Internet of robotic things : converging sensing/actuating, hypoconnectivity, artificial intelligence and IoT Platforms

The Internet of Things (IoT) concept is evolving rapidly and influencing newdevelopments in various application domains, such as the Internet of MobileThings (IoMT), Autonomous Internet of Things (A-IoT), Autonomous Systemof Things (ASoT), Internet of Autonomous Things (IoAT), Internetof Things Clouds (IoT-C) and the Internet of Robotic Things (IoRT) etc.that are progressing/advancing by using IoT technology. The IoT influencerepresents new development and deployment challenges in different areassuch as seamless platform integration, context based cognitive network integration,new mobile sensor/actuator network paradigms, things identification(addressing, naming in IoT) and dynamic things discoverability and manyothers. The IoRT represents new convergence challenges and their need to be addressed, in one side the programmability and the communication ofmultiple heterogeneous mobile/autonomous/robotic things for cooperating,their coordination, configuration, exchange of information, security, safetyand protection. Developments in IoT heterogeneous parallel processing/communication and dynamic systems based on parallelism and concurrencyrequire new ideas for integrating the intelligent “devices”, collaborativerobots (COBOTS), into IoT applications. Dynamic maintainability, selfhealing,self-repair of resources, changing resource state, (re-) configurationand context based IoT systems for service implementation and integrationwith IoT network service composition are of paramount importance whennew “cognitive devices” are becoming active participants in IoT applications.This chapter aims to be an overview of the IoRT concept, technologies,architectures and applications and to provide a comprehensive coverage offuture challenges, developments and applications

Dynamic update of a virtual cell for programming and safe monitoring of an industrial robot

A hardware/software architecture for robot motion planning and on-line safe monitoring has been developed with the objective to assure high flexibility in production control, safety for workers and machinery, with user-friendly interface. The architecture, developed using Microsoft Robotics Developers Studio and implemented for a six-dof COMAU NS 12 robot, established a bidirectional communication between the robot controller and a virtual replica of the real robotic cell. The working space of the real robot can then be easily limited for safety reasons by inserting virtual objects (or sensors) in such a virtual environment. This paper investigates the possibility to achieve an automatic, dynamic update of the virtual cell by using a low cost depth sensor (i.e., a commercial Microsoft Kinect) to detect the presence of completely unknown objects, moving inside the real cell. The experimental tests show that the developed architecture is able to recognize variously shaped mobile objects inside the monitored area and let the robot stop before colliding with them, if the objects are not too small

The design, kinematics and torque analysis of the self-bending soft contraction actuator

This article presents the development of a self-bending contraction actuator (SBCA) through analysis of its structure, kinematics, and torque formulas, and then explores its applications. The proposed actuator has been fabricated by two methods to prove the efficiency of the human body inspiration, which represents the covering of human bones by soft tissues to protect the bone and give the soft texture. The SBCA provides bending behaviour along with a high force to-weight ratio. As with the simple pneumatic muscle actuator (PMA), the SBCA is soft and easy to implement. Both the kinematics and the torque formula presented for the SBCA are scalable and can be used with different actuator sizes. The bending actuator has been tested under an air pressure up to 500 kPa, and the behaviour of its bending angle, parameters, dimensions, and the bending torques have been illustrated. On the other hand, the experiments showed the efficient performances of the actuator and validate the proposed kinematics. Therefore, the actuator can be used in many different applications, such as soft grippers and continuum arms

Part clamping and fixture geometric adaptability for reconfigurable assembly systems.

Masters of Science in Mechanical Engineering. University of KwaZulu-Natal. Durban, 2017.The Fourth Industrial Revolution is leading towards cyber-physical systems which justified research efforts in pursuing efficient production systems incorporating flexible grippers. Due to the complexity of assembly processes, reconfigurable assembly systems have received considerable attention in recent years. The demand for the intricate task and complicated operations, demands the need for efficient robotic manipulators that are required to manoeuvre and grasp objects effectively. Investigations were performed to understand the requirements of efficient gripping systems and existing gripping methods. A biologically inspired robotic gripper was investigated to establish conformity properties for the performance of a robotic gripper system. The Fin Ray Effect® was selected as a possible approach to improve effective gripping and reduce slippage of component handling with regards to pick and place procedures of assembly processes. As a result, the study established the optimization of self-adjusting end-effectors. The gripper system design was simulated and empirically tested. The impact of gripping surface compliance and geometric conformity was investigated. The gripper system design focused on the response of load applied to the conformity mechanism called the Fin Ray Effect®. The appendages were simulated to determine the deflection properties and stress distribution through a finite element analysis. The simulation proved that the configuration of rib structures of the appendages affected the conformity to an applied force representing an object in contact. The system was tested in real time operation and required a control system to produce an active performance of the system. A mass loading test was performed on the gripper system. The repeatability and mass handling range was determined. A dynamic operation was tested on the gripper to determine force versus time properties throughout the grasping movement for a pick and place procedure. The fluctuating forces generated through experimentation was related to the Lagrangian model describing forces experienced by a moving object. The research promoted scientific contribution to the investigation, analysis, and design of intelligent gripping systems that can potentially be implemented in the operational processes of on-demand production lines for reconfigurable assembly systems

Examining affective structure in chickens: valence, intensity, persistence and generalization measured using a conditioned place preference test

When measuring animals’ valenced behavioural responses to stimuli, the Conditioned Place Preference (CPP) test goes a step further than many approach-based and avoidance-based tests by establishing whether a learned preference for, or aversion to, the location in which the stimulus was encountered can be generated. We designed a novel, four-chambered CPP test to extend the capability of the usual CPP paradigm to provide information on four key features of animals’ affective responses: valence, scale, persistence and generalization. Using this test, we investigated the affective responses of domestic chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus) to four potentially aversive stimuli: 1. Puffs of air; 2. Sight of (robotic) snake; 3. Sprays of water; 4. Sound of conspecific alarm calls. We found conditioned avoidance of locations associated with the air puffs and water sprays (Friedman’s χ2(3) = 13.323 p > .005; χ2(3) = 14.235 p > .005), but not with the snake and alarm calls. The scale of the learned avoidance was similar for the air puff and water spray stimuli, but persistence and generalization differed. We conclude that the four chambered CPP test can have a valuable role to play in making multi-feature measurements of stimulus-generated affective responses, and we highlight the value of such measurements for improving our understanding of the structure of affect in chickens and other animals