Development of PVDF tactile dynamic sensing in a behaviour-based assembly robot

The research presented in this thesis focuses on the development of tactile event sig¬ nature sensors and their application, especially in reactive behaviour-based robotic assembly systems.In pursuit of practical and economic sensors for detecting part contact, the application ofPVDF (polyvinylidene fluoride) film, a mechanical vibration sensitive piezo material, is investigated. A Clunk Sensor is developed which remotely detects impact vibrations, and a Push Sensor is developed which senses small changes in the deformation of a compliant finger surface. The Push Sensor is further developed to provide some force direction and force pattern sensing capability.By being able to detect changes of state in an assembly, such as a change of contact force, an assembly robot can be well informed of current conditions. The complex structure of assembly tasks provides a rich context within which to interpret changes of state, so simple binary sensors can conveniently supply a lot more information than in the domain of mobile robots. Guarded motions, for example, which require sensing a change of state, have long been recognised as very useful in part mating tasks. Guarded motions are particularly well suited to be components of assembly behavioural modules.In behaviour-based robotic assembly systems, the high level planner is endowed with as little complexity as possible while the low level planning execution agent deals with actual sensing and action. Highly reactive execution agents can provide advantages by encapsulating low level sensing and action, hiding the details of sensori-motor complexity from the higher levels.Because behaviour-based assembly systems emphasise the utility of this kind of quali¬ tative state-change sensor (as opposed to sensors which measure physical quantities), the robustness and utility of the Push Sensor was tested in an experimental behaviourbased system. An experimental task of pushing a ring along a convoluted stiff wire is chosen, in which the tactile sensors developed here are aided by vision. Three differ¬ ent methods of combining these different sensors within the general behaviour-based paradigm are implemented and compared. This exercise confirms the robustness and utility of the PVDF-based tactile sensors. We argue that the comparison suggests that for behaviour-based assembly systems using multiple concurrent sensor systems, bottom-level motor control in terms of force or velocity would be more appropriate than positional control. Behaviour-based systems have traditionally tried to avoid symbolic knowledge. Considering this in the light of the above work, it was found useful to develop a taxonomy of type of knowledge and refine the prohibition

Third Conference on Artificial Intelligence for Space Applications, part 1

The application of artificial intelligence to spacecraft and aerospace systems is discussed. Expert systems, robotics, space station automation, fault diagnostics, parallel processing, knowledge representation, scheduling, man-machine interfaces and neural nets are among the topics discussed

Model Based Teleoperation to Eliminate Feedback Delay NSF Grant BCS89-01352 Second Report

We are conducting research in the area of teleoperation with feedback delay. Delay occurs with earth-based teleoperation in space and with surface-based teleoperation with untethered submersibles when acoustic communication links are involved. The delay in obtaining position and force feedback from remote slave arms makes teleoperation extremely difficult leading to very low productivity. We have combined computer graphics with manipulator programming to provide a solution to the problem. A teleoperator master arm is interfaced to a graphics based simulator of the remote environment. The system is then coupled with a robot manipulator at the remote, delayed site. The operator\u27s actions are monitored to provide both kinesthetic and visual feedback and to generate symbolic motion commands to the remote slave. The slave robot then executes these symbolic commands delayed in time. While much of a task proceeds error free, when an error does occur, the slave system transmits data back to the master environment which is then reset to the error state from which the operator continues the task

Advances in Reinforcement Learning

Reinforcement Learning (RL) is a very dynamic area in terms of theory and application. This book brings together many different aspects of the current research on several fields associated to RL which has been growing rapidly, producing a wide variety of learning algorithms for different applications. Based on 24 Chapters, it covers a very broad variety of topics in RL and their application in autonomous systems. A set of chapters in this book provide a general overview of RL while other chapters focus mostly on the applications of RL paradigms: Game Theory, Multi-Agent Theory, Robotic, Networking Technologies, Vehicular Navigation, Medicine and Industrial Logistic

Proceedings of the NASA Conference on Space Telerobotics, volume 2

These proceedings contain papers presented at the NASA Conference on Space Telerobotics held in Pasadena, January 31 to February 2, 1989. The theme of the Conference was man-machine collaboration in space. The Conference provided a forum for researchers and engineers to exchange ideas on the research and development required for application of telerobotics technology to the space systems planned for the 1990s and beyond. The Conference: (1) provided a view of current NASA telerobotic research and development; (2) stimulated technical exchange on man-machine systems, manipulator control, machine sensing, machine intelligence, concurrent computation, and system architectures; and (3) identified important unsolved problems of current interest which can be dealt with by future research

The Sixth Annual Workshop on Space Operations Applications and Research (SOAR 1992)

This document contains papers presented at the Space Operations, Applications, and Research Symposium (SOAR) hosted by the U.S. Air Force (USAF) on 4-6 Aug. 1992 and held at the JSC Gilruth Recreation Center. The symposium was cosponsored by the Air Force Material Command and by NASA/JSC. Key technical areas covered during the symposium were robotic and telepresence, automation and intelligent systems, human factors, life sciences, and space maintenance and servicing. The SOAR differed from most other conferences in that it was concerned with Government-sponsored research and development relevant to aerospace operations. The symposium's proceedings include papers covering various disciplines presented by experts from NASA, the USAF, universities, and industry

The 1995 Goddard Conference on Space Applications of Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Information Technologies

This publication comprises the papers presented at the 1995 Goddard Conference on Space Applications of Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Information Technologies held at the NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, on May 9-11, 1995. The purpose of this annual conference is to provide a forum in which current research and development directed at space applications of artificial intelligence can be presented and discussed

Fourth Conference on Artificial Intelligence for Space Applications

Proceedings of a conference held in Huntsville, Alabama, on November 15-16, 1988. The Fourth Conference on Artificial Intelligence for Space Applications brings together diverse technical and scientific work in order to help those who employ AI methods in space applications to identify common goals and to address issues of general interest in the AI community. Topics include the following: space applications of expert systems in fault diagnostics, in telemetry monitoring and data collection, in design and systems integration; and in planning and scheduling; knowledge representation, capture, verification, and management; robotics and vision; adaptive learning; and automatic programming

Fourth Annual Workshop on Space Operations Applications and Research (SOAR 90)

The proceedings of the SOAR workshop are presented. The technical areas included are as follows: Automation and Robotics; Environmental Interactions; Human Factors; Intelligent Systems; and Life Sciences. NASA and Air Force programmatic overviews and panel sessions were also held in each technical area