Humanoid Robots

For many years, the human being has been trying, in all ways, to recreate the complex mechanisms that form the human body. Such task is extremely complicated and the results are not totally satisfactory. However, with increasing technological advances based on theoretical and experimental researches, man gets, in a way, to copy or to imitate some systems of the human body. These researches not only intended to create humanoid robots, great part of them constituting autonomous systems, but also, in some way, to offer a higher knowledge of the systems that form the human body, objectifying possible applications in the technology of rehabilitation of human beings, gathering in a whole studies related not only to Robotics, but also to Biomechanics, Biomimmetics, Cybernetics, among other areas. This book presents a series of researches inspired by this ideal, carried through by various researchers worldwide, looking for to analyze and to discuss diverse subjects related to humanoid robots. The presented contributions explore aspects about robotic hands, learning, language, vision and locomotion

BIPED GAIT GENERATION FOR HUMANOID DYNAMIC WALKING

Ph.DDOCTOR OF PHILOSOPH

Project Pele: Humanoid Robotic Programming A Study in Artificial Intelligence

In the ever changing world of technology, the humanoid robot has been a constant member of science fiction culture. Our project goal was to develop a humanoid robot capable of independently displaying effective soccer skills. We divided the tasks into two teams; one designed a ball kicking robot program while the other designed a path tracking robot program. After each group completed their four major objectives, we had created a superior program than its predecessors. Using our optimized code as a foundation, another group can further develop these robot programs to demonstrate even more humanlike soccer skills

Project Pele: Humanoid Robotic Programming -A Study in Artificial Intelligence

In the ever changing world of technology, the humanoid robot has been a constant member of science fiction culture. Our project goal was to develop a humanoid robot capable of independently displaying effective soccer skills. We divided the tasks into two teams; one designed a ball kicking robot program while the other designed a path tracking robot program. After each group completed their four major objectives, we had created a superior program than its predecessors. Using our optimized code as a foundation, another group can further develop these robot programs to demonstrate even more humanlike soccer skills

Project Pele: Humanoid Robotic Programming - A Study in Artificial Intelligence

In the ever changing world of technology, the humanoid robot has been a constant member of science fiction culture. Our project goal was to develop a humanoid robot capable of independently displaying effective soccer skills. We divided the tasks into two teams; one designed a ball kicking robot program while the other designed a path tracking robot program. After each group completed their four major objectives, we had created a superior program than its predecessors. Using our optimized code as a foundation, another group can further develop these robot programs to demonstrate even more humanlike soccer skills

Bio-Inspired Robotics

Modern robotic technologies have enabled robots to operate in a variety of unstructured and dynamically-changing environments, in addition to traditional structured environments. Robots have, thus, become an important element in our everyday lives. One key approach to develop such intelligent and autonomous robots is to draw inspiration from biological systems. Biological structure, mechanisms, and underlying principles have the potential to provide new ideas to support the improvement of conventional robotic designs and control. Such biological principles usually originate from animal or even plant models, for robots, which can sense, think, walk, swim, crawl, jump or even fly. Thus, it is believed that these bio-inspired methods are becoming increasingly important in the face of complex applications. Bio-inspired robotics is leading to the study of innovative structures and computing with sensory–motor coordination and learning to achieve intelligence, flexibility, stability, and adaptation for emergent robotic applications, such as manipulation, learning, and control. This Special Issue invites original papers of innovative ideas and concepts, new discoveries and improvements, and novel applications and business models relevant to the selected topics of ``Bio-Inspired Robotics''. Bio-Inspired Robotics is a broad topic and an ongoing expanding field. This Special Issue collates 30 papers that address some of the important challenges and opportunities in this broad and expanding field

Research regarding development and application of tactile sensing for robots

制度:新 ; 報告番号:甲3063号 ; 学位の種類:博士(工学) ; 授与年月日:2010/2/25 ; 早大学位記番号:新532

Controlo visual de uma cabeça humanóide usando alvos fixos

Mestrado em Engenharia de Automação IndustrialEste trabalho apresenta como tese que a visão pode ter um papel importante no equilíbrio e navegação de robôs humanóides tal como acontece nos seres humanos, em particular se se assumir a existência de características fixas no cenário envolvente. O Projeto Humanóide da Universidade de Aveiro (PHUA) é usado neste trabalho como base para desenvolver a proposição desta dissertação. Todos os componentes mecânicos do pescoço do PHUA foram reconstruídos e melhorados para assegurar uma infraestrutura fiável. Foram desenvolvidos algoritmos de processamento de imagem e seguimento visual para encontrar e seguir um alvo fixo, com o intuito de obter realimentação visual para o sistema de seguimento do pescoço. Desenvolveu-se também um algoritmo de controlo de seguimento para a cabeça do humanoide com o intuito de seguir um alvo baseado em realimentação visual. A informação da posição do pescoço pode ser integrada posteriormente com a rede sensorial do humanóide de forma a melhorar o equilíbrio do robô. Foram ainda calculadas e testadas as equações que estimar o movimento do robô, recorrendo aos ângulos da pan and tilt unit (pescoço) e sabendo a distância em cada instante da câmara ao alvo a seguir. O desenvolvimento do software foi baseado numa plataforma modular que permite a criação de vários modos de funcionamento independentes (ROS). Para simular os movimento do humanóide com a intenção de testar o sistema de seguimento desenvolvido, foi utilizado um robô industrial Fanuc. Os resultados dos testes demonstraram que os algoritmos de visão por computador tem um bom desempenho face ao contexto da aplicação. O controlo de seguimento baseado em velocidade, é o melhor para obter um sistema de seguimento visual para robôs humanóides simples e fiàvel.Assuming the existence of fixed characteristics on the scene, this work addresses the thesis that vision may play a major role in humanoids balance and navigation such as it plays in humans. The Project Humanoid of the University of Aveiro (PHUA) is used as a framework to evolve the thesis of this dissertation and all the mechanical components of the PHUA’s neck were rebuilt to guarantee a good infrastructure basis. Image processing and tracking algorithms were developed to find and track a fixed target on an image. Based on the image feedback, a neck’s tracking control algorithm was implemented to track the target. The information of the position of the neck may be further used to integrate with other sensor data aiming to improve the PHUA’s balance. Throughout the information of the angle of the pan and tilt servomotors and knowing the distance of the target, there were calculated the equations that translate the position of the pan and tilt unit in the world and therefore, the robot’s position. The software development is sustained by the Robot Operating System (ROS) framework following the philosophy of a modular and open-ended development. An industrial anthropomorphic robot was used to reproduce the humanoid movements in order to test the whole tracking and ego-motion system. The results showed that the computer vision algorithms present a satisfactory performance for the specific needs and the velocity control algorithm for the tracking system suits the best to accomplish a good and simple tracking system infrastructure in order to obtain the visual feedback for the humanoid

Open motion control architecture for humanoid robots

This Ph.D. thesis contributes to the development of control architecture for robots. It provides a complex study of a control systems design and makes a proposal for generalized open motion control architecture for humanoid robots. Generally speaking, the development of humanoid robots is a very complex engineering and scientific task that requires new approaches in mechanical design, electronics, software engineering and control. First of all, taking into account all these considerations, this thesis tries to answer the question of why we need the development of such robots. Further, it provides a study of the evolution of humanoid robots, as well as an analysis of modern trends. A complex study of motion, that for humanoid robots, means first of all the biped locomotion is addressed. Requirements for the design of open motion control architecture are posed. This work stresses the motion control algorithms for humanoid robots. The implementation of only servo control for some types of robots (especially for walking systems) is not sufficient. Even having stable motion pattern and well tuned joint control, a humanoid robot can fall down while walking. Therefore, these robots need the implementation of another, upper control loop which will provide the stabilization of their motion. This Ph.D. thesis proposes the study of a joint motion control problem and a new solution to walking stability problem for humanoids. A new original walking stabilization controller based on decoupled double inverted pendulum dynamical model is developed. This Ph.D. thesis proposes novel motion control software and hardware architecture for humanoid robots. The main advantage of this architecture is that it was designed by an open systems approach allowing the development of high-quality humanoid robotics platforms that are technologically up-to-date. The Rh-1 prototype of the humanoid robot was constructed and used as a test platform for implementing the concepts described in this Ph.D. thesis. Also, the implementation of walking stabilization control algorithms was made with OpenHRP platform and HRP-2 humanoid robot. The simulations and walking experiments showed favourable results not only in forward walking but also in turning and backwards walking gaits. It proved the applicability and reliability of designed open motion control architecture for humanoid robots. Finally, it should be noted that this Ph.D. thesis considers the motion control system of a humanoid robot as a whole, stresses the entire concept-design-implementation chain and develops basic guidelines for the design of open motion control architecture that can be easily implemented in other biped platforms