XOR Binary Gravitational Search Algorithm with Repository: Industry 4.0 Applications

Industry 4.0 is the fourth generation of industry which will theoretically revolutionize manufacturing methods through the integration of machine learning and artificial intelligence approaches on the factory floor to obtain robustness and sped-up process changes. In particular, the use of the digital twin in a manufacturing environment makes it possible to test such approaches in a timely manner using a realistic 3D environment that limits incurring safety issues and danger of damage to resources. To obtain superior performance in an industry 4.0 setup, a modified version of a binary gravitational search algorithm is introduced which benefits from an exclusive or (XOR) operator and a repository to improve the exploration property of the algorithm. Mathematical analysis of the proposed optimization approach is performed which resulted in two theorems which show that the proposed modification to the velocity vector can direct particles to the best particles. The use of repository in this algorithm provides a guideline to direct the particles to the best solutions more rapidly. The proposed algorithm is evaluated on some benchmark optimization problems covering a diverse range of functions including unimodal and multimodal as well as those which suffer from multiple local minima. The proposed algorithm is compared against several existing binary optimization algorithms including existing versions of a binary gravitational search algorithm, improved binary optimization, binary particle swarm optimization, binary grey wolf optimization and binary dragonfly optimization. To show that the proposed approach is an effective method to deal with real world binary optimization problems raised in an industry 4.0 environment, it is then applied to optimize the assembly task of an industrial robot assembling an industrial calculator. The optimal movements obtained are then implemented on a real robot. Furthermore, the digital twin of a universal robot is developed, and its path planning is done in the presence of obstacles using the proposed optimization algorithm. The obtained path is then inspected by human expert and validated. It is shown that the proposed approach can effectively solve such optimization problems which arises in industry 4.0 environment

Automatic generation of robot and manual assembly plans using octrees

This paper aims to investigate automatic assembly planning for robot and manual assembly. The octree decomposition technique is applied to approximate CAD models with an octree representation which are then used to generate robot and manual assembly plans. An assembly planning system able to generate assembly plans was developed to build these prototype models. Octree decomposition is an effective assembly planning tool. Assembly plans can automatically be generated for robot and manual assembly using octree models. Research limitations/implications - One disadvantage of the octree decomposition technique is that it approximates a part model with cubes instead of using the actual model. This limits its use and applications when complex assemblies must be planned, but in the context of prototyping can allow a rough component to be formed which can later be finished by hand. Assembly plans can be generated using octree decomposition, however, new algorithms must be developed to overcome its limitations

Computation Reuse in Statics and Dynamics Problems for Assemblies of Rigid Bodies

The problem of determining the forces among contacting rigid bodies is fundamental to many areas of robotics, including manipulation planning, control, and dynamic simulation. For example, consider the question of how to unstack an assembly, or how to find stable regions of a rubble pile. In considering problems of this type over discrete or continuous time, we often encounter a sequence of problems with similar substructure. The primary contribution of our work is the observation that in many cases, common physical structure can be exploited to solve a sequence of related problems more efficiently than if each problem were considered in isolation. We examine three general problems concerning rigid-body assemblies: dynamic simulation, assembly planning, and assembly stability given limited knowledge of the structure\u27s geometry. To approach the dynamic simulation and assembly planning applications, we have optimized a known method for solving the system dynamics. The accelerations of and forces among contacting rigid bodies may be computed by formulating the dynamics equations and contact constraints as a complementarity problem. Dantzig\u27s algorithm, when applicable, takes n or fewer major cycles to find a solution to the linear complementarity problem corresponding to an assembly with n contacts. We show that Dantzig\u27s algorithm will find a solution in n - k or fewer major cycles if the algorithm is initialized with a solution to the dynamics problem for a subassembly with k internal contacts. Finally, we show that if we have limited knowledge of a structure\u27s geometry, we can still learn about stable regions of its surface by physically pressing on it. We present an approach for finding stable regions of planar assemblies: sample presses on the surface to identify a stable cone in wrench space, partition the space of applicable wrenches into stable and unstable regions, and map these back to the surface of the structure

Master’s thesis proposal: computation reuse in stacking and unstacking

Algorithms for dynamic simulation and control are fundamental to many applications, including computer games and movies, medical simulation, and mechanical design. I propose to explore efficient algorithms for finding a stable unstacking sequence -- an order in which we can remove every object from a structure without causing the structure to collapse under gravity at any step. We begin with a basic unstacking sequence algorithm: consider the set of all objects in a structure. Collect all possible subsets into a disassembly graph. Search the graph, testing the stability of each node as it is visited. Any path of stable nodes from start to goal is a stable unstacking sequence. I propose to show how we can improve the performance of individual stability tests for three-dimensional structures with Coulomb friction, and give effective methods for searching the disassembly graph. I will also analyze the computational complexity of stable unstacking problems, and explore a classification of structures based on characteristics of their stable unstacking sequences. In preliminary work, I have shown that we can reuse computation from one stability test of a planar subassembly to the next. The implementation, which solves the system dynamics as a linear complementarity problem (LCP), outperforms an implementation that solves the system statics as a linear program (LP). This is surprising because LCPs are more complex than LPs, and dynamics equations are more complex than statics equations

Hybrid ant colony system algorithm for static and dynamic job scheduling in grid computing

Grid computing is a distributed system with heterogeneous infrastructures. Resource management system (RMS) is one of the most important components which has great influence on the grid computing performance. The main part of RMS is the scheduler algorithm which has the responsibility to map submitted tasks to available resources. The complexity of scheduling problem is considered as a nondeterministic polynomial complete (NP-complete) problem and therefore, an intelligent algorithm is required to achieve better scheduling solution. One of the prominent intelligent algorithms is ant colony system (ACS) which is implemented widely to solve various types of scheduling problems. However, ACS suffers from stagnation problem in medium and large size grid computing system. ACS is based on exploitation and exploration mechanisms where the exploitation is sufficient but the exploration has a deficiency. The exploration in ACS is based on a random approach without any strategy. This study proposed four hybrid algorithms between ACS, Genetic Algorithm (GA), and Tabu Search (TS) algorithms to enhance the ACS performance. The algorithms are ACS(GA), ACS+GA, ACS(TS), and ACS+TS. These proposed hybrid algorithms will enhance ACS in terms of exploration mechanism and solution refinement by implementing low and high levels hybridization of ACS, GA, and TS algorithms. The proposed algorithms were evaluated against twelve metaheuristic algorithms in static (expected time to compute model) and dynamic (distribution pattern) grid computing environments. A simulator called ExSim was developed to mimic the static and dynamic nature of the grid computing. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithms outperform ACS in terms of best makespan values. Performance of ACS(GA), ACS+GA, ACS(TS), and ACS+TS are better than ACS by 0.35%, 2.03%, 4.65% and 6.99% respectively for static environment. For dynamic environment, performance of ACS(GA), ACS+GA, ACS+TS, and ACS(TS) are better than ACS by 0.01%, 0.56%, 1.16%, and 1.26% respectively. The proposed algorithms can be used to schedule tasks in grid computing with better performance in terms of makespan

A mathematical model and artificial bee colony algorithm for the lexicographic bottleneck mixed-model assembly line balancing problem

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from the publisher via the DOI in this record.Typically, the total number of required workstations are minimised for a given cycle time (this problem is referred to as type-1), or cycle time is minimised for a given number of workstations (this problem is referred to as type-2) in traditional balancing of assembly lines. However, variation in workload distributions of workstations is an important indicator of the quality of the obtained line balance. This needs to be taken into account to improve the reliability of an assembly line against unforeseeable circumstances, such as breakdowns or other failures. For this aim, a new problem, called lexicographic bottleneck mixed-model assembly line balancing problem (LB-MALBP), is presented and formalised. The lexicographic bottleneck objective, which was recently proposed for the simple single-model assembly line system in the literature, is considered for a mixed-model assembly line system. The mathematical model of the LB-MALBP is developed for the first time in the literature and coded in GAMS solver, and optimal solutions are presented for some small scale test problems available in the literature. As it is not possible to get optimal solutions for the large-scale instances, an artificial bee colony algorithm is also implemented for the solution of the LB-MALBP. The solution procedures of the algorithm are explored illustratively. The performance of the algorithm is also assessed using derived well-known test problems in this domain and promising results are observed in reasonable CPU times

A comparative study of PSO, GSA and SCA in parameters optimization of surface grinding process

The selection of parameters in grinding process remains as a crucial role to guarantee that the machined product quality is at the minimum production cost and maximum production rate. Therefore, it is required to utilize more advance and effective optimization methods to obtain the optimum parameters and resulting an improvement on the grinding performance. In this paper, three optimization algorithms which are particle swarm optimization (PSO), gravitational search, and Sine Cosine algorithms are employed to optimize the grinding process parameters that may either reduce the cost, increase the productivity or obtain the finest surface finish and resulting a higher grinding process performance. The efficiency of the three algorithms are evaluated and comparedwith previous results obtained by other optimization methods on similar studies.The experimental results showed that PSO algorithm achieves better optimization performance in the aspect of convergence rate and accuracy of best solution.Whereas in the comparison of results of previous researchers, the obtained result of PSO proves that it is efficient in solving the complicated mathematical model of surface grinding process with different conditions

LSST Science Book, Version 2.0

A survey that can cover the sky in optical bands over wide fields to faint magnitudes with a fast cadence will enable many of the exciting science opportunities of the next decade. The Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) will have an effective aperture of 6.7 meters and an imaging camera with field of view of 9.6 deg^2, and will be devoted to a ten-year imaging survey over 20,000 deg^2 south of +15 deg. Each pointing will be imaged 2000 times with fifteen second exposures in six broad bands from 0.35 to 1.1 microns, to a total point-source depth of r~27.5. The LSST Science Book describes the basic parameters of the LSST hardware, software, and observing plans. The book discusses educational and outreach opportunities, then goes on to describe a broad range of science that LSST will revolutionize: mapping the inner and outer Solar System, stellar populations in the Milky Way and nearby galaxies, the structure of the Milky Way disk and halo and other objects in the Local Volume, transient and variable objects both at low and high redshift, and the properties of normal and active galaxies at low and high redshift. It then turns to far-field cosmological topics, exploring properties of supernovae to z~1, strong and weak lensing, the large-scale distribution of galaxies and baryon oscillations, and how these different probes may be combined to constrain cosmological models and the physics of dark energy.Comment: 596 pages. Also available at full resolution at http://www.lsst.org/lsst/sciboo