关键词： Anthropomorphic robots  

摘要： In the DARPA Robotics Challenge (DRC), participating human-robot teams were required to integrate mobility, manipulation, perception, and operator interfaces to complete a simulated disaster mission. We describe our approach using the humanoid robot Atlas Unplugged developed by Boston Dynamics. We focus on our approach, results, and lessons learned from the DRC Finals to demonstrate our strategy, including extensive operator practice, explicit monitoring for robot errors, adding additional sensing, and enabling the operator to control and monitor the robot at varying degrees of abstraction. Our safety-first strategy worked: we avoided falling, and remote operators could safely recover from difficult situations. We were the only team in the DRC Finals that attempted all tasks, scored points (14/16), did not require physical human intervention (a reset), and did not fall in the two missions during the two days of tests. We also had the most consistent pair of runs. (C) 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

关键词： Anthropomorphic robots  

摘要： CHIMP, the CMU Highly Intelligent Mobile Platform, is a humanoid robot capable of executing complex tasks in dangerous, degraded, human-engineered environments, such as those found in disaster response scenarios. CHIMP is uniquely designed for mobile manipulation in challenging environments, as the robot performs manipulation tasks using an upright posture, yet it uses more stable prostrate postures for mobility through difficult terrain. In this paper, we report on the improvements made to CHIMP-both in itsmechanical design and its software systems-in preparation for the DARPA Robotics Challenge Finals in June 2015. These include details on CHIMP's novel mechanical design, actuation systems, robust construction, all-terrain mobility, supervised autonomy approach, and unique user interfaces utilized for the challenge. Additionally, we provide an overview of CHIMP's performance, and we detail the various lessons learned over the course of the challenge. CHIMP was one of the winners of the DARPA Robotics Challenge, completing all tasks and finishing in 3rd place out of 23 teams. Notably, CHIMP was the only robot to stand back up after accidentally falling over, a testament to the robustness engineered into the robot and a remote operator's ability to execute complex tasks using a highly capable robot. We present CHIMP as a concrete engineering example of a successful disaster response robot. (C) 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

关键词： Software architecture  

摘要： This paper presents the technical approaches used and experimental results obtained by Team SNU (Seoul National University) at the 2015 DARPA Robotics Challenge (DRC) Finals. Team SNU is one of the newly qualified teams, unlike 12 teams who previously participated in the December 2013 DRC Trials. The hardware platform THORMANG, which we used, has been developed by ROBOTIS. THORMANG is one of the smallest robots at the DRC Finals. Based on this platform, we focused on developing software architecture and controllers in order to perform complex tasks in disaster response situations and modifying hardware modules to maximize manipulability. Ensuring stability and modularization are two main keywords in the technical approaches of the architecture. We designed our interface and controllers to achieve a higher robustness level against disaster situations. Moreover, we concentrated on developing our software architecture by integrating a number of modules to eliminate software system complexity and programming errors. With these efforts on the hardware and software, we successfully finished the competition without falling, and we ranked 12th out of 23 teams. This paper is concluded with a number of lessons learned by analyzing the 2015 DRC Finals. (C) 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

关键词： creativity   robotics   education   STEM  

摘要： The School Robotics Initiative (SRI), a problem-based robotics program for elementary school students, was developed with the objective of reaching students early on to instill an interest in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math disciplines. The purpose of this exploratory, observational study was to examine how the SRI fosters student creative behavior. Weekly observations of 194 students (4th-6th grade) were conducted in three classrooms, over 3 years. Supplemental data were collected from student-written journals. Data were coded for themes. The findings revealed that the robotics classrooms were characterized by a high degree of energy. The students worked intensely on robotic tasks, engaging in a two-stage creative process that involved first designing a robot with a preplanned or spontaneous work approach, followed by an iterative period of trial and error creative programming. A variety of creativity techniques were observed being used. The SRI was shown to develop creative behavior in the students through the myriad of creative robot products generated. Based on the findings, the authors propose a componential model for developing creative behavior in the students through robotics, which includes a set of social, psychological, and physical elements necessary for the students to produce creative results in school robotics programs.

关键词： Real-time gait phase estimate   Adaptive oscillators   Phase error learning   Wearable robotics  

摘要： This paper presents a novel methodology for estimating the gait phase of human walking through a simple sensory apparatus. Three subsystems are combined: a primary phase estimator based on adaptive oscillators, a desired gait event detector and a phase error compensator. The estimated gait phase is expected to linearly increase from 0 to 2 rad in one stride and remain continuous also when transiting to the next stride. We designed two experimental scenarios to validate this gait phase estimator, namely treadmill walking at different speeds and free walking. In the case of treadmill walking, the maximum phase error at the desired gait events was found to be 0.155 rad, and the maximum phase difference between the end of the previous stride and beginning of the current stride was 0.020 rad. In the free walking trials, phase error at the desired gait event was never larger than 0.278 rad. Our algorithm outperformed against two other benchmarked methods. The good performance of our gait phase estimator could provide consistent and finely tuned assistance for an exoskeleton designed to augment the mobility of patients.

关键词： smart home   service robots   cloud computing  

摘要： In this paper, we explore the possibilities offered by the integration of home automation systems and service robots. In particular, we examine how advanced computationally expensive services can be provided by using a cloud computing approach to overcome the limitations of the hardware available at the user's home. To this end, we integrate two wireless low-cost, off-the-shelf systems in this work, namely, the service robot Rovio and the home automation system Z-wave. Cloud computing is used to enhance the capabilities of these systems so that advanced sensing and interaction services based on image processing and voice recognition can be offered.

关键词： calibration accuracy   relocatable   Coordinate transformations   parameters   Sensors   Torque   Robot  

摘要： This paper presents a new method for calibrating the pose parameters between two coupled 6-axis F/T sensors. The pose parameters include translational and rotational parameters defining the full coordinate transformation between the F/T sensors. The sensor 1 was fixed mount in the robot's flange and the sensor 2 was relocatable i.e. it was mounted arbitrarily on the last link of the robot after the wrist mount sensor. The novelty of our work is in the procedure for solving the translational pose parameters by means of contact point locations solved from systems of linear 3D-torque equations. In the calibration the operator exerts a series of diverging forces on the guiding handle which results in different amount of torque with respect to the coordinate frames of the F/T sensors depending on the respective contact point locations. The acquired forces and torques in the both sensor frames are input to the calibration function which outputs the full pose of the sensor 2 with respect to sensor 1. The influence of the sensor signal noise and the deviation of contact point location as well as unintended wrenching of the handle to the calibration accuracy were evaluated with numerical simulations in MATLAB. The performance of the calibration procedure was demonstrated with the real system including commercially available FIT sensors and medium sized industrial KUKA robot. The experiments verify the achievable calibration accuracy was in the level of +/- 20 mm and +/- 5 degrees and in line with the simulation results. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

关键词： Robots  

摘要： The DARPA Robotics Challenge (DRC) program conducted a series of prize-based competition events to develop and demonstrate technology for disaster response. This article provides the official and definitive account of DRC Finals as the culmination of the DRC program. The article details the eight tasks (Drive, Egress, Door, Valve, Wall, Surprise [Plug and Switch], Rubble [Obstacle or Debris], and Stairs) constituting the Challenge, and describes how the competition encouraged supervised autonomous operation by intentionally degrading the communications channel between the remote human operators. The article presents the results of the DRC Finals and places those results in perspective by identifying both strengths and weaknesses of robot performance exhibited at the competition. (C) 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

关键词： Robots   Motors   Actuators   Robotics   Surgery   Design   Fluids   Testing   Pressure  

摘要： Fusion of robotics and minimally invasive surgery (MIS) has created new opportunities to develop diagnostic and therapeutic tools. Surgical robotics is advancing from externally actuated systems to miniature in-vivo robotics. However, with miniaturization of electric-motor- driven surgical robots, there comes a trade-off between the size of the robot and its capability. Slow actuation, low load capacity, sterilization difficulties, leaking electricity and transferring produced heat to tissues, and high cost are among the key limitations of the use of electric motors in in-vivo applications. Fluid power in the form of hydraulics or pneumatics has a long history in driving many industrial devices and could be exploited to circumvent these limitations. High power density and good compatibility with the in-vivo environment are the key advantages of fluid power over electric motors when it comes to in-vivo applications. However, fabrication of hydraulic/ pneumatic actuators within the desired size and pressure range required for in-vivo surgical robotic applications poses new challenges. Sealing these types of miniature actuators at operating pressures requires obtaining very fine surface finishes which is difficult and costly. The research described here presents design, fabrication, and testing of a hydraulic/ pneumatic double-acting cylinder, a limited-motion vane motor, and a balloon-actuated laparoscopic grasper. These actuators are small, seal-less, easy to fabricate, disposable, and inexpensive, thus ideal for single-use in-vivo applications. To demonstrate the ability of these actuators to drive robotic joints, they were modified and integrated in a robotic arm. The design and testing of this surgical robotic arm are presented to validate the concept of fluid-power actuators for in-vivo applications.