniques. The results show that the computational cost of the tracking process in the Cloud is reduced by 83.6% as compared to its execution on a single robot platform. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

关键词： Logistics   Radiofrequency identification   Task analysis   Navigation   Service robots   Robot sensing systems  

摘要： In recent years, smart logistics has captured wide attention and witnessed quick improvements. Swarm robotics, steadily evolving toward high artificial intelligence and capabilities, ensures warehouse delivery management and implementation of more intelligence for many challenging tasks. Self-organized as a community, the smart swarm robotics system thus can be viewed as a prototype of the future smart management and service system, and consequently reveals several critical properties of our next generation smart communities. How to design an efficient communication and management platform of swarm robotics is one of the fundamental problems in the smart logistics industry. This article refers to several imminent challenges of swarm robotics in logistics and reviews some groundbreaking applications for next generation logistics.

关键词： Electronic properties and materials   Soft materials  

摘要： Large-area stretchable electronics are critical for progress in wearable computing, soft robotics and inflatable structures. Recent efforts have focused on engineering electronics from soft materials-elastomers, polyelectrolyte gels and liquid metal. While these materials enable elastic compliance and deformability, they are vulnerable to tearing, puncture and other mechanical damage modes that cause electrical failure. Here, we introduce a material architecture for soft and highly deformable circuit interconnects that are electromechanically stable under typical loading conditions, while exhibiting uncompromising resilience to mechanical damage. The material is composed of liquid metal droplets suspended in a soft elastomer;when damaged, the droplets rupture to form new connections with neighbours and re-route electrical signals without interruption. Since self-healing occurs spontaneously, these materials do not require manual repair or external heat. We demonstrate this unprecedented electronic robustness in a self-repairing digital counter and self-healing soft robotic quadruped that continue to function after significant damage.