5,709 research outputs found
On the Power of Manifold Samples in Exploring Configuration Spaces and the Dimensionality of Narrow Passages
We extend our study of Motion Planning via Manifold Samples (MMS), a general
algorithmic framework that combines geometric methods for the exact and
complete analysis of low-dimensional configuration spaces with sampling-based
approaches that are appropriate for higher dimensions. The framework explores
the configuration space by taking samples that are entire low-dimensional
manifolds of the configuration space capturing its connectivity much better
than isolated point samples. The contributions of this paper are as follows:
(i) We present a recursive application of MMS in a six-dimensional
configuration space, enabling the coordination of two polygonal robots
translating and rotating amidst polygonal obstacles. In the adduced experiments
for the more demanding test cases MMS clearly outperforms PRM, with over
20-fold speedup in a coordination-tight setting. (ii) A probabilistic
completeness proof for the most prevalent case, namely MMS with samples that
are affine subspaces. (iii) A closer examination of the test cases reveals that
MMS has, in comparison to standard sampling-based algorithms, a significant
advantage in scenarios containing high-dimensional narrow passages. This
provokes a novel characterization of narrow passages which attempts to capture
their dimensionality, an attribute that had been (to a large extent) unattended
in previous definitions.Comment: 20 page
An algebraic method to check the singularity-free paths for parallel robots
Trajectory planning is a critical step while programming the parallel
manipulators in a robotic cell. The main problem arises when there exists a
singular configuration between the two poses of the end-effectors while
discretizing the path with a classical approach. This paper presents an
algebraic method to check the feasibility of any given trajectories in the
workspace. The solutions of the polynomial equations associated with the
tra-jectories are projected in the joint space using Gr{\"o}bner based
elimination methods and the remaining equations are expressed in a parametric
form where the articular variables are functions of time t unlike any numerical
or discretization method. These formal computations allow to write the Jacobian
of the manip-ulator as a function of time and to check if its determinant can
vanish between two poses. Another benefit of this approach is to use a largest
workspace with a more complex shape than a cube, cylinder or sphere. For the
Orthoglide, a three degrees of freedom parallel robot, three different
trajectories are used to illustrate this method.Comment: Appears in International Design Engineering Technical Conferences &
Computers and Information in Engineering Conference , Aug 2015, Boston,
United States. 201
A "Piano Movers" Problem Reformulated
It has long been known that cylindrical algebraic decompositions (CADs) can
in theory be used for robot motion planning. However, in practice even the
simplest examples can be too complicated to tackle. We consider in detail a
"Piano Mover's Problem" which considers moving an infinitesimally thin piano
(or ladder) through a right-angled corridor.
Producing a CAD for the original formulation of this problem is still
infeasible after 25 years of improvements in both CAD theory and computer
hardware. We review some alternative formulations in the literature which use
differing levels of geometric analysis before input to a CAD algorithm. Simpler
formulations allow CAD to easily address the question of the existence of a
path. We provide a new formulation for which both a CAD can be constructed and
from which an actual path could be determined if one exists, and analyse the
CADs produced using this approach for variations of the problem.
This emphasises the importance of the precise formulation of such problems
for CAD. We analyse the formulations and their CADs considering a variety of
heuristics and general criteria, leading to conclusions about tackling other
problems of this form.Comment: 8 pages. Copyright IEEE 201
Workspace and Singularity analysis of a Delta like family robot
Workspace and joint space analysis are essential steps in describing the task
and designing the control loop of the robot, respectively. This paper presents
the descriptive analysis of a family of delta-like parallel robots by using
algebraic tools to induce an estimation about the complexity in representing
the singularities in the workspace and the joint space. A Gr{\"o}bner based
elimination is used to compute the singularities of the manipulator and a
Cylindrical Algebraic Decomposition algorithm is used to study the workspace
and the joint space. From these algebraic objects, we propose some certified
three dimensional plotting describing the the shape of workspace and of the
joint space which will help the engineers or researchers to decide the most
suited configuration of the manipulator they should use for a given task. Also,
the different parameters associated with the complexity of the serial and
parallel singularities are tabulated, which further enhance the selection of
the different configuration of the manipulator by comparing the complexity of
the singularity equations.Comment: 4th IFTOMM International Symposium on Robotics and Mechatronics, Jun
2015, Poitiers, France. 201
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