Architecture of a Cyberphysical Avatar

REACTION 2012. 1st International workshop on Real-time and distributed computing in emerging applications. December 4th, 2012, San Juan, Puerto Rico.This paper introduces the concept of a cyberphysical avatar which is defined to be a semi-autonomous robotic system that adjusts to an unstructured environment and performs physical tasks subject to critical timing constraints while under human supervision. Cyberphysical avatar integrates the recent advance in three technologies: body-compliant control in robotics, neuroevolution in machine learning and QoS guarantees in realtime communication. Body-compliant control is essential for operator safety since cyberphysical avatars perform cooperative tasks in close proximity to humans. Neuroevolution technique is essential for ”programming” cyberphysical avatars inasmuch as they are to be used by non-experts for a large array of tasks, some unforeseen, in an unstructured environment. QoS-guaranteed realtime communication is essential to provide predictable, boundedtime response in human-avatar interaction. By integrating these technologies, we have built a prototype cyberphysical avatar testbed

Real-time robotic tasks for cyber-physical avatars

Although modern robots can perform complex tasks using sophisticated algorithms that are specialized to a particular task and environment, creating robots capable of completing tasks in unstructured environments without human guidance (e.g., through teleoperation) remains a challenge. In this research, we present a framework to meet this challenge for a "cyberphysical avatar," which is defined to be a semi-autonomous robotic system that adjusts to an unstructured environment and performs physical tasks subject to critical timing constraints while under human supervision. This thesis first realizes a cyberphysical avatar that integrates three key technologies: (1) whole body-compliant control, (2) skill acquisition from machine learning (neuroevolution methods and deep learning), and (3) vision-based control through visual servoing. Body-compliant control is essential for operator safety because avatars perform cooperative tasks in close proximity to humans; machine learning enables "programming" avatars such that they can be used by non-experts for a large array of tasks, some unforeseen, in an unstructured environment; the visual servoing technique is indispensable for facilitating feedback control in human avatar interaction. This thesis proposes and demonstrates a systematically incremental approach to automating robotic tasks by decomposing a non-trivial task into stages, each of which may be automated by integrating the aforementioned techniques. We design and implement the controllers for two semi-autonomous robots that integrate three key techniques for grasping and pick-and-place tasks. While a general theory is beyond reach, we present a study on the tradeoffs between three design metrics for robotic task systems: (1) the amount of training effort for the robots to perform the task, (2) the time available to complete the task when the command is given, and (3) the quality of the result of the performed task. The tradeoff study in this design space uses the imprecise computation model as a framework to evaluate specific types of tasks: (1) grasping an unknown object and (2) placing the object in a target position. We demonstrate the generality of our integration methodology by applying it to two different robots, Dreamer and Hoppy. Our approach is evaluated by the performance of the robots in trading off between task completion time, training time and task completion success rate, in an environment similar to those in the recent Amazon Picking Challenge.Computer Science

Toward New Ecologies of Cyberphysical Representational Forms, Scales, and Modalities

Research on tangible user interfaces commonly focuses on tangible interfaces acting alone or in comparison with screen-based multi-touch or graphical interfaces. In contrast, hybrid approaches can be seen as the norm for established mainstream interaction paradigms. This dissertation describes interfaces that support complementary information mediations, representational forms, and scales toward an ecology of systems embodying hybrid interaction modalities. I investigate systems combining tangible and multi-touch, as well as systems combining tangible and virtual reality interaction. For each of them, I describe work focusing on design and fabrication aspects, as well as work focusing on reproducibility, engagement, legibility, and perception aspects

Dual arm co-manipulation architecture with enhanced human–robot communication for large part manipulation

The emergence of collaborative robotics has had a great impact on the development of robotic solutions for cooperative tasks nowadays carried out by humans, especially in industrial environments where robots can act as assistants to operators. Even so, the coordinated manipulation of large parts between robots and humans gives rise to many technical challenges, ranging from the coordination of both robotic arms to the human–robot information exchange. This paper presents a novel architecture for the execution of trajectory driven collaborative tasks, combining impedance control and trajectory coordination in the control loop, as well as adding mechanisms to provide effective robot-to-human feedback for a successful and satisfactory task completion. The obtained results demonstrate the validity of the proposed architecture as well as its suitability for the implementation of collaborative robotic systems

A Design Concept for a Tourism Recommender System for Regional Development

Despite of tourism infrastructure and software, the development of tourism is hampered due to the lack of information support, which encapsulates various aspects of travel implementation. This paper highlights a demand for integrating various approaches and methods to develop a universal tourism information recommender system when building individual tourist routes. The study objective is proposing a concept of a universal information recommender system for building a personalized tourist route. The developed design concept for such a system involves a procedure for data collection and preparation for tourism product synthesis; a methodology for tourism product formation according to user preferences; the main stages of this methodology implementation. To collect and store information from real travelers, this paper proposes to use elements of blockchain technology in order to ensure information security. A model that specifies the key elements of a tourist route planning process is presented. This article can serve as a reference and knowledge base for digital business system analysts, system designers, and digital tourism business implementers for better digital business system design and implementation in the tourism sector

Robotic construction analysis: Simulation with virtual reality

Advances in robotic construction are evident and increasing every year, bringing present and potential improvements. However, the economic and social impacts are hard to assess and quantify without physical in situ testing, which is expensive and time-consuming. This paper presents a methodology for the simulation of robotic construction technologies, namely drones, using a virtual reality environment. Our hypothesis is that a virtual reality simulation of a robotic construction (H1) has the potential of increasing the precision of predicting the construction duration and cost and (H2) allows for the detection of construction problems. The study begins with a review of the literature on drones, robotic arms, and hybrid automatic construction solutions, as well as virtual reality construction simulations, summarising the robotic technologies currently being used, mainly in academic research, to assemble construction elements. It then proposes a construction simulation methodology applied to three architectonic elements to analyse different approaches and different scenarios for robotic construction simulation methodology. A construction simulation is tested, and the data is analysed and compared with traditional construction methods, focussing on construction time and costs.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Looc: a Cyber-physical Social Network on Android Platforms

As the mobile Internet becomes pervasive, mobile devices have permeated into every aspect of our life, work, and society. This rapid technology evolution calls for new functionalities that enrich our interaction with cyberinfrastructure, physical presence, and societal activities and communities. This study is aimed to explore the integration between the android-based mobile platform with multimodal sensors and social networks. To achieve context-aware services, we propose a cyber-physical social network, called LooC. Based on the detailed literature review, the Looc system is designed to bridge the gap between physical social networks and the cyberspace of thousands of mobile devices. After the introduction and literature review chapters, the thesis starts by the necessary concepts to program Android applications with best practices, taking in consideration its life cycle,. The challenges in mobile social networks and cyber-physical systems are identified. Our methodology and design architecture are then presented in detail. The system implementation and case studies are further illustrated. The study shows the challenges related to develop mobile cyber-physical social network with android. The prototype of LooC was developed and integrated into other frameworks to demonstrate its usage. One of the most important challenges was find a good communication method for the social network and an appropriate way to locate individuals. Haversine formula was used to calculate the distance in our prototype. In the future work, privacy and legal issues are necessary to be addressed for mobile cyber-physical social networks in the future.Computer Science Departmen