542 research outputs found
Autonomous Construction with Compliant Building Material
In this paper, we develop an autonomous construction system in which a self-contained ground robot builds a protective barrier by means of compliant pockets (i.e., filled bags). We present a stochastic control algorithm based on two biological mechanisms (stigmergy and templates) that takes advantage of compliant pockets for autonomous construction. The control algorithm guides the robot to build the structure without relying on any external motion capture system or external computer. We propose a statistical model to represent the structures built with the compliant pockets, and we provide a set of criteria for assessing the performance of the proposed system. To demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed system, real-robot experiments were carried out. In each experiment, the robot successfully built the structure. The results show the viability of the proposed autonomous construction system
Are Autonomous Mobile Robots Able to Take Over Construction? A Review
Although construction has been known as a highly complex application field for autonomous robotic systems, recent advances in this field offer great hope for using robotic capabilities to develop automated construction. Today, space research agencies seek to build infrastructures without human intervention, and construction companies look to robots with the potential to improve construction quality, efficiency, and safety, not to mention flexibility in architectural design. However, unlike production robots used, for instance, in automotive industries, autonomous robots should be designed with special consideration for challenges such as the complexity of the cluttered and dynamic working space, human-robot interactions and inaccuracy in positioning due to the nature of mobile systems and the lack of affordable and precise self-positioning solutions. This paper briefly reviews state-ofthe-art research into automated construction by autonomous mobile robots. We address and classify the relevant studies in terms of applications, materials, and robotic systems. We also identify ongoing challenges and discuss about future robotic requirements for automated construction
Addressing Tasks Through Robot Adaptation
Developing flexible, broadly capable systems is essential for robots to move out of factories and into our daily lives, functioning as responsive agents that can handle whatever the world throws at them. This dissertation focuses on two kinds of robot adaptation. Modular self-reconfigurable robots (MSRR) adapt to the requirements of their task and environments by transforming themselves. By rearranging the connective structure of their component robot modules, these systems can assume different morphologies: for example, a cluster of modules might configure themselves into a car to maneuver on flat ground, a snake to climb stairs, or an arm to pick and place objects. Conversely, environment augmentation is a strategy in which the robot transforms its environment to meet its own needs, adding physical structures that allow it to overcome obstacles.
In both areas, the presented work includes elements of hardware design, algorithms, and integrated systems, with the common goal of establishing these methods of adaptation as viable strategies to address tasks. The research takes a systems-level view of robotics, placing particular emphasis on experimental validation in hardware
Influence of self-disassembly of bridges on collective flow characteristics of swarm robots in a single-lane and periodic system with a gap
Inspired by the living bridges formed by ants, swarm robots have been
developed to self-assemble bridges to span gaps and self-disassemble them.
Self-disassembly of bridges may increase the transport efficiency of swarm
robots by increasing the number of moving robots, and also may decrease the
efficiency by causing gaps to reappear. Our aim is to elucidate the influence
of self-disassembly of bridges on the collective flow characteristics of swarm
robots in a single-lane and periodic system with a gap. In the system, robots
span and cross the gap by self-assembling a single-layer bridge. We consider
two scenarios in which self-disassembling bridges is prevented
(prevent-scenario) or allowed (allow-scenario). We represent the horizontal
movement of robots with a typical car-following model, and simply model the
actions of robots for self-assembling and self-disassembling bridges. Numerical
simulations have revealed the following results. Flow-density diagrams in both
the scenarios shift to the higher-density region as the gap length increases.
When density is low, allow-scenario exhibits the steady state of repeated
self-assembly and self-disassembly of bridges. If density is extremely low,
flow in this state is greater than flow in prevent-scenario owing to the
increase in the number of robots moving horizontally. Otherwise, flow in this
state is smaller than flow in prevent-scenario. Besides, flow in this state
increases monotonically with respect to the velocity of robots in joining and
leaving bridges. Thus, self-disassembling bridges is recommended for only
extremely low-density conditions in periodic systems. This study contributes to
the development of the collective dynamics of self-driven particles that
self-assemble structures, and stirs the dynamics with other self-assembled
structures, such as ramps, chains, and towers.Comment: 13 pages, 9 figure
Structure Assembly by a Heterogeneous Team of Robots Using State Estimation, Generalized Joints, and Mobile Parallel Manipulators
Autonomous robotic assembly by mobile field robots has seen significant advances in recent decades, yet practicality remains elusive. Identified challenges include better use of state estimation to and reasoning with uncertainty, spreading out tasks to specialized robots, and implementing representative joining methods. This paper proposes replacing 1) self-correcting mechanical linkages with generalized joints for improved applicability, 2) assembly serial manipulators with parallel manipulators for higher precision and stability, and 3) all-in-one robots with a heterogeneous team of specialized robots for agent simplicity. This paper then describes a general assembly algorithm utilizing state estimation. Finally, these concepts are tested in the context of solar array assembly, requiring a team of robots to assemble, bond, and deploy a set of solar panel mockups to a backbone truss to an accuracy not built into the parts. This paper presents the results of these tests
Deep play, urban space, adolescent place: a multi-sited study of the effects of settings on adolescent risk/reward behavior
The extant literature on the play behavior of youth normalizes adolescent behavior in public space as transgressional, resistant, and in need of social control. The dissertation counters this trend by looking to see if physical qualities, peer effects, and neighborhood context of settings play a deeper role in youth behavior. The study documented urban context, peer effects, physical features, and play behavior across 21 urban settings in New Orleans. Unobtrusive observations employed a highly innovative technique based on YouTube videos and analyzed using hierarchical linear modeling. Coded observations of risk-taking and prosocial behavior demonstrated some stability in behavior amongst adolescentsââyouthâ ages 12-19âwithin each site, suggesting that site-specific factors can constrain youth behavior. Yet, more interesting, teens appropriated sites. Specifically, the study found that (a) adolescents consistently adapt play behavior due to settings and (b) that adolescents adapt sites to support play behavior. The latter finding is novel and diverges from normative theory on adolescent behavior by suggesting that teens exercise interdependence when engaging in urban environments away from home and school. Interdependence is a term derived from economics that means mutual dependence upon others for some needs. That adolescents display increased risk-taking behavior in environments with low appropriation and increased prosocial behavior in environments with high appropriation advocates for cities to support adolescent appropriation of urban space
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