Climbing and Walking Robots

With the advancement of technology, new exciting approaches enable us to render mobile robotic systems more versatile, robust and cost-efficient. Some researchers combine climbing and walking techniques with a modular approach, a reconfigurable approach, or a swarm approach to realize novel prototypes as flexible mobile robotic platforms featuring all necessary locomotion capabilities. The purpose of this book is to provide an overview of the latest wide-range achievements in climbing and walking robotic technology to researchers, scientists, and engineers throughout the world. Different aspects including control simulation, locomotion realization, methodology, and system integration are presented from the scientific and from the technical point of view. This book consists of two main parts, one dealing with walking robots, the second with climbing robots. The content is also grouped by theoretical research and applicative realization. Every chapter offers a considerable amount of interesting and useful information

Climbing and Walking Robots

Nowadays robotics is one of the most dynamic fields of scientific researches. The shift of robotics researches from manufacturing to services applications is clear. During the last decades interest in studying climbing and walking robots has been increased. This increasing interest has been in many areas that most important ones of them are: mechanics, electronics, medical engineering, cybernetics, controls, and computers. Today’s climbing and walking robots are a combination of manipulative, perceptive, communicative, and cognitive abilities and they are capable of performing many tasks in industrial and non- industrial environments. Surveillance, planetary exploration, emergence rescue operations, reconnaissance, petrochemical applications, construction, entertainment, personal services, intervention in severe environments, transportation, medical and etc are some applications from a very diverse application fields of climbing and walking robots. By great progress in this area of robotics it is anticipated that next generation climbing and walking robots will enhance lives and will change the way the human works, thinks and makes decisions. This book presents the state of the art achievments, recent developments, applications and future challenges of climbing and walking robots. These are presented in 24 chapters by authors throughtot the world The book serves as a reference especially for the researchers who are interested in mobile robots. It also is useful for industrial engineers and graduate students in advanced study

Robotic Rehabilitation Devices of Human Extremities: Design Concepts and Functional Particularities

International audienceAll over the world, several dozen million people suffer from the effects of post-polio, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury, cerebral palsy, etc. and could benefit from the advances in robotic devices for rehabilitation. Thus, for modern society, an important and vital problem of designing systems for rehabilitation of human physical working ability appears. The temporary or permanent loss of human motor functions can be compensated by means of various rehabilitation devices. They can be simple mechanical systems for orthoses, which duplicate the functions of human extremities supplying with rigidity and bearing capacity or more complex mechatronic rehabilitation devices with higher level of control. We attempt to cover all of the major developments in these areas, focusing particularly on the development of the different concepts and their functional characteristics. The robotic devices with several structures are classified, taking into account the actuation systems, the neuromuscular stimulations, and the structural schemes. It is showed that the problems concerning the design of rehabilitation devices are complex and involve many questions in the sphere of biomedicine, mechanics, robot technology, electromechanics and optimal control. This paper provides a design overview of hardware, actuation, sensory, and control systems for most of the devices that have been described in the literature, and it ends with a discussion of the major advances that have been made and should be yet overcome

障害者のための階段昇降機構に関する研究

長崎大学学位論文　学位記番号:博（生）甲第3号 学位授与年月日:平成15年3月29

Locomotion system for ground mobile robots in uneven and unstructured environments

One of the technology domains with the greatest growth rates nowadays is service robots. The extensive use of ground mobile robots in environments that are unstructured or structured for humans is a promising challenge for the coming years, even though Automated Guided Vehicles (AGV) moving on flat and compact grounds are already commercially available and widely utilized to move components and products inside indoor industrial buildings. Agriculture, planetary exploration, military operations, demining, intervention in case of terrorist attacks, surveillance, and reconnaissance in hazardous conditions are important application domains. Due to the fact that it integrates the disciplines of locomotion, vision, cognition, and navigation, the design of a ground mobile robot is extremely interdisciplinary. In terms of mechanics, ground mobile robots, with the exception of those designed for particular surroundings and surfaces (such as slithering or sticky robots), can move on wheels (W), legs (L), tracks (T), or hybrids of these concepts (LW, LT, WT, LWT). In terms of maximum speed, obstacle crossing ability, step/stair climbing ability, slope climbing ability, walking capability on soft terrain, walking capability on uneven terrain, energy efficiency, mechanical complexity, control complexity, and technology readiness, a systematic comparison of these locomotion systems is provided in [1]. Based on the above-mentioned classification, in this thesis, we first introduce a small-scale hybrid locomotion robot for surveillance and inspection, WheTLHLoc, with two tracks, two revolving legs, two active wheels, and two passive omni wheels. The robot can move in several different ways, including using wheels on the flat, compact ground,[1] tracks on soft, yielding terrain, and a combination of tracks, legs, and wheels to navigate obstacles. In particular, static stability and non-slipping characteristics are considered while analyzing the process of climbing steps and stairs. The experimental test on the first prototype has proven the planned climbing maneuver’s efficacy and the WheTLHLoc robot's operational flexibility. Later we present another development of WheTLHLoc and introduce WheTLHLoc 2.0 with newly designed legs, enabling the robot to deal with bigger obstacles. Subsequently, a single-track bio-inspired ground mobile robot's conceptual and embodiment designs are presented. This robot is called SnakeTrack. It is designed for surveillance and inspection activities in unstructured environments with constrained areas. The vertebral column has two end modules and a variable number of vertebrae linked by compliant joints, and the surrounding track is its essential component. Four motors drive the robot: two control the track motion and two regulate the lateral flexion of the vertebral column for steering. The compliant joints enable limited passive torsion and retroflection of the vertebral column, which the robot can use to adapt to uneven terrain and increase traction. Eventually, the new version of SnakeTrack, called 'Porcospino', is introduced with the aim of allowing the robot to move in a wider variety of terrains. The novelty of this thesis lies in the development and presentation of three novel designs of small-scale mobile robots for surveillance and inspection in unstructured environments, and they employ hybrid locomotion systems that allow them to traverse a variety of terrains, including soft, yielding terrain and high obstacles. This thesis contributes to the field of mobile robotics by introducing new design concepts for hybrid locomotion systems that enable robots to navigate challenging environments. The robots presented in this thesis employ modular designs that allow their lengths to be adapted to suit specific tasks, and they are capable of restoring their correct position after falling over, making them highly adaptable and versatile. Furthermore, this thesis presents a detailed analysis of the robots' capabilities, including their step-climbing and motion planning abilities. In this thesis we also discuss possible refinements for the robots' designs to improve their performance and reliability. Overall, this thesis's contributions lie in the design and development of innovative mobile robots that address the challenges of surveillance and inspection in unstructured environments, and the analysis and evaluation of these robots' capabilities. The research presented in this thesis provides a foundation for further work in this field, and it may be of interest to researchers and practitioners in the areas of robotics, automation, and inspection. As a general note, the first robot, WheTLHLoc, is a hybrid locomotion robot capable of combining tracked locomotion on soft terrains, wheeled locomotion on flat and compact grounds, and high obstacle crossing capability. The second robot, SnakeTrack, is a small-size mono-track robot with a modular structure composed of a vertebral column and a single peripherical track revolving around it. The third robot, Porcospino, is an evolution of SnakeTrack and includes flexible spines on the track modules for improved traction on uneven but firm terrains, and refinements of the shape of the track guidance system. This thesis provides detailed descriptions of the design and prototyping of these robots and presents analytical and experimental results to verify their capabilities

Rehabilitation Engineering

Population ageing has major consequences and implications in all areas of our daily life as well as other important aspects, such as economic growth, savings, investment and consumption, labour markets, pensions, property and care from one generation to another. Additionally, health and related care, family composition and life-style, housing and migration are also affected. Given the rapid increase in the aging of the population and the further increase that is expected in the coming years, an important problem that has to be faced is the corresponding increase in chronic illness, disabilities, and loss of functional independence endemic to the elderly (WHO 2008). For this reason, novel methods of rehabilitation and care management are urgently needed. This book covers many rehabilitation support systems and robots developed for upper limbs, lower limbs as well as visually impaired condition. Other than upper limbs, the lower limb research works are also discussed like motorized foot rest for electric powered wheelchair and standing assistance device

Design of a Mobile Robotic Platform with Variable Footprint

This thesis presents an in-depth investigation to determine the most suitable mobile base design for a powerful and dynamic robotic manipulator. It details the design process of such a mobile platform for use in an indoor human environment that is to carry a two-arm upper-body humanoid manipulator system. Through systematic dynamics analysis, it was determined that a variable footprint holonomic wheeled mobile platform is the design of choice for such an application. Determining functional requirements and evaluating design options is performed for the platform’s general configuration, geometry, locomotion system, suspension, and propulsion, with a particularly in-depth evaluation of the problem of overcoming small steps. Other aspects such as processing, sensing and the power system are dealt with sufficiently to ensure the feasibility of the overall proposed design. The control of the platform is limited to that necessary to determine the appropriate mechanical components. Simulations are performed to investigate design problems and verify performance. A basic CAD model of the system is included for better design visualization. The research carried out in this thesis was performed in cooperation with the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt)’s Robotics and Mechatronics Institute (DLR RM). The DLR RM is currently utilizing the findings of this research to finish the development of the platform with a target completion date of May 2008

DESIGN, DEVELOPMENT, AND USABILITY EVALUATION OF CONTROL ALGORITHMS FOR A MOBILITY ENHANCEMENT ROBOTIC WHEELCHAIR (MEBOT)

An Electric Powered Wheelchair (EPW) is a key mobility device for people with disabilities providing mobility, independence, and improved quality of life. However, the design of current EPWs remains limited when driving in environments with architectural barriers and uneven terrain, making EPW users susceptible to safety issues - such as tipping or falling - which may lead to serious injury. To overcome these limitations, we developed a series of control algorithms for a novel mobility enhancement robotic wheelchair (MEBot). MEBot consists of six wheels with pneumatic actuators to control the elevation and inclination of the wheelchair as well as electric actuators in the driving wheel carriage to change its driving wheel configuration. Its controller is comprised of a single board computer, and a sensor package that aids obstacle detection and provides information about joint movements to develop MEBOT’s control algorithms. The ability of the MEBot controller to perform control algorithms, such as the dynamic seat leveling, curb climbing, and descending applications, was evaluated and validated in both simulation and a controlled environment for broader accessibility in architectural barriers. A stability analysis showed that while the footprint of the wheelchair changed during the process of its control algorithms when overcoming architectural barriers such as curbs and slopes; MEBot maintained its center of mass within the wheelchair footprint. Furthermore, a usability evaluation with ten power wheelchair users was conducted to compare the MEBot’s controller with that of their own power wheelchair in simulated indoor, outdoor, and advanced (architectural barriers) environments. Results show that MEBot was able to perform a significantly higher number of tasks than currently available commercial power wheelchairs in the advanced environment. In addition, participant’s feedback was obtained for further improvement of the device and its control algorithms

Development of Walk Assistive Orthoses for Elderly

The proportion of elderly people is rapidly growing and the resources to help them will soon be insufficient. An important difficulty faced by the seniors is locomotion. Among the conditions that may be responsible for gait impairment, the reduced muscular force is one of the most frequent in elderly. This thesis focuses on the design and the evaluation of new solutions for assisting people with reduced vigor. Robotic orthoses are then used to support critical movements required for walking. Over the last two decades, the use of actuated orthotic devices for helping people suffering from gait disorders has been made possible. Recently, autonomous devices have even enabled spinal cord injured patients to walk again by mobilizing their paralyzed limbs. Addressing a completely different population, similar devices have been developed to augment healthy users' capabilities, for instance when heavy loads need to be carried. In this case, the wearer is in charge of the movements and the device simply follows the imposed trajectories. Extra load can then be carried by the exoskeleton without being felt by the user. The walk assistive devices developed as part of this thesis being intended for the elderly, they are at the intersection between these two classes of robotic orthosis. Indeed, most of the seniors who have difficulties to walk are able to move and therefore the mobilization devices are not adapted to them. Even though they need assistance, they surely do not want to have their movements imposed by a robotic device. The performance augmentation exoskeletons cannot help them either, as they simply follow the movements and only reject the external perturbations. A device that follows their movements and that adds the right amount of force when needed is therefore required. In order to achieve the demanding characteristics associated with assistive devices, new actuation solutions based on conventional electric motors are proposed. The combination of specifications in terms of overall weight, required assistance torque, dynamics capabilities or transparency when no support is provided is undeniably challenging. Various mechanisms are therefore presented to address these requirements. Two prototypes based on the proposed solutions are presented. The first one is based on a ball-screw transmission combined with linkages which provides a transmission ratio that is adapted to multiple walk related activities. The second one uses a transmission with clutches and an inversion mechanism which notably limits the losses due to the inertia of the actuation and greatly improves the natural transparency. In order to limit the obstructiveness of the assistive device, we propose to use partial devices that support specific movements. Two studies about the influence of such partial devices on gait are therefore presented. The first one focuses on identifying the potential sources of gait disturbance that orthotic device can induce. The second examines the effects of an assistive controller implemented on one of the developed prototypes. These studies demonstrate that even though the passive influence of a hip assistive orthosis on kinematic patterns is limited, the metabolic cost is increased. A moderate assistance cannot compensate for this undesirable effect but a link between the hip assistance and the ankle trajectory could be established. This is of major importance as the elderly tend to compensate for their weak ankle muscles with their hips