关键词： Tutorials   Robots   MATLAB   Kinematics   Mobile robots   Performance evaluation  

摘要： The Robotics System Toolbox for MATLAB provides a wide and growing set of functionalities for creating robotic systems: Robot Operating System (ROS) integration, mobile robotics, and robot manipulator arms. This capability increases with each release and is targeted at industrial developers as well as academic teaching and research. This tutorial is concerned with the robot manipulator kinematic functionality that has been available since MATLAB release 2016b.

关键词： force feedback   haptics   mitral valve repair   robotics-assisted cardiac surgery  

摘要： BackgroundThe objective of this work was to determine the effect of both direct force feedback and visual force feedback on the amount of force applied to mitral valve tissue during ex vivo robotics-assisted mitral valve annuloplasty. MethodsA force feedback-enabled master-slave surgical system was developed to provide both visual and direct force feedback during robotics-assisted cardiac surgery. This system measured the amount of force applied by novice and expert surgeons to cardiac tissue during ex vivo mitral valve annuloplasty repair. ResultsThe addition of visual (2.161.67), direct (1.62 +/- 0.86), or both visual and direct force feedback (2.15 +/- 1.08) resulted in lower mean maximum force applied to mitral valve tissue while suturing compared with no force feedback (3.34 +/- 1.93N;P<0.05). ConclusionsTo achieve better control of interaction forces on cardiac tissue during robotics-assisted mitral valve annuloplasty suturing, force feedback may be required.

关键词： Agriculture   Cameras   Robot vision systems   Mobile robots   Food products  

摘要： Farmers are under growing pressure to intensify production to feed a growing population while managing environmental impact. Robotics has the potential to address these challenges by replacing large complex farm machinery with fleets of small autonomous robots. This article presents our research toward the goal of developing teams of autonomous robots that perform typical farm coverage operations. Making a large fleet of autonomous robots economical requires the use of inexpensive sensors, such as cameras for localization and obstacle avoidance. To this end, we describe a vision-based obstacle detection system that continually adapts to environmental and illumination variations and a visionassisted localization system that can guide a robot along crop rows with a complex appearance. Large fleets of robots will become time-consuming to monitor, control, and resupply. To reduce this burden, we describe a vision-based docking system for autonomously refilling liquid supplies and an interface for controlling multiple robots.

关键词： laser spectroscopy   laser sensing   laser induced fluorescence   laser induced breakdown spectroscopy   chlorophyll A   fluorometer   ROV  

摘要： Laser technologies that are used for the development of sensor elements for Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) are presented, as well as the latest developments in underwater robotics where laser spectroscopy methods are applied to environmental monitoring. A submersible laser spectrometer unit intended for studying Raman scattering and laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) spectra is presented. The spectrometer was developed as an element of an ROV sensor system for remote detection and measurements of organic matter concentrations in sea water and underwater objects. The results of environmental tests of the submersible LIF spectrometer in various marine areas, including the Arctic, are described.

关键词： FOOD packaging  

摘要： The article reports that Bimba would be offering solutions to engineering challenges in the packaging and food and beverage fields at Pack Expo Las Vegas and mentions its collaboration with Mitsubishi Electric Automation Inc. to combine automation technology with electric motion-control solutions.

关键词： Special issues and sections   Robots   Artificial intelligence   Complex systems   Human factors  

摘要： The papers in this special section presents state-of-the-art research in the area of human-level artificial intelligence and robotic systems from a complex systems perspective. These papers aim to explore questions such as: What is a reasonable cognitive framework? How to build an embodied robotics system? How complex is human-level intelligence? What kinds of subsystems must be integrated to achieve human-level intelligence? To what degree does human-level intelligence rely on emergent properties? To what extent is complexity science (attractors, self-organizing criticality, network theory, and so on) useful for understanding human-level intelligence? To what extent can human-level intelligence be achieved by integrating components that have been engineered, tested, and perhaps commercially deployed for other, more specialized purposes?

关键词： LYMPHADENECTOMY   SURGICAL robots   PROSTATE cancer   ANTIGENS   EMISSION tomography  

摘要： The article offers information on robotic-assisted salvage lymph node dissection for nodal recurrence of prostate cancer. Topics discussed include positive response of prostate-specific antigen to surgery; comparison between the open and robot-assisted approach; and use of prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) positron emission tomography with higher specificity for prostate cancer.

关键词： Educational robots   Mechanical engineering   Accreditation   Automation   Computer science  

摘要： This article presents the results of an online survey of faculty opinions on the state of robotics education with a focus on three topics: degree programs, introductory robotics courses, and educational resources. There were 67 institutions represented, the majority of which are doctoral granting universities located in the United States. I confirmed the existence of seven bachelor programs awarding approximately 140 degrees annually in addition to 26 graduate programs conferring 268 master’s and 83 doctoral degrees annually.

关键词： Robots   Training   Robotics   Machine tools   Automation   Automotive industry   Workstations   Manufacturing engineering   Automotive components   Automotive engineering   Industrial robots  

摘要： The article offers news briefs related to the metalworking industry as of September 2017. Topics include milestones of Denso Robotics, partnership between 5ME and Doosan Machine Tools America to offer cryogenic machining solutions, and the extended service hours of Mitsubishi Electric Automation Inc. to provide technical support for customers.

关键词： Small-scale robotics   Nanobots   Ethnography   Robot ecology   Nanotechnology   Human Factors and Ergonomics (HFE)   Symbolic Interactionism  

摘要： The aim of this article is to extend the Human Factors and Ergonomics (HFE) engagements with nanotechnology (specifically, small-scale robotics) in university settings, in terms of a broader view of human capital. Nanotechnology as a novel technology presents challenges for HFE not only in terms of design and optimization but also in terms of the human aspects involved in the nanotechnology settings. Therefore, it is important to comprehend the knowledge production and work practices in nanotechnology settings. Correspondingly, this article presents two interrelated contributions. First, it presents one of the foremost studies conducted at the intersection of HFE and small-scale robotics. Second, it addresses a broader notion of human capital in nanotechnology settings in terms of knowledge and practices. Toward this end, this article presents an ethnographic case study of small-scale (micro- and nano-) robotics using the viewpoint of Symbolic Interactionism. This article characterizes three main facets of nanotechnology: nanotechnology as mode 2 knowledge;nanotechnology and university research;nanotechnology and innovation panarchy. Using these aspects as the overarching basis, the domain of nanorobotics is situated in university settings to capture a broader notion of human capital and work practices. The study revealed that the participants were constructing not only robots but also its ecology. The robot was best comprehended not as a technical artifact but as a sociotechnical endeavor. Thus, this research presents nanotechnology as a broader construct that goes beyond the limitations of size and scale and bridges the gap between teamwork, technical creations and the overarching ecology.