Educational hands-on testbed using Lego robot for learning guidance, navigation, and control

The aim of this paper is to propose an educational hands-on testbed using inexpensive systems composed of a Lego Mindstorms NXT robot and a webcam and easy-to-deal-with tools especially for learning and testing guidance, navigation, and control as well as search and obstacle mapping, however the extendibility and applicability of the proposed approach is not limited to only the educational purpose. In order to provide navigation information of the Lego robot in an indoor environment, an vision navigation system is proposed based on a colour marker detection robust to brightness change and an Extended Kalman filter. Furthermore, a spiral-like search, a command-to-line-of-sight guidance, a motor control, and two-dimensional Splinegon approximation are applied to sensing and mapping of a complex-shaped obstacle. The experimental result shows that the proposed testbed can be viewed as an efficient tool for the education of image processing and estimation as well as guidance, navigation, and control with a minimum burden of time and cost. © 2011 IFAC

Lego Librarian: Book Sorter

Manual book sorting is time consuming and laborious. Traditionally, human librarians have to get the books from the circulation desk to be sorted and carry the books around to the right locations and putting it on the right shelf. It is prone to misplacement of books in the library. It is quite difficult and seems impractical to return the books back to the original locations daily. To overcome this problem, a book sorting robot known as Book Sorter, a small scaled prototype has been proposed as a simulation of an efficient method to ease the daunting task of librarians in the manual organisation of books. It is also proposed to provide a better allocation of resources of a library. Book Sorter is built as a robot that compliments another robot in LEGO Librarian called Book Carrier. LEGO Librarian is an automated system that is used for organising books on the shelf at the library. The scope of study for this project involves the current system used in the UTP library as well as the robotics application in the librarian system that covers some chapters of study. The activity diagram describes the overall process flow of the system and the development methodology used in this project is throwaway prototyping.. Several interview, survey, field test and acceptance testing were conducted and briefly discussed in Chapter 4. This project is expected to have vast potential to provide a view in real life especially in its capability to alleviate the intensive labours and efforts (time) in sorting the books automatically onto the right shelves

Cognitive Vehicle Platooning in the Era of Automated Electric Transportation

Vehicle platooning is an important innovation in the automotive industry that aims at improving safety, mileage, efficiency, and the time needed to travel. This research focuses on the various aspects of vehicle platooning, one of the important aspects being analysis of different control strategies that lead to a stable and robust platoon. Safety of passengers being a very important consideration, the control design should be such that the controller remains robust under uncertain environments. As a part of the Department of Energy (DOE) project, this research also tries to show a demonstration of vehicle platooning using robots. In an automated highway scenario, a vehicle platoon can be thought of as a string of vehicles, following one another as a platoon. Being equipped by wireless communication capabilities, these vehicles communicate with one another to maintain their formation as a platoon, hence are cognitive. Autonomous capable vehicles in tightly spaced, computer-controlled platoons will lead to savings in energy due to reduced aerodynamic forces, as well as increased passenger comfort since there will be no sudden accelerations or decelerations. Impacts in the occurrence of collisions, if any, will be very low. The greatest benefit obtained is, however, an increase in highway capacity, along with reduction in traffic congestion, pollution, and energy consumption. Another aspect of this project is the automated electric transportation (AET). This aims at providing energy directly to vehicles from electric highways, thus reducing their energy consumption and CO2 emission. By eliminating the use of overhead wires, infrastructure can be upgraded by electrifying highways and providing energy on demand and in real time to moving vehicles via a wireless energy transfer phenomenon known as wireless inductive coupling. The work done in this research will help to gain an insight into vehicle platooning and the control system related to maintaining the vehicles in this formation

Development and implementation of a tensegrity-based formation controller

The formation control or cooperative work of multiple unmanned vehicles has proved to be more effective in terms of time consumption and overall performance in a wide variety of applications. This project aims to review some of the research which has been done up to date and in the subsequent chapters a tensegrity-based formation controller is developed and implemented to assess its global behaviour. This development starts with the design of the heading angle control of a vessel based on the first order Nomoto model which is later transformed into a waypoint problem. Later on, a globally decentralised formation topology and the tensegrity concept is introduced in the context of formation control where a sliding mode controller, a linear-quadratic regulator servo controller and a conventional proportional-integral-derivative controller are designed and simulated to regulate the elongation of a virtual spring-mass-damper system which connects two vehicles. This is done by applying a force to this system which, from the point of view of the reference vehicle, can be regarded as a repelling force if the formation distance is smaller than the reference and attracting otherwise. The results obtained are satisfactory proving stability and feasibility of the proposed strategy and the limitations and drawbacks of each control technique used are described. However, it is observed that the LQR servo controller yields a better balance between performance and robustness. Afterwards, the tensegrity concept is implemented on a leader-light-guided-follower formation topology using the LEGO® Mindstorms NXT platform. The distance keeping evolution between the follower and the leader is assessed positively for both cases, a PID and LQR servo controller, however, this latter with better tracking while the leader is moving.Outgoin

Desenvolvimento e Cooperação de Robôs Através da Plataforma Arduino

TCC(graduação) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina. Centro Tecnológico. Engenharia de Controle e Automação.A Robótica, apesar de já consolidada, seja na indústria, ou em outras áreas, possui significativa potencialidade para pesquisa. Estudos e projetos variados vêm sendo desenvolvidos, para a solução de diversos problemas, constantemente crescentes. Um dos problemas está relacionado ao fato de que, muitas vezes, um robô é incapaz de realizar uma tarefa de forma individual. Pode-se compensar esse problema utilizando uma maior quantidade de robôs, de modo que possa haver cooperação entre eles, a fim de cumprirem a tarefa. A Robótica Cooperativa, pertinente ao campo de Sistemas Multi-Robôs, faz-se cada vez mais necessária (SATO; SANTOS; ALMEIDA, 2015). Explorando essa necessidade, se deu o desenvolvimento deste Projeto de Fim de Curso. Portanto, são apresentadas nesta monografia, as atividades pertinentes ao Projeto de Fim de Curso, desenvolvidas ao longo de todo o ano letivo de 2018, realizadas no Laboratório de Projetos (LPR) e Laboratório de Montagem Mecatrônica (LMM), pertencentes ao Departamento de Automação e Sistemas. O projeto consistiu em desenvolver protótipos em Robótica Educacional (robôs móveis), utilizando a plataforma Arduino, como alternativa aos robôs LEGO utilizados até então. A partir dos protótipos desenvolvidos, foram criadas estratégias de cooperação entre os mesmos. Ao longo da monografia, serão abordados os seguintes pontos: as motivações do desenvolvimento dos protótipos, a visão arquitetural, o projeto, implementação dos protótipos, as estratégias de cooperação e testes dos protótipos.Robotics, although already consolidated, whether in industry or in other areas, has significant potential for research. Various studies and projects have been developed to solve a number of constantly increasing problems. One of the problems is related to the fact that, often, a robot is unable to perform a task individually. You can compensate for this problem by using a larger number of robots, so that there can be cooperation between them in order to accomplish the task. Cooperative Robotics, pertinent to the field of Multi-Robot Systems, is becoming increasingly necessary (SATO; SANTOS; ALMEIDA, 2015). Exploring this need, the development of this End-of-Course Project was developed. Therefore, we present in this monograph the activities related to the End-of-Course Project, developed throughout the academic year of 2018, held in the Laboratory of Projects (LPR) and Mechatronics Assembly Laboratory (LMM), belonging to the Department of Automation and Systems. The project consisted in developing prototypes in Educational Robotics (mobile robots), using the Arduino platform, as an alternative to the LEGO robots used until then. From the developed prototypes, cooperation strategies were created between them. Throughout the monograph, the following points will be addressed: prototype development motivations, architectural vision, design, prototype implementation, cooperation strategies and prototype testing

Social Robots to enhance therapy and interaction for children: From the design to the implementation "in the wild"

En les últimes dues dècades els robots socials s'han convertit en un camp emergent en el qual encara hi ha molt per fer. Aquest camp requereix coneixements en mecànica, control, intel·ligència artificial, sistemes, etc., però també en psicologia, disseny, ètica, etc. El nostre grup de recerca de perfil interdisciplinari ha estat treballant en el disseny de robots socials en diferents aplicacions per a nens amb necessitats especials. L'objectiu d'aquesta tesi és investigar diferents escenaris en teràpia o educació on els robots socials podrien ser una eina útil per als nens. Es van realitzar 4 estudis amb diferents propòsits: (1) dissenyar activitats amb robòtica de LEGO per avaluar el comportament social dels nens amb trastorn de l'espectre autista (TEA) (entre companys i amb adults) i analitzar la seva efectivitat, (2) dissenyar un robot social per recuperar les funcionalitats més afectades a causa de traumatismes cranioencefàlics (TCE) en nens i veure l'eficàcia del tractament, (3) proporcionar un robot mascota per alleujar els sentiments d'ansietat, solitud i estrès en nens hospitalitzats, i (4) comprovar com un robot amb comportament social i amb una personalització versus robots sense aquestes característiques mostra diferències en termes d'interacció amb nens i, per tant, pot ajudar en l'efectivitat de diferents tractaments com hem esmentat anteriorment. Els resultats van revelar diferents resultats depenent de l'aplicació: (1) efectivitat amb la plataforma robòtica social que vam dissenyar en el tractament neuropsicològic per a aquells nens afectats per TCE, (2) eficàcia amb les activitats de robòtica de LEGO dissenyades per un grup de terapeutes en termes de millora d'habilitats socials (3) un efecte positiu entre els mediadors i facilitadors de la interacció i les relacions entre els diferents agents involucrats en el procés de la cura: pacients hospitalitzats, familiars, voluntaris i personal clínic, i (4) una interacció diferent, en termes de temps, entre els dos grups durant període de dues setmanes.En las últimas dos décadas los robots sociales se han convertido en un campo emergente en el que todavía hay mucho por hacer. Este campo requiere conocimientos en mecánica, control, inteligencia artificial, sistemas, etc., pero también en psicología, diseño, ética, etc. Nuestro grupo de investigación de perfil interdisciplinar ha estado trabajando en el diseño de robots sociales en diferentes aplicaciones para niños con necesidades especiales. El objetivo de esta tesis es investigar diferentes escenarios en terapia o educación donde los robots sociales podrían ser una herramienta útil para los niños. Se realizaron 4 estudios con diferentes propósitos: (1) diseñar actividades con robótica de LEGO para evaluar el comportamiento social de los niños con trastorno del espectro autista (TEA) (entre compañeros y con adultos) y analizar su efectividad, (2) diseñar un robot social para recuperar las funcionalidades más afectadas a causa de traumatismos craneoencefálicos (TCE) en niños y ver la eficacia del tratamiento, (3) proporcionar un robot mascota para aliviar los sentimientos de ansiedad, soledad y estrés en niños hospitalizados, y (4) comprobar como un robot con comportamiento social y con una personalización versus robots sin esas características muestra diferencias en términos de interacción con niños y, por tanto, puede ayudar en la efectividad de diferentes tratamientos como mencionamos anteriormente. Los resultados revelaron diferentes resultados dependiendo de la aplicación: (1) efectividad con la plataforma robótica social que diseñamos en el tratamiento neuropsicológico para aquellos niños afectadas por TCE, (2) eficacia con las actividades de robótica de LEGO diseñadas por un grupo de terapeutas en términos de mejora de habilidades sociales (3) un efecto positivo entre los mediadores y facilitadores de la interacción y las relaciones entre los diferentes agentes involucrados en el proceso del cuidado: pacientes hospitalizados, familiares, voluntarios y personal clínico, y (4) una interacción diferente, en términos de tiempo, entre ambos grupos en el promedio de un período de dos semanas.Over the past two decades social robots have become an emerging field where there are many things still to work on. This field not only requires knowledge in mechanics, control, artificial intelligence, systems, etc., but also in psychology, design, ethics, etc. Our multidisciplinary research group has been working on designing social robotic platforms in different applications for children with special needs. The aim of this thesis is to investigate different scenarios in therapy or education where social robots could be a useful tool for children. We ran 4 studies with different purposes: (1) to design activities with LEGO robotics to assess children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) social behaviour (between peers and with adults) and to analyze the effectiveness, (2) to design a social robotic platform to recover the functionalities most affected by traumatic brain injuries (TBI) in children and see the effectiveness of the treatment, (3) to provide a pet robot to alleviate feelings of anxiety, loneliness and stress of long-term children inpatient and their bystanders, and (4) to verify how a robot with social behaviour and personalization verses those robots without, shows differences in terms of interaction with children and thus, helps the effectiveness of different treatments as we mention above. The results revealed different outcomes depending on the application: (1) effectiveness with the social robotic platform that we designed in neuropsychological treatment in those areas affected by TBI, (2) effectiveness with the LEGO robotics activities designed by a group of therapists in terms of improvement of the social skills and engagement, (3) a positive effect within mediators and facilitators of interaction and relationships between the different agents involved in the caring process: in-patients, relatives, volunteers and clinical staff (4) slight evidence towards a different interaction, in terms of time, between both groups in the average of a two-week period

Towards an interactive framework for robot dancing applications

Estágio realizado no INESC-Porto e orientado pelo Prof. Doutor Fabien GouyonTese de mestrado integrado. Engenharia Electrotécnica e de Computadores - Major Telecomunicações. Faculdade de Engenharia. Universidade do Porto. 200

Two improved methods for mobile robot localization

Mobile robot localization is the problem of determining the robot\u27s pose given the map of its environment, based on the sensor reading and its movement. It is a fundamental and very important problem in the research of mobile robotics. Grid localization and Monte Carlo localization (MCL) are two of the most widely used approaches for localization, especially the MCL. However each of these two popular methods has its own problems. How to reduce the computation cost and better the accuracy is our main concern. In order to improve the performance of localization, we propose two improved localization algorithms. The first algorithm is called moving grid cell based MCL, which takes advantages of both grid localization and MCL and overcomes their respective shortcomings. The second algorithm is dynamic MCL based on clustering, which uses a cluster analysis component to reduce the computation cost