Visual Attention in Dynamic Environments and its Application to Playing Online Games

Abstract In this thesis we present a prototype of Cognitive Programs (CPs) - an executive controller built on top of Selective Tuning (ST) model of attention. CPs enable top-down control of visual system and interaction between the low-level vision and higher-level task demands. Abstract We implement a subset of CPs for playing online video games in real time using only visual input. Two commercial closed-source games - Canabalt and Robot Unicorn Attack - are used for evaluation. Their simple gameplay and minimal controls put the emphasis on reaction speed and attention over planning. Abstract Our implementation of Cognitive Programs plays both games at human expert level, which experimentally proves the validity of the concept. Additionally we resolved multiple theoretical and engineering issues, e.g. extending the CPs to dynamic environments, finding suitable data structures for describing the task and information flow within the network and determining the correct timing for each process

Design og styring av smarte robotsystemer for applikasjoner innen biovitenskap: biologisk prøvetaking og jordbærhøsting

This thesis aims to contribute knowledge to support fully automation in life-science applications, which includes design, development, control and integration of robotic systems for sample preparation and strawberry harvesting, and is divided into two parts. Part I shows the development of robotic systems for the preparation of fungal samples for Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The first step in this part developed a fully automated robot for homogenization of fungal samples using ultrasonication. The platform was constructed with a modified inexpensive 3D printer, equipped with a camera to distinguish sample wells and blank wells. Machine vision was also used to quantify the fungi homogenization process using model fitting, suggesting that homogeneity level to ultrasonication time can be well fitted with exponential decay equations. Moreover, a feedback control strategy was proposed that used the standard deviation of local homogeneity values to determine the ultrasonication termination time. The second step extended the first step to develop a fully automated robot for the whole process preparation of fungal samples for FTIR spectroscopy by adding a newly designed centrifuge and liquid-handling module for sample washing, concentration and spotting. The new system used machine vision with deep learning to identify the labware settings, which frees the users from inputting the labware information manually. Part II of the thesis deals with robotic strawberry harvesting. This part can be further divided into three stages. i) The first stage designed a novel cable-driven gripper with sensing capabilities, which has high tolerance to positional errors and can reduce picking time with a storage container. The gripper uses fingers to form a closed space that can open to capture a fruit and close to push the stem to the cutting area. Equipped with internal sensors, the gripper is able to control a robotic arm to correct for positional errors introduced by the vision system, improving the robustness. The gripper and a detection method based on color thresholding were integrated into a complete system for strawberry harvesting. ii) The second stage introduced the improvements and updates to the first stage where the main focus was to address the challenges in unstructured environment by introducing a light-adaptive color thresholding method for vision and a novel obstacle-separation algorithm for manipulation. At this stage, the new fully integrated strawberry-harvesting system with dual-manipulator was capable of picking strawberries continuously in polytunnels. The main scientific contribution of this stage is the novel obstacle-separation path-planning algorithm, which is fundamentally different from traditional path planning where obstacles are typically avoided. The algorithm uses the gripper to push aside surrounding obstacles from an entrance, thus clearing the way for it to swallow the target strawberry. Improvements were also made to the gripper, the arm, and the control. iii) The third stage improved the obstacle-separation method by introducing a zig-zag push for both horizontal and upward directions and a novel dragging operation to separate upper obstacles from the target. The zig-zag push can help the gripper capture a target since the generated shaking motion can break the static contact force between the target and obstacles. The dragging operation is able to address the issue of mis-capturing obstacles located above the target, in which the gripper drags the target to a place with fewer obstacles and then pushes back to move the obstacles aside for further detachment. The separation paths are determined by the number and distribution of obstacles based on the downsampled point cloud in the region of interest.Denne avhandlingen tar sikte på å bidra med kunnskap om automatisering og robotisering av applikasjoner innen livsvitenskap. Avhandlingen er todelt, og tar for seg design, utvikling, styring og integrering av robotsystemer for prøvetaking og jordbærhøsting. Del I omhandler utvikling av robotsystemer til bruk under forberedelse av sopprøver for Fourier-transform infrarød (FTIR) spektroskopi. I første stadium av denne delen ble det utviklet en helautomatisert robot for homogenisering av sopprøver ved bruk av ultralyd-sonikering. Plattformen ble konstruert ved å modifisere en billig 3D-printer og utstyre den med et kamera for å kunne skille prøvebrønner fra kontrollbrønner. Maskinsyn ble også tatt i bruk for å estimere soppens homogeniseringsprosess ved hjelp av matematisk modellering, noe som viste at homogenitetsnivået faller eksponensielt med tiden. Videre ble det foreslått en strategi for regulering i lukker sløyfe som brukte standardavviket for lokale homogenitetsverdier til å bestemme avslutningstidspunkt for sonikeringen. I neste stadium ble den første plattformen videreutviklet til en helautomatisert robot for hele prosessen som forbereder prøver av sopprøver for FTIR-spektroskopi. Dette ble gjort ved å legge til en nyutviklet sentrifuge- og væskehåndteringsmodul for vasking, konsentrering og spotting av prøver. Det nye systemet brukte maskinsyn med dyp læring for å identifisere innstillingene for laboratorieutstyr, noe som gjør at brukerne slipper å registrere innstillingene manuelt.Norwegian University of Life SciencespublishedVersio

Continuous perception for deformable objects understanding

We present a robot vision approach to deformable object classification, with direct application to autonomous service robots. Our approach is based on the assumption that continuous perception provides robots with greater visual competence for deformable objects interpretation and classification. Our approach thus classifies the category of clothing items by continuously perceiving the dynamic interactions of the garment’s material and shape as it is being picked up. Our proposed solution consists of extracting continuously visual features of a RGB-D video sequence and fusing features by means of the Locality Constrained Group Sparse Representation (LGSR) algorithm. To evaluate the performance of our approach, we created a fully annotated database featuring 150 garment videos in random configurations. Experiments demonstrate that by continuously observing an object deform, our approach achieves a classification score of 66.7%, outperforming state-of-the-art approaches by a ∼ 27.3% increase

Behavior Flexibility for Autonomous Unmanned Aerial Systems

Autonomous unmanned aerial systems (UAS) could supplement and eventually subsume a substantial portion of the mission set currently executed by remote pilots, making UAS more robust, responsive, and numerous than permitted by teleoperation alone. Unfortunately, the development of robust autonomous systems is difficult, costly, and time-consuming. Furthermore, the resulting systems often make little reuse of proven software components and offer limited adaptability for new tasks. This work presents a development platform for UAS which promotes behavioral flexibility. The platform incorporates the Unified Behavior Framework (a modular, extensible autonomy framework), the Robotic Operating System (a RSF), and PX4 (an open- source flight controller). Simulation of UBF agents identify a combination of reactive robotic control strategies effective for small-scale navigation tasks by a UAS in the presence of obstacles. Finally, flight tests provide a partial validation of the simulated results. The development platform presented in this work offers robust and responsive behavioral flexibility for UAS agents in simulation and reality. This work lays the foundation for further development of a unified autonomous UAS platform supporting advanced planning algorithms and inter-agent communication by providing a behavior-flexible framework in which to implement, execute, extend, and reuse behaviors

Enabling technologies for precise aerial manufacturing with unmanned aerial vehicles

The construction industry is currently experiencing a revolution with automation techniques such as additive manufacturing and robot-enabled construction. Additive Manufacturing (AM) is a key technology that can o er productivity improvement in the construction industry by means of o -site prefabrication and on-site construction with automated systems. The key bene t is that building elements can be fabricated with less materials and higher design freedom compared to traditional manual methods. O -site prefabrication with AM has been investigated for some time already, but it has limitations in terms of logistical issues of components transportation and due to its lack of design exibility on-site. On-site construction with automated systems, such as static gantry systems and mobile ground robots performing AM tasks, can o er additional bene ts over o -site prefabrication, but it needs further research before it will become practical and economical. Ground-based automated construction systems also have the limitation that they cannot extend the construction envelope beyond their physical size. The solution of using aerial robots to liberate the process from the constrained construction envelope has been suggested, albeit with technological challenges including precision of operation, uncertainty in environmental interaction and energy e ciency. This thesis investigates methods of precise manufacturing with aerial robots. In particular, this work focuses on stabilisation mechanisms and origami-based structural elements that allow aerial robots to operate in challenging environments. An integrated aerial self-aligning delta manipulator has been utilised to increase the positioning accuracy of the aerial robots, and a Material Extrusion (ME) process has been developed for Aerial Additive Manufacturing (AAM). A 28-layer tower has been additively manufactured by aerial robots to demonstrate the feasibility of AAM. Rotorigami and a bioinspired landing mechanism demonstrate their abilities to overcome uncertainty in environmental interaction with impact protection capabilities and improved robustness for UAV. Design principles using tensile anchoring methods have been explored, enabling low-power operation and explores possibility of low-power aerial stabilisation. The results demonstrate that precise aerial manufacturing needs to consider not only just the robotic aspects, such as ight control algorithms and mechatronics, but also material behaviour and environmental interaction as factors for its success.Open Acces

Robust Intelligent Sensing and Control Multi Agent Analysis Platform for Research and Education

The aim of this thesis is the development and implementation of a controlled testing platform for the Robust Intelligent Sensing and Controls (RISC) Lab at Utah State University (USU). This will be an open source adaptable expandable robotics platform usable for both education and research. This differs from the many other platforms developed in that the entire platform software will be made open source. This open source software will encourage collaboration among other universities and enable researchers to essentially pick up where others have left off without the necessity of replicating months or even years of work. The expected results of this research will create a foundation for diverse robotics investigation at USU as well as enable attempts at novel methods of control, estimation and optimization. This will also contribute a complete software testbed setup to the already vibrant robotics open source research community. This thesis first outlines the platform setup and novel developments therein. The second stage provides an example of how this has been used in education, providing an example curriculum implementing modern control techniques. The third section provides some exploratory research in trajectory control and state estimation of the tip of an inverted pendulum atop a small unmanned aerial vehicle as well as bearing-only cooperative localization experimentation. Finally, a conclusion and future work is discussed

A robotically constructed production and supply base on Phobos

PHOBIA Corporation is involved with the design of a man-tenable robotically constructed, bootstrap base on Mars' moon, Phobos. This base will be a pit-stop for future manned missions to Mars and beyond and will be a control facility during the robotic construction of a Martian base. An introduction is given to the concepts and the ground rules followed during the design process. Details of a base design and its location are given along with information about some of the subsystems. Since a major purpose of the base is to supply fuel to spacecraft so they can limit their fuel mass, mining and production systems are discussed. Surface support activities such as docks, anchors, and surface transportation systems are detailed. Several power supplies for the base are investigated and include fuel cells and a nuclear reactor. Tasks for the robots are defined along with descriptions of the robots capable of completing the tasks. Finally, failure modes for the entire PHOBIA Corporation design are presented along with an effects analysis and preventative recommendations