关键词： robotics   soft matter   dynamical systems  

摘要： Discovery of fundamental principles which govern and limit effective locomotion (self-propulsion) is of intellectual interest and practical importance. Human technology has created robotic moving systems that excel in movement on and within environments of societal interest: paved roads, open air and water. However, such devices cannot yet robustly and efficiently navigate (as animals do) the enormous diversity of natural environments which might be of future interest for autonomous robots;examples include vertical surfaces like trees and cliffs, heterogeneous ground like desert rubble and brush, turbulent flows found near seashores, and deformable/flowable substrates like sand, mud and soil. In this review we argue for the creation of a physics of moving systems-a 'locomotion robophysics'-which we define as the pursuit of principles of self-generated motion. Robophysics can provide an important intellectual complement to the discipline of robotics, largely the domain of researchers from engineering and computer science. The essential idea is that we must complement the study of complex robots in complex situations with systematic study of simplified robotic devices in controlled laboratory settings and in simplified theoretical models. We must thus use the methods of physics to examine both locomotor successes and failures using parameter space exploration, systematic control, and techniques from dynamical systems. Using examples from our and others' research, we will discuss how such robophysical studies have begun to aid engineers in the creation of devices that have begun to achieve life-like locomotor abilities on and within complex environments, have inspired interesting physics questions in low dimensional dynamical systems, geometric mechanics and soft matter physics, and have been useful to develop models for biological locomotion in complex terrain. The rapidly decreasing cost of constructing robot models with easy access to significant computational power

关键词： ROBOT control systems   APPLICATION software   COMPUTER engineering   TECHNOLOGICAL innovations   COMPUTER systems  

关键词： Automation   Manufacturing   Robots   Bids   Robotics   Suppliers   Employment   Manufacturers   Quality   Electronic commerce   Sourcing  

摘要： The simple proposition that no two automation solutions using robotics are alike because no two manufacturing processes are identical presented a major challenge to Daniel Drernnen of Deshazo LLC (Alabaster, AL). Deshazo offers robotic vision systems that allow robots to perform quality control inspection, parts picking, and other automating processes for the steel, aerospace, automotive, and consumer products industries, among others. Its robotic packaging systems give robots the capacity to determine what product goes into a particular package and then box the product. Recent engineered solutions include a vision-guided robot to load castings into a high-speed machining center, while another uses a robot to do spot welding for catalytic converter housings. Still others employ robotic systems to perform filling, capping, and labeling functions for hazardous materials, residential coil assembly for an HVAC manufacturer; and assembly for a consumer goods manufacturer. The applications for robotics are limitless, but each solution creates a unique parts need," said Drerinen.

关键词： ROBOTICS   AUTOMATION   PACKAGING   CONSUMERS   SUPPLY chains  

摘要： The article focuses on robotics and smart automation solutions that innovate and improve processes in packaging products and improve how products are handled during transport and across the supply chain. Topics include technology that makes improvements in mechanical packaging processes. Technology that makes improvements in how products are transported and delivered to the consumer is also mentioned.

关键词： Human biomechanics   Man-machine systems   Robot dynamics   Control of robotic systems   Mechatronic systems  

摘要： This paper treats the systematic injury analysis of lower arm robot-human impacts. For this purpose, a passive mechanical lower arm (PMLA) was developed that mimics the human impact response and is suitable for systematic impact testing and prediction of mild contusions and lacerations. A mathematical model of the passive human lower arm is adopted to the control of the PMLA. Its biofidelity is verified by a number of comparative impact experiments with the PMLA and a human volunteer. The respective dynamic impact responses show very good consistency and support the fact that the developed device may serve as a human substitute in safety analysis for the described conditions. The collision tests were performed with two different robots: the DLR Lightweight Robot III (LWR-III) and the EPSON PS3L industrial robot. The data acquired in the PMLA impact experiments were used to encapsulate the results in a robot independent safety curve, taking into account robot's reflected inertia, velocity and impact geometry. Safety curves define the velocity boundaries on robot motions based on the instantaneous manipulator dynamics and possible human injury due to unforeseen impacts.

关键词： Space robot   Dynamics modeling   Jourdain's velocity variation principle   Hertz contact and impact theory   Active control  

摘要： In many kinds of on-orbit space robot tasks, capturing free floating target using space robot attracts more attention of researchers. However, most existing researches about dynamics and control of space robot concern planar problem, and the effect of flexible panel on capturing dynamics of the system is not considered. In this paper, spatial dynamics and control of a 6-DOF space robot with flexible panels are investigated and spatial impact problem is considered. Dynamic model of the system is established by the single direction recursive construction method and the Jourdain's velocity variation principle. The Hertz contact and impact theory and the method of computer graphics are used to establish the impact model. The computed torque control method is used to design active controller to suppress the spacecraft drift caused by the impact. Numerical simulation results show that the established dynamic model is effective in describing the dynamics behavior of the space robot;flexible panels have big influence on impact dynamic characteristics;the designed controller may effectively control the spacecraft drift during the capture process. (C) 2016 IAA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

关键词： Computer navigation   Robotics   Unicompartmental knee arthroplasty   Total knee arthroplasty   Soft tissue balancing  

摘要： Recently, there is a growing interest in surgical variables that are intraoperatively controlled by orthopaedic surgeons, including lower leg alignment, component positioning and soft tissues balancing. Since more tight control over these factors is associated with improved outcomes of unicompartmental knee arthroplasty and total knee arthroplasty (TKA), several computer navigation and robotic-assisted systems have been developed. Although mechanical axis accuracy and component positioning have been shown to improve with computer navigation, no superiority in functional outcomes has yet been shown. This could be explained by the fact that many differences exist between the number and type of surgical variables these systems control. Most systems control lower leg alignment and component positioning, while some in addition control soft tissue balancing. Finally, robotic-assisted systems have the additional advantage of improving surgical precision. A systematic search in PubMed, Embase and Cochrane Library resulted in 40 comparative studies and three registries on computer navigation reporting outcomes of 474,197 patients, and 21 basic science and clinical studies on robotic-assisted knee arthroplasty. Twenty-eight of these comparative computer navigation studies reported Knee Society Total scores in 3504 patients. Stratifying by type of surgical variables, no significant differences were noted in outcomes between surgery with computer-navigated TKA controlling for alignment and component positioning versus conventional TKA (p = 0.63). However, significantly better outcomes were noted following computer-navigated TKA that also controlled for soft tissue balancing versus conventional TKA (mean difference 4.84, 95 % Confidence Interval 1.61, 8.07, p = 0.003). A literature review of robotic systems showed that these systems can, similarly to computer navigation, reliably improve lower leg alignment, component positioning and soft tissues balancing. Furthermore, two stud

关键词： Adaptive agents   Cooperative multi-agent systems   Robotics in ambient systems   Machine learning   Context-awareness  

摘要： Ambient systems are populated by many heterogeneous devices to provide adequate services to their users. The adaptation of an ambient system to the specific needs of its users is a challenging task. Because human-system interaction has to be as natural as possible, we propose an approach based on Learning from Demonstration (LfD). LID is an interesting approach to generalize what has been observed during the demonstration to similar situations. However, using LID in ambient systems needs adaptivity of the learning technique. We present ALEX, a multi-agent system able to dynamically learn and reuse contexts from demonstrations performed by a tutor. The results of the experiments performed on both a real and a virtual robot show interesting properties of our technology for ambient applications. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

关键词： ROBOTICS   ARTIFICIAL intelligence  

摘要： The article discusses a report on robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) from the House of Commons Science and Technology (S&T) Committee of Great Britain has received response from the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) that is expected to create job opportunities for individuals.

关键词： 机器人竞赛   智能机器人   Robocup   FIRA   机器人足球   数据技术   FIRST   robotics   意义分析   识别信号  

摘要： 一、国际机器人竞赛的现状分析随着云计算、大数据技术与深度学习的不断发展,智能机器人领域逐渐成为“全球增长最快的产业”,正在被大批量地部署到生产与生活领域,承担各种任务。相关国际性竞赛自上个世纪开始兴起,经历了逐步从单一到综合、从简单到复杂的发展历程。迄今包括Robocup机器人世界杯、机器人舞蹈竞赛、机器人武术擂台赛、机器人搜救竞赛、国际机器人灭火竞赛以及FIRST系列等等。