An Evaluation Schema for the Ethical Use of Autonomous Robotic Systems in Security Applications

We propose a multi-step evaluation schema designed to help procurement agencies and others to examine the ethical dimensions of autonomous systems to be applied in the security sector, including autonomous weapons systems

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.

Development of an open access system for remote operation of robotic manipulators

Mestrado de dupla diplomação com a UTFPR - Universidade Tecnológica Federal do ParanáExploring the realms of research, training, and learning in the field of robotic systems poses obstacles for institutions lacking the necessary infrastructure. The significant investment required to acquire physical robotic systems often limits access and hinders progress in these areas. While robotic simulation platforms provide a virtual environment for experimentation, the potential of remote robotic environments surpasses this by enabling users to interact with real robotic systems during training and research activities. This way, users, including students and researchers, can engage in a virtual experience that transcends geographical boundaries, connecting them to real-world robotic systems though the Internet. By bridging the gap between virtual and physical worlds, remote environments offer a more practical and immersive experience, and open up new horizons for collaborative research and training. Democratizing access to these technologies means empower educational institutions and research centers to engage in practical and handson learning experiences. However, the implementation of remote robotic environments comes with its own set of technical challenges: communication, security, stability and access. In light of these challenges, a ROS-based system has been developed, providing open access with promising results (low delay and run-time visualization). This system enables remote control of robotic manipulators and has been successfully validated through the remote operation of a real UR3 manipulator.Explorar as áreas de pesquisa, treinamento e aprendizado no campo de sistemas robóticos apresenta obstáculos para instituições que não possuem a infraestrutura necessária. O investimento significativo exigido para adquirir sistemas robóticos físicos muitas vezes limita o acesso e dificulta o progresso nessas áreas. Embora as plataformas de simulação robótica forneçam um ambiente virtual para experimentação, o potencial dos ambientes robóticos remotos vai além disso, permitindo que os usuários interajam com sistemas robóticos reais durante atividades de treinamento e pesquisa. Dessa forma, os usuários, incluindo estudantes e pesquisadores, podem participar de uma experiência virtual que transcende as fronteiras geográficas, conectando-os a sistemas robóticos do mundo real por meio da Internet. Ao estabelecer uma ponte entre os mundos virtual e físico, os ambientes remotos oferecem uma experiência mais prática e imersiva, abrindo novos horizontes para a pesquisa colaborativa e o treinamento. Democratizar o acesso a essas tecnologias significa capacitar instituições educacionais e centros de pesquisa a se envolverem em experiências práticas e de aprendizado prático. No entanto, a implementação de ambientes robóticos remotos traz consigo um conjunto próprio de desafios técnicos: comunicação, segurança, estabilidade e acesso. Diante desses desafios, foi desenvolvida uma plataforma baseada em ROS, oferecendo acesso aberto com resultados promissores (baixo delay e visualização em run-time). Essa plataforma possibilita o controle remoto de manipuladores robóticos e foi validada com sucesso por meio da operação remota de um manipulador UR3 real

Software variability in service robotics

Robots artificially replicate human capabilities thanks to their software, the main embodiment of intelligence. However, engineering robotics software has become increasingly challenging. Developers need expertise from different disciplines as well as they are faced with heterogeneous hardware and uncertain operating environments. To this end, the software needs to be variable—to customize robots for different customers, hardware, and operating environments. However, variability adds substantial complexity and needs to be managed—yet, ad hoc practices prevail in the robotics domain, challenging effective software reuse, maintenance, and evolution. To improve the situation, we need to enhance our empirical understanding of variability in robotics. We present a multiple-case study on software variability in the vibrant and challenging domain of service robotics. We investigated drivers, practices, methods, and challenges of variability from industrial companies building service robots. We analyzed the state-of-the-practice and the state-of-the-art—the former via an experience report and eleven interviews with two service robotics companies; the latter via a systematic literature review. We triangulated from these sources, reporting observations with actionable recommendations for researchers, tool providers, and practitioners. We formulated hypotheses trying to explain our observations, and also compared the state-of-the-art from the literature with the-state-of-the-practice we observed in our cases. We learned that the level of abstraction in robotics software needs to be raised for simplifying variability management and software integration, while keeping a sufficient level of customization to boost efficiency and effectiveness in their robots’ operation. Planning and realizing variability for specific requirements and implementing robust abstractions permit robotic applications to operate robustly in dynamic environments, which are often only partially known and controllable. With this aim, our companies use a number of mechanisms, some of them based on formalisms used to specify robotic behavior, such as finite-state machines and behavior trees. To foster software reuse, the service robotics domain will greatly benefit from having software components—completely decoupled from hardware—with harmonized and standardized interfaces, and organized in an ecosystem shared among various companies