12,410 research outputs found
User evaluation of an interactive learning framework for single-arm and dual-arm robots
The final publication is available at link.springer.comSocial robots are expected to adapt to their users and, like their human counterparts, learn from the interaction. In our previous work, we proposed an interactive learning framework that enables a user to intervene and modify a segment of the robot arm trajectory. The framework uses gesture teleoperation and reinforcement learning to learn new motions. In the current work, we compared the user experience with the proposed framework implemented on the single-arm and dual-arm Barrett’s 7-DOF WAM robots equipped with a Microsoft Kinect camera for user tracking and gesture recognition. User performance and workload were measured in a series of trials with two groups of 6 participants using two robot settings in different order for counterbalancing. The experimental results showed that, for the same task, users required less time and produced shorter robot trajectories with the single-arm robot than with the dual-arm robot. The results also showed that the users who performed the task with the single-arm robot first experienced considerably less workload in performing the task with the dual-arm robot while achieving a higher task success rate in a shorter time.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft
User Needs, Benefits, and Integration of Robotic Systems in a Space Station Laboratory
The methodology, results and conclusions of all tasks of the User Needs, Benefits, and Integration Study (UNBIS) of Robotic Systems in a Space Station Laboratory are summarized. Study goals included the determination of user requirements for robotics within the Space Station, United States Laboratory. In Task 1, three experiments were selected to determine user needs and to allow detailed investigation of microgravity requirements. In Task 2, a NASTRAN analysis of Space Station response to robotic disturbances, and acceleration measurement of a standard industrial robot (Intelledex Model 660) resulted in selection of two ranges of microgravity manipulation: Level 1 (10-3 to 10-5 G at greater than 1 Hz) and Level 2 (less than equal 10-6 G at 0.1 Hz). This task included an evaluation of microstepping methods for controlling stepper motors and concluded that an industrial robot actuator can perform milli-G motion without modification. Relative merits of end-effectors and manipulators were studied in Task 3 in order to determine their ability to perform a range of tasks related to the three microgravity experiments. An Effectivity Rating was established for evaluating these robotic system capabilities. Preliminary interface requirements for an orbital flight demonstration were determined in Task 4. Task 5 assessed the impact of robotics
Single-Shot Clothing Category Recognition in Free-Configurations with Application to Autonomous Clothes Sorting
This paper proposes a single-shot approach for recognising clothing
categories from 2.5D features. We propose two visual features, BSP (B-Spline
Patch) and TSD (Topology Spatial Distances) for this task. The local BSP
features are encoded by LLC (Locality-constrained Linear Coding) and fused with
three different global features. Our visual feature is robust to deformable
shapes and our approach is able to recognise the category of unknown clothing
in unconstrained and random configurations. We integrated the category
recognition pipeline with a stereo vision system, clothing instance detection,
and dual-arm manipulators to achieve an autonomous sorting system. To verify
the performance of our proposed method, we build a high-resolution RGBD
clothing dataset of 50 clothing items of 5 categories sampled in random
configurations (a total of 2,100 clothing samples). Experimental results show
that our approach is able to reach 83.2\% accuracy while classifying clothing
items which were previously unseen during training. This advances beyond the
previous state-of-the-art by 36.2\%. Finally, we evaluate the proposed approach
in an autonomous robot sorting system, in which the robot recognises a clothing
item from an unconstrained pile, grasps it, and sorts it into a box according
to its category. Our proposed sorting system achieves reasonable sorting
success rates with single-shot perception.Comment: 9 pages, accepted by IROS201
Overcoming barriers and increasing independence: service robots for elderly and disabled people
This paper discusses the potential for service robots to overcome barriers and increase independence of
elderly and disabled people. It includes a brief overview of the existing uses of service robots by disabled and elderly
people and advances in technology which will make new uses possible and provides suggestions for some of these new
applications. The paper also considers the design and other conditions to be met for user acceptance. It also discusses
the complementarity of assistive service robots and personal assistance and considers the types of applications and
users for which service robots are and are not suitable
Automated sequence and motion planning for robotic spatial extrusion of 3D trusses
While robotic spatial extrusion has demonstrated a new and efficient means to
fabricate 3D truss structures in architectural scale, a major challenge remains
in automatically planning extrusion sequence and robotic motion for trusses
with unconstrained topologies. This paper presents the first attempt in the
field to rigorously formulate the extrusion sequence and motion planning (SAMP)
problem, using a CSP encoding. Furthermore, this research proposes a new
hierarchical planning framework to solve the extrusion SAMP problems that
usually have a long planning horizon and 3D configuration complexity. By
decoupling sequence and motion planning, the planning framework is able to
efficiently solve the extrusion sequence, end-effector poses, joint
configurations, and transition trajectories for spatial trusses with
nonstandard topologies. This paper also presents the first detailed computation
data to reveal the runtime bottleneck on solving SAMP problems, which provides
insight and comparing baseline for future algorithmic development. Together
with the algorithmic results, this paper also presents an open-source and
modularized software implementation called Choreo that is machine-agnostic. To
demonstrate the power of this algorithmic framework, three case studies,
including real fabrication and simulation results, are presented.Comment: 24 pages, 16 figure
A model-based residual approach for human-robot collaboration during manual polishing operations
A fully robotized polishing of metallic surfaces may be insufficient in case of parts with complex geometric shapes, where a manual intervention is still preferable. Within the EU SYMPLEXITY project, we are considering tasks where manual polishing operations are performed in strict physical Human-Robot Collaboration (HRC) between a robot holding the part and a human operator equipped with an abrasive tool. During the polishing task, the robot should firmly keep the workpiece in a prescribed sequence of poses, by monitoring and resisting to the external forces applied by the operator. However, the user may also wish to change the orientation of the part mounted on the robot, simply by pushing or pulling the robot body and changing thus its configuration. We propose a control algorithm that is able to distinguish the external torques acting at the robot joints in two components, one due to the polishing forces being applied at the end-effector level, the other due to the intentional physical interaction engaged by the human. The latter component is used to reconfigure the manipulator arm and, accordingly, its end-effector orientation. The workpiece position is kept instead fixed, by exploiting the intrinsic redundancy of this subtask. The controller uses a F/T sensor mounted at the robot wrist, together with our recently developed model-based technique (the residual method) that is able to estimate online the joint torques due to contact forces/torques applied at any place along the robot structure. In order to obtain a reliable residual, which is necessary to implement the control algorithm, an accurate robot dynamic model (including also friction effects at the joints and drive gains) needs to be identified first. The complete dynamic identification and the proposed control method for the human-robot collaborative polishing task are illustrated on a 6R UR10 lightweight manipulator mounting an ATI 6D sensor
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