关键词： Visual servoing   Gaussian process   Nonlinear model predictive control   Mobile robots   Variant iterative linear quadratic regulator  

摘要： In this paper, a Gaussian process-based nonlinear model predictive control (GP-based NMPC) algorithm is presented to deal with the visual servoing problem for constrained mobile robots. Firstly, a GP-enhanced model is established by incorporating a GP model and a visual servoing kinematic model where the GP-model is used to capture the robot dynamics with on-line updating. Then, a nonlinear model predictive control (NMPC) strategy is proposed to transform the visual servoing task into a nonlinear optimization problem with robot-physical and camera-visibility constraints. Subsequently, a variant iterative linear quadratic regulator algorithm is presented to solve the constrained NMPC problem in real time. Finally, simulations and experiments are conducted to show the effectiveness of the presented method. (C) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

关键词： Industry 4.0   Collaborative robots   Human-robot collaboration   Safety   Ergonomics   Human factors   Systematic literature review  

摘要： Human-robot collaboration is a main technology of Industry 4.0 and is currently changing the shop floor of manufacturing companies. Collaborative robots are innovative industrial technologies introduced to help operators to perform manual activities in so called cyber-physical production systems and combine human inimitable abilities with smart machines strengths. Occupational health and safety criteria are of crucial importance in the implementation of collaborative robotics. Therefore, it is necessary to assess the state of the art for the design of safe and ergonomic collaborative robotic workcells. Emerging research fields beyond the state of the art are also of special interest. To achieve this goal this paper uses a systematic literature review methodology to review recent technical scientific bibliography and to identify current and future research fields. Main research themes addressed in the recent scientific literature regarding safety and ergonomics (or human factors) for industrial collaborative robotics were identified and categorized. The emerging research challenges and research fields were identified and analyzed based on the development of publications over time (annual growth).

关键词： robotics   customer service   degree of robotics adoption  

摘要： We propose a conceptual framework that includes the antecedents and consequences of firms' adopting and integrating robotics into their customer service operations. Drawing insights from literature on customer service, technology marketing, and computer science, our proposed framework elaborates on the concept of the degree of robotics adoption (DRA) as well as the antecedents (employee acceptance of robots and customer acceptance of robots) and multiple sequential consequences (service quality, customer long-term performance, and customer engagement) of DRA. We also discuss how the nature of the firm (Business to Consumer versus Business-to-Business, i.e. B2C vs. B2B), service characteristics (utilitarian vs. hedonic), and brand positioning (low equity vs. high equity) might moderate the relationship between DRA and service quality. Further, we provide actionable guidance for managers to adopt and integrate robotics into their customer service operations.

关键词： accessibility   distribution   surgical robotics   utility  

摘要： Background The distribution, utilisation and accessibility of surgical robotics in England is unknown. Methods A nationwide Freedom of Information (FOI) request was sent to all acute National Health Service (NHS) trusts. Accessibility was assessed for 32 843 Lower Super Output Areas in England. Results All 149 acute NHS trusts responded to the FOI request. Sixty-one robots are distributed between 48 trusts. The number of robots and robotic procedures has increased annually. Urological procedures comprise 84.2% of robotic procedures. Procedure volume varies between robotic centres ranging from 1 to 683 in 2018. Over 2.4 million people have a travel time of over 1 hour to their nearest robotic centre. Discussion National accessibility to robotic services and case volumes are variable and does not represent good value for the NHS. A national robotic surgery registry could improve the quality of robotic surgery and is needed to dynamically assess national provision of this technology.

关键词： Robotics  

摘要： Power units with an RBMK reactor have reached the stage of termination of operation and preparation for decommissioning. Having exceeded the assigned life of 30 years, as a result of aging of the graphite stack some state parameters are close to their maximum permissible value. Further operation required restoration work, which was made possible by the creation and implementation of special robotics. The evolution of the tasks in the management of the resource of RBMK reactors and their relationship with the development and implementation of robotics are described. It is noted that as RBMK power units are decommissioned the relevance of robotics will increase as the radioactive waste management activities expand.

关键词： Collaborative robots   Manufacturing   Ergonomics   Wire harness  

摘要： Wire harnesses are used in several industrial sectors such as automotive, white goods, toys, or electrical and mechanical engineering. One of the key tasks of the process is to assemble and secure harnesses with a taping pistol in several spots to group single wires and make the final harness with all the required ramifications. The proposed method tries to advance the state of the art and enhance the current process, which is being performed manually, by adding robotic arms in a custom cell that collaborates with the human worker. The robotic solution of the proposal will perform all the spot tapings of the process, while the worker performs only the positioning of the cable. It reduces the processing time of the task and allows workers to work on two harnesses at the same time. The results of the present proposal will have a positive impact on companies dedicated to the production of wiring and the sectors to which they supply their products. The solution will also impact on the ergonomic conditions of workers through an innovative work environment that removes the most tedious and repetitive tasks of the operator. (c) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

关键词： reinforcement learning   social robotics   human-robot interaction   reward design   physical embodiment  

摘要： This article surveys reinforcement learning approaches in social robotics. Reinforcement learning is a framework for decision-making problems in which an agent interacts through trial-and-error with its environment to discover an optimal behavior. Since interaction is a key component in both reinforcement learning and social robotics, it can be a well-suited approach for real-world interactions with physically embodied social robots. The scope of the paper is focused particularly on studies that include social physical robots and real-world human-robot interactions with users. We present a thorough analysis of reinforcement learning approaches in social robotics. In addition to a survey, we categorize existent reinforcement learning approaches based on the used method and the design of the reward mechanisms. Moreover, since communication capability is a prominent feature of social robots, we discuss and group the papers based on the communication medium used for reward formulation. Considering the importance of designing the reward function, we also provide a categorization of the papers based on the nature of the reward. This categorization includes three major themes: interactive reinforcement learning, intrinsically motivated methods, and task performance-driven methods. The benefits and challenges of reinforcement learning in social robotics, evaluation methods of the papers regarding whether or not they use subjective and algorithmic measures, a discussion in the view of real-world reinforcement learning challenges and proposed solutions, the points that remain to be explored, including the approaches that have thus far received less attention is also given in the paper. Thus, this paper aims to become a starting point for researchers interested in using and applying reinforcement learning methods in this particular research field.

关键词： Modular construction   Mobile crane   Path planning   Lift planning   Robotics in construction   Construction automation   Industrial plant  

摘要： Lift path planning is a significant subtask in constructability analysis, sequencing, and scheduling of congested industrial modular projects, impacting project cost, and safety. Although intuitive lift planning is still prevalent among the practitioners, this manual process might be tedious and error-prone for hundreds of lifts. This research presents an automated lift path planning method for heavy crawler cranes in no-walk scenarios employing a robotics approach. This method treats the lifted object as a three-degree-of-freedom convex mobile robot with discretized rotational and continuous translational motions. The proposed resolution-complete method models the crane capacity chart, tail-swing, and boom clearances as pseudo-obstacles in the lifted object's configuration space. By reducing the lift path planning to a graph search prblem, if any, the shortest path for the planar motion of the heavy-lift, along with its optimal pick-point, is identified. The developed heavy-lift path planning method is validated via two practical case studies.

关键词： Randomized controlled trial   Stroke rehabilitation   Gait training   Robotics   Ankle-foot orthosis   Stair ambulation  

摘要： Background: Wearable ankle robotics could potentially facilitate intensive repetitive task-specific gait training on stair environment for stroke rehabilitation. A lightweight (0.5 kg) and portable exoskeleton ankle robot was designed to facilitate over-ground and stair training either providing active assistance to move paretic ankle augmenting residual motor function (power-assisted ankle robot, PAAR), or passively support dropped foot by lock/release ankle joint for foot clearance in swing phase (swing-controlled ankle robot, SCAR). In this two-center randomized controlled trial, we hypothesized that conventional training integrated with robot-assisted gait training using either PAAR or SCAR in stair environment are more effective to enhance gait recovery and promote independency in early stroke, than conventional training alone. Methods: Sub-acute stroke survivors (within 2 months after stroke onset) received conventional training integrated with 20-session robot-assisted training (at least twice weekly, 30-min per session) on over-ground and stair environments, wearing PAAR (n = 14) or SCAR (n = 16), as compared to control group receiving conventional training only (CT, n = 17). Clinical assessments were performed before and after the 20-session intervention, including functional ambulatory category as primary outcome measure, along with Berg balance scale and timed 10-m walk test. Results: After the 20-session interventions, all three groups showed statistically significant and clinically meaningful within-group functional improvement in all outcome measures (p < 0.005). Between-group comparison showed SCAR had greater improvement in functional ambulatory category (mean difference + 0.6, medium effect size 0.610) with more than 56% independent walkers after training, as compared to only 29% for CT. Analysis of covariance results showed PAAR had greater improvement in walking speed than SCAR (mean difference + 0.15 m/s, large effect size 0.752), which was in li