Guest Orientation, Assistance, and Telepresence Robot

The project was focused on a mobile research platform for autonomous navigation components and sensors vital to its autonomous interaction with its environment. The goal of this project was to create such a mobile robotic platform, which would in turn be capable of acting as a fully autonomous tour guide for the WPI campus. The project combined the robust capabilities of a Segway. Robotic Mobility Platform with the cutting edge adaptability of the Robot Operating System software framework. The robot will work in conjunction with school staff to provide video tour information as part of an enhanced tour experience. The project is a highly visible representation of WPI\u27s unique MQP program and its ability to prepare engineers capable of solving real world problems

Guest Orientation, Assistance, and Telepresence Robot

The project was focused on a mobile research platform for autonomous navigation components and sensors vital to its autonomous interaction with its environment. The goal of this project was to create such a mobile robotic platform, which would in turn be capable of acting as a fully autonomous tour guide for the WPI campus. The project combined the robust capabilities of a Segway Robotic Mobility Platform with the cutting edge adaptability of the Robot Operating System software framework. The robot will work in conjunction with school staff to provide video tour information as part of an enhanced tour experience. The project is a highly visible representation of WPI\u27s unique MQP program and its ability to prepare engineers capable of solving real world problems

Control of robot swarms through natural language dialogue: A case study on monitoring fires

There are numerous environmental and non-environmental disasters happening throughout the world, representing a big danger to common people, community helpers, to the fauna and flora. Developing a program capable of controlling swarms of robots, using natural language processing (NLP) and further on, a speech to text system, will enable a more mobile solution, with no need for keyboard and mouse or a mobile device for operating with the robots. Using a welldeveloped NLP system will allow the program to understand natural languagebased interactions, making this system able to be used in different contexts. In firefighting, the use of robots, more specifically drones, enables new ways to obtain reliable information that before was based on guesses or knowledge from someone who had long-time experience on field. Using a swarm of robots to monitor fire enables innumerous advantages, from the creation of a dynamic fire map, climate information inside the fire, to finding lost firefighters on field through the generated map. This work uses firefighting as a case-study, but other situations can be considered, like searching someone in the sea or searching for toxins in an open environmental area.Existem muitos desastres ambientais e não ambientais em todo o mundo, representando um grande perigo para pessoas comuns, ajudantes da comunidade e para a fauna e flora. O desenvolvimento de um programa capaz de controlar enxames de robôs, usando Processamento Computacional da Língua (PCL) e, posteriormente, um sistema de fala-para-texto, permitirá uma solução mais móvel, sem necessidade de teclado e rato ou dispositivos móveis para operar com os robôs. O uso de um sistema bem desenvolvido de PCL permitirá que o programa entenda interações baseadas em linguagem natural, tornando-o capaz de ser usado em diferentes contextos. O uso de robôs (mais especificamente drones) no combate a incêndios, permite novas maneiras de obter informações confiáveis que antes eram baseadas em suposições ou conhecimentos de pessoas com longa experiência em campo. O uso de um enxame de robôs para monitorizar o incêndio permite inúmeras vantagens, desde a criação de um mapa dinâmico do incêndio, informações climáticas dentro do mesmo, até encontrar bombeiros perdidos no campo, através do mapa gerado pelos robôs. Este trabalho usa o combate a incêndios como um estudo de caso, mas outras situações podem ser consideradas, como procurar alguém no mar ou procurar toxinas numa área ambiental aberta

Gesture Controlled Collaborative Robot Arm and Lab Kit

In this paper, a mechatronics system was designed and implemented to include the subjects of artificial intelligence, control algorithms, robot servo motor control, and human-machine interface (HMI). The goal was to create an inexpensive, multi-functional robotics lab kit to promote students’ interest in STEM fields including computing and mechtronics. Industrial robotic systems have become vastly popular in manufacturing and other industries, and the demand for individuals with related skills is rapidly increasing. Robots can complete jobs that are dangerous, dull, or dirty for humans to perform. Recently, more and more collaborative robotic systems have been developed and implemented in the industry. Collaborative robots utilize artificial intelligence to become aware of and capable of interacting with a human operator in progressively natural ways. The work created a computer vision-based collaborative robotic system that can be controlled via several different methods including a touch screen HMI, hand gestures, and hard coding via the microcontroller integrated development environment (IDE). The flexibility provided in the framework resulted in an educational lab kit with varying levels of difficulty across several topics such as C and Python programming, machine learning, HMI design, and robotics. The hardware being used in this project includes a Raspberry Pi 4, an Arduino Due, a Braccio Robotics Kit, a Raspberry Pi 4 compatible vision module, and a 5-inch touchscreen display. We anticipate this education lab kit will improve the effectiveness of student learning in the field of mechatronics

Cloud-Enhanced Robotic System for Smart City Crowd Control

Cloud robotics in smart cities is an emerging paradigm that enables autonomous robotic agents to communicate and collaborate with a cloud computing infrastructure. It complements the Internet of Things (IoT) by creating an expanded network where robots offload data-intensive computation to the ubiquitous cloud to ensure quality of service (QoS). However, offloading for robots is significantly complex due to their unique characteristics of mobility, skill-learning, data collection, and decision-making capabilities. In this paper, a generic cloud robotics framework is proposed to realize smart city vision while taking into consideration its various complexities. Specifically, we present an integrated framework for a crowd control system where cloud-enhanced robots are deployed to perform necessary tasks. The task offloading is formulated as a constrained optimization problem capable of handling any task flow that can be characterized by a Direct Acyclic Graph (DAG).We consider two scenarios of minimizing energy and time, respectively, and develop a genetic algorithm (GA)-based approach to identify the optimal task offloading decisions. The performance comparison with two benchmarks shows that our GA scheme achieves desired energy and time performance. We also show the adaptability of our algorithm by varying the values for bandwidth and movement. The results suggest their impact on offloading. Finally, we present a multi-task flow optimal path sequence problem that highlights how the robot can plan its task completion via movements that expend the minimum energy. This integrates path planning with offloading for robotics. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first attempt to evaluate cloud-based task offloading for a smart city crowd control system

Bandpass filters for unconstrained target recognition and their implementation in coherent optical correlators

An up-dateable correlator is simulated which is based on the non-degenerate four wave mixing (NDFWM) interaction in the photorefractive material bismuth silicon oxide (Bi12SiO20). Specifically, it is shown that variable bandpass filters can be implemented directly in the correlator by adjusting the relative strengths of the signal and reference beams used to write the Fourier transform hologram into the photorefractive. The synthetic discriminant function (SDF) method of grey-level multiplexing is reviewed. A bandpass modification of this technique is used in the design of a multiplexed filter for the recognition of an industrial test component from a limited number of known stable state orientations when viewed from an overhead camera position. Its performance in this task when implemented in the up-dateable correlator is assessed through simulation. The conclusion of this work is that filter multiplexing must be used judiciously for orientation invariant recognition. Only a limited number of images, typically under ten, may be multiplexed into each filter since correlation peak heights and peak-to-sidelobe ratios inevitably progressively deteriorate as images are added to the filter. The effect of severe amplitude disruptions in the frequency plane on correlation peak localisation is examined. In two or higher dimensions simulations show the localisation is very robust to this disruption; an analysis is developed to indicate the reason for this. The effect is exploited by the implementation of an algorithm that locally removes the spatial frequencies that exhibit close phase matching between intra- and inter-class images. The inter-class response can be forced to zero while simultaneously improving the intra-class tolerance to orientation changes. The technique is assessed through simulation with images of two types of motor vehicle, in a variety of orientations, and shown to be effective in improving discrimination and intra-class tolerance for examples in which these were initially very poor. Bandpass filters are experimentally implemented in a joint transform correlator (JTC) based on a NDFWM interaction in Bi12SiO20. The JTC is described and its full bandwidth performance initially assessed. As anticipated from the previous considerations, inter-class discrimination was high but the intra-class tolerance very poor due to the high sensitivity of the filter. The difference of Gaussian approximation to a Laplacian of a Gaussian filter is described and its experimental implementation in the JTC detailed. Experimental results are presented for the orientation independent recognition of a car while maintaining discrimination against another car. An intra-class to inter-class correlation ratio of 7.5 dB was obtained as a best case and 3.6 dB as a worst case, the intra-class variation being at 11 ° increments in orientation at zero elevation angle. The results are extrapolated to estimate that approximately 80 filters would be required for a full 2 steradian orientation coverage. The implementation of the frequency removal technique and the Wiener filter in the JTC is briefly considered in conclusion to this work

Blind guide: anytime, anywhere

Sight dominates our mental life, more than any other sense. Even when we are just thinking about something the world, we end imagining what looks like. This rich visual experience is part of our lives. People need the vision for two complementary reasons. One of them is vision give us the knowledge to recognize objects in real time. The other reason is vision provides us the control one need to move around and interact with objects. Eyesight helps people to avoid dangers and navigate in our world. Blind people usually have enhanced accuracy and sensibility of their other natural senses to sense their surroundings. But sometimes this is not enough because the human senses can be affected by external sources of noise or disease. Without any foreign aid or device, sightless cannot navigate in the world. Many assistive tools have been developed to help blind people. White canes or guide dogs help blind in their navigation. Each device has their limitation. White canes cannot detect head level obstacles, drop-offs, and obstructions over a meter away. The training of a guide dog takes a long time, almost five years in some cases. The sightless also needs training and is not a solution for everybody. Taking care of a guide dog can be expensive and time consuming. Humans have developed technology for helping us in every aspect of our lives. The primary goal of technology is helping people to improve their quality of life. Technology can assist us with our limitations. Wireless sensor networks is a technology that has been used to help people with disabilities. In this dissertation, the author proposes a system based on this technology called Blind Guide. Blind Guide is an artifact that helps blind people to navigate in indoors or outdoors scenarios. The prototype is portable assuring that can be used anytime and anywhere. The system is composed of wireless sensors that can be used in different parts of the body. The sensors detect an obstacle and inform the user with an audible warning providing a safety walk to the users. A great feature about Blind Guide is its modularity. The system can adapt to the needs of the user and can be used in a combination with other solution. For example, Blind Guide can be used in conjunction with the white cane. The white cane detects obstacles below waist level and a Blind Guide wireless sensor in the forehead can detect obstacles at the head level. This feature is important because some sightless people feel uncomfortable without the white cane. The system is scalable giving us the opportunity to create a network of interconnected Blind Guide users. This network can store the exact location and description of the obstacles found by the users. This information is public for all users of this system. This feature reduces the time required for obstacle detection and consequent energy savings, thus increasing the autonomy of the solution. One of the main requirements for the development of this prototype was to design a low-cost solution that can be accessible for anyone around the world. All the components of the solution can provide a low-cost solution, easily obtainable and at a low cost. Technology makes our life easier and it must be available for anyone. Modularity, portability, scalability, the possibility to work in conjunction with other solutions, detecting objects that other solutions cannot, obstacle labeling, a network of identified obstacles and audible warnings are the main aspects of the Blind Guide system. All these aspects makes Blind Guide an anytime, anywhere solution for blind people. Blind Guide was tested with a group of volunteers. The volunteers were sightless and from different ages. The trials performed to the system show us positive results. The system successfully detected incoming obstacles and informed in real time to its users. The volunteers gave us a positive feedback telling that they felt comfortable using the prototype and they believe that the system can help them with their daily routine

Uses and applications of artificial intelligence in manufacturing

The purpose of the THESIS is to provide engineers and personnels with a overview of the concepts that underline Artificial Intelligence and Expert Systems. Artificial Intelligence is concerned with the developments of theories and techniques required to provide a computational engine with the abilities to perceive, think and act, in an intelligent manner in a complex environment. Expert system is branch of Artificial Intelligence where the methods of reasoning emulate those of human experts. Artificial Intelligence derives it\u27s power from its ability to represent complex forms of knowledge, some of it common sense, heuristic and symbolic, and the ability to apply the knowledge in searching for solutions. The Thesis will review : The components of an intelligent system, The basics of knowledge representation, Search based problem solving methods, Expert system technologies, Uses and applications of AI in various manufacturing areas like Design, Process Planning, Production Management, Energy Management, Quality Assurance, Manufacturing Simulation, Robotics, Machine Vision etc. Prime objectives of the Thesis are to understand the basic concepts underlying Artificial Intelligence and be able to identify where the technology may be applied in the field of Manufacturing Engineering

Labour and technology in the car industry : Ford strategies in Britain and Brazil.

Imperial Users onl