06251 Abstracts Collection -- Multi-Robot Systems: Perception, Behaviors, Learning, and Action

From 19.06.06 to 23.06.06, the Dagstuhl Seminar 06251 ``Multi-Robot Systems: Perception, Behaviors, Learning, and Action\u27\u27 was held in the International Conference and Research Center (IBFI), Schloss Dagstuhl. During the seminar, several participants presented their current research, and ongoing work and open problems were discussed. Abstracts of the presentations given during the seminar as well as abstracts of seminar results and ideas are put together in this paper. The first section describes the seminar topics and goals in general. Links to extended abstracts or full papers are provided, if available

Machine Performers: Agents in a Multiple Ontological State

In this thesis, the author explores and develops new attributes for machine performers and merges the trans-disciplinary fields of the performing arts and artificial intelligence. The main aim is to redefine the term “embodiment” for robots on the stage and to demonstrate that this term requires broadening in various fields of research. This redefining has required a multifaceted theoretical analysis of embodiment in the field of artificial intelligence (e.g. the uncanny valley), as well as the construction of new robots for the stage by the author. It is hoped that these practical experimental examples will generate more research by others in similar fields. Even though the historical lineage of robotics is engraved with theatrical strategies and dramaturgy, further application of constructive principles from the performing arts and evidence from psychology and neurology can shift the perception of robotic agents both on stage and in other cultural environments. In this light, the relation between representation, movement and behaviour of bodies has been further explored to establish links between constructed bodies (as in artificial intelligence) and perceived bodies (as performers on the theatrical stage). In the course of this research, several practical works have been designed and built, and subsequently presented to live audiences and research communities. Audience reactions have been analysed with surveys and discussions. Interviews have also been conducted with choreographers, curators and scientists about the value of machine performers. The main conclusions from this study are that fakery and mystification can be used as persuasive elements to enhance agency. Morphologies can also be applied that tightly couple brain and sensorimotor actions and lead to a stronger stage presence. In fact, if this lack of presence is left out of human replicants, it causes an “uncanny” lack of agency. Furthermore, the addition of stage presence leads to stronger identification from audiences, even for bodies dissimilar to their own. The author demonstrates that audience reactions are enhanced by building these effects into machine body structures: rather than identification through mimicry, this causes them to have more unambiguously biological associations. Alongside these traits, atmospheres such as those created by a cast of machine performers tend to cause even more intensely visceral responses. In this thesis, “embodiment” has emerged as a paradigm shift – as well as within this shift – and morphological computing has been explored as a method to deepen this visceral immersion. Therefore, this dissertation considers and builds machine performers as “true” performers for the stage, rather than mere objects with an aura. Their singular and customized embodiment can enable the development of non-anthropocentric performances that encompass the abstract and conceptual patterns in motion and generate – as from human performers – empathy, identification and experiential reactions in live audiences

Biomimetic Engineering

Humankind is a privileged animal species for many reasons. A remarkable one is its ability to conceive and manufacture objects. Human industry is indeed leading the various winning strategies (along with language and culture) that has permitted this primate to extraordinarily increase its life expectancy and proliferation rate. (It is indeed so successful, that it now threatens the whole planet.) The design of this industry kicks off in the brain, a computing machine particularly good at storing, recognizing and associating patterns. Even in a time when human beings tend to populate non-natural, man-made environments, the many forms, colorings, textures and behaviors of nature continuously excite our senses and blend in our thoughts, even more deeply during childhood. Then, it would be exaggerated to say that Biomimetics is a brand new strategy. As long as human creation is based on previously acquired knowledge and experiences, it is not surprising that engineering, the arts, and any form of expression, is influenced by nature’s way to some extent. The design of human industry has evolved from very simple tools, to complex engineering devices. Nature has always provided us with a rich catalog of excellent materials and inspiring designs. Now, equipped with new machinery and techniques, we look again at Nature. We aim at mimicking not only its best products, but also its design principles. Organic life, as we know it, is indeed a vast pool of diversity. Living matter inhabits almost every corner of the terrestrial ecosphere. From warm open-air ecosystems to the extreme conditions of hot salt ponds, living cells have found ways to metabolize the sources of energy, and get organized in complex organisms of specialized tissues and organs that adapt themselves to the environment, and can modify the environment to their own needs as well. Life on Earth has evolved such a diverse portfolio of species that the number of designs, mechanisms and strategies that can actually be abstracted is astonishing. As August Krogh put it: "For a large number of problems there will be some animal of choice, on which it can be most conveniently studied". The scientific method starts with a meticulous observation of natural phenomena, and humans are particularly good at that game. In principle, the aim of science is to understand the physical world, but an observer’s mind can behave either as an engineer or as a scientist. The minute examination of the many living forms that surround us has led to the understanding of new organizational principles, some of which can be imported in our production processes. In practice, bio-inspiration can arise at very different levels of observation: be it social organization, the shape of an organism, the structure and functioning of organs, tissular composition, cellular form and behavior, or the detailed structure of molecules. Our direct experience of the wide portfolio of species found in nature, and their particular organs, have clearly favored that the initial models would come from the organism and organ levels. But the development of new techniques (on one hand to observe the micro- and nanostructure of living beings, and on the other to simulate the complex behavior of social communities) have significantly extended the domain of interest

Human-Mechanical system interaction in Virtual Reality

The present work aims to show the great potential of Virtual Reality (VR) technologies in the field of Human-Robot Interaction (HRI). Indeed, it is foreseeable that in not too distant future cooperating robots will be increasingly present in human environments. Many authors actually believe that after the current information revolution, we will witness the so-called "robotics revolution", with the spread of increasingly intelligent and autonomous robots capable of moving into our own environments. Since these machines must be able to interact with human beings in a safe way, new design tools for the study of Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) are needed. The author believes that VR is an ideal design tool for the study of the interaction between humans and automatic machines, since it allows the designers to interact in real-time with virtual robotic systems and to evaluate different control algorithms, without the need of physical prototypes. This also shields the user from any risk related to the physical experimentation. However, VR technologies have also a more immediate application in the field of HRI, such as the study of usability of interfaces for real-time controlled robots. In fact, these robots, such as robots for microsurgery or even "teleoperated" robots working in a hostile environments, are already quite common. VR allows the designers to evaluate the usability of such interfaces by relating their physical input with a virtual output. In particular, the author has developed a new software application aimed at simulating automatic robots and, more generally, mechanical systems in a virtual environment. The user can interact with one or more virtual manipulators and also control them in real-time by means of several input devices. Finally, an innovative approach to the modeling and control of a humanoid robot with high degree of redundancy is discussed. VR implementation of a virtual humanoid is useful for the study of both humanoid robots and human beings

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

Mobile Robotics

The book is a collection of ten scholarly articles and reports of experiences and perceptions concerning pedagogical practices with mobile robotics.“This work is funded by CIEd – Research Centre on Education, project UID/CED/01661/2019, Institute of Education, University of Minho, through national funds of FCT/MCTES-PT.

Robotics in Germany and Japan

This book comprehends an intercultural and interdisciplinary framework including current research fields like Roboethics, Hermeneutics of Technologies, Technology Assessment, Robotics in Japanese Popular Culture and Music Robots. Contributions on cultural interrelations, technical visions and essays are rounding out the content of this book