Increasing the Energy-Efficiency in Vacuum-Based Package Handling Using Deep Q-Learning

Billions of packages are automatically handled in warehouses every year. The gripping systems are, however, most often oversized in order to cover a large range of different carton types, package masses, and robot motions. In addition, a targeted optimization of the process parameters with the aim of reducing the oversizing requires prior knowledge, personnel resources, and experience. This paper investigates whether the energy-efficiency in vacuum-based package handling can be increased without the need for prior knowledge of optimal process parameters. The core method comprises the variation of the input pressure for the vacuum ejector, compliant to the robot trajectory and the resulting inertial forces at the gripper-object-interface. The control mechanism is trained by applying reinforcement learning with a deep Q-agent. In the proposed use case, the energy-efficiency can be increased by up to 70% within a few hours of learning. It is also demonstrated that the generalization capability with regard to multiple different robot trajectories is achievable. In the future, the industrial applicability can be enhanced by deployment of the deep Q-agent in a decentral system, to collect data from different pick and place processes and enable a generalizable and scalable solution for energy-efficient vacuum-based handling in warehouse automation

Volume 3 – Conference

We are pleased to present the conference proceedings for the 12th edition of the International Fluid Power Conference (IFK). The IFK is one of the world’s most significant scientific conferences on fluid power control technology and systems. It offers a common platform for the presentation and discussion of trends and innovations to manufacturers, users and scientists. The Chair of Fluid-Mechatronic Systems at the TU Dresden is organizing and hosting the IFK for the sixth time. Supporting hosts are the Fluid Power Association of the German Engineering Federation (VDMA), Dresdner Verein zur Förderung der Fluidtechnik e. V. (DVF) and GWT-TUD GmbH. The organization and the conference location alternates every two years between the Chair of Fluid-Mechatronic Systems in Dresden and the Institute for Fluid Power Drives and Systems in Aachen. The symposium on the first day is dedicated to presentations focused on methodology and fundamental research. The two following conference days offer a wide variety of application and technology orientated papers about the latest state of the art in fluid power. It is this combination that makes the IFK a unique and excellent forum for the exchange of academic research and industrial application experience. A simultaneously ongoing exhibition offers the possibility to get product information and to have individual talks with manufacturers. The theme of the 12th IFK is “Fluid Power – Future Technology”, covering topics that enable the development of 5G-ready, cost-efficient and demand-driven structures, as well as individual decentralized drives. Another topic is the real-time data exchange that allows the application of numerous predictive maintenance strategies, which will significantly increase the availability of fluid power systems and their elements and ensure their improved lifetime performance. We create an atmosphere for casual exchange by offering a vast frame and cultural program. This includes a get-together, a conference banquet, laboratory festivities and some physical activities such as jogging in Dresden’s old town.:Group 8: Pneumatics Group 9 | 11: Mobile applications Group 10: Special domains Group 12: Novel system architectures Group 13 | 15: Actuators & sensors Group 14: Safety & reliabilit

Advanced Automation for Space Missions

The feasibility of using machine intelligence, including automation and robotics, in future space missions was studied

Dexterous grippers: between simple industrial grippers and complex robotic hands

This thesis addresses the issue of introducing dexterity, namely the ability to manipulate objects in hand, into simple mechanical grippers. Among the many possibilities to give dexterity to a gripping device we opted to intervene at the finger-pad surface since it is the part of the end effector directly in contact with the object to be manipulated. The first contribution is the development of an under-actuated gripper with Active Surfaces on the inner side of the fingers which allow to in-hand manipulate the grasped objects. The gripper, named Velvet Fingers, was designed from the theoretical concepts, manufactured, assembled and then turned into an applicative scenario. A second main contribution of this thesis, carried out in collaboration with AASS Research Center, of the University of \"Orebro (Sweden), is a grasp execution routine using the Active Surfaces of the Velvet Fingers to achieve a robust power grasp starting from an initial fingertip grasp. This routine is very useful and effective in cluttered environment where an initial fingertip grasp is much more likely to be feasible than a bulky power grasp. The third main contribution is the development of a small gripper for small household objects such as cans, small bottles, little boxes, tennis balls etc. This gripper, named Velvet-II, is able to perform in-hand manipulation tasks, to elicit information from the grasped object, namely the contact point location and the components of the grasping forces and to detect incipient slippage between the gripper and the object. Within a collaboration with AASS Research Center the gripper has been employed on a robotic platform for autonomous picking and palletizing

A History of Materials and Technologies Development

The purpose of the book is to provide the students with the text that presents an introductory knowledge about the development of materials and technologies and includes the most commonly available information on human development. The idea of the publication has been generated referring to the materials taken from the organic and non-organic evolution of nature. The suggested texts might be found a purposeful tool for the University students proceeding with studying engineering due to the fact that all subjects in this particular field more or less have to cover the history and development of the studied object. It is expected that studying different materials and technologies will help the students with a better understanding of driving forces, positive and negative consequences of technological development, etc

EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES FOR DEVELOPMENT HIGH-POWER AUDIO SPEAKER DEVICES PERFORMANCE USING PERMANENT NdFeB MAGNETS SPECIAL TECHNOLOGY

In this paper the authors shows the research made for improving high-power audio speaker devices performance using permanent NdFeB magnets special technology. Magnetic losses inside these audio devices are due to mechanical system frictions and to thermal effect of Joules eddy currents. In this regard, by special technology, were made conical surfaces at top plate and center pin. Analysing results obtained by modelling the magnetic circuit finite element method using electronic software package,was measured increase efficiency by over 10 %, from 1,136T to13T

Genetic-Based Optimisation Technique for the Development of Automated Inspection and Restoration Systems for Bridges

Automation and robotics are receiving significant attention in the field of inspection and restoration of steel bridges. However, the success level of the field implementations depends on numerous technological factors. This dissertation addresses aspects of the design, development and subsequent implementation of such on-site devices. The restoration process poses a high level of health hazard and carries environmental pollution risk. For these reasons, it is high on the consideration list for automation. The varied scale and geometry of bridges are some of the limiting conditions for performing the inspection and restoration tasks. Further aspects of concern are access provisions, the diversity of tasks required in the assessment and restoration of a bridge and compatibility between the operational characteristics of the automated device, tasks layout and direction of approach. The key factors, which arise as a result of the above analysis, are access, mobility, navigation, manipulation, probe change and control. In order to efficiently produce design alternatives, based on the industry (customers and designers) requirements, the engineering design framework is adopted. Due to the growing complexity of the required devices, new methodologies and approaches are needed. This dissertation presents a design methodology to generate alternatives for further considerations. The author's work combines: (i) research and suitability assessment of the existing enabling technologies, (ii) extensive task selection and analysis, (iii) incorporation of the industry requirements for generating the set of design criteria, and (iv) an innovative application of Genetic Algorithms. GA is used as a tool for simultaneous optimisation of the robot’s kinematic parameters, based on the criteria of collision and singularity avoidance, percentage of coverage, productivity and dexterity. Analysis and justification of a two-step approach is presented, with the former combining all the parameters, and the latter handling the chosen criteria. The methodology is then tested and verified on an existing construction robot (MPIR) from Technion. Finally, it is applied to two case studies, spherical and articulated manipulators performing a range of restoration activities on a selected bridge geometry model. A sensitivity analysis was also carried out on each case study in order to identify areas where improvements could be made. In general, the methodology is successful in choosing the more task-suitable manipulator and optimising the ranges of its kinematic parameters. This could be extended to optimise other parameters according to a set of alternative criteria. In doing so, it can bridge over several phases of the engineering design with a single approach