Indoor Navigation and Manipulation using a Segway RMP

This project dealt with a Segway RMP, utilizing it in an assistive-technology manner, encompassing navigation and manipulation aspects of robotics. First, background research was conducted to develop a blueprint for the robot. The hardware, software, and configuration of the RMP was updated, and a robotic arm was designed to extend the RMP’s capabilities. The robot was programmed to accomplish autonomous multi-floor navigation through the use of the navigation stack in ROS, image detection, and a GUI. The robot can navigate through the hallways of the building utilizing the elevator. The robotic arm was designed to accomplish tasks such as pressing a button and picking an object up off of a table. The Segway RMP is designed to be utilized and expanded upon as a robotics research platform

Hospital Lobby Assistant Robot

The primary goal of this MQP is to produce a user friendly robot that assists users in navigating a given area. Specifically, this group chose to focus on a hospital setting. In order to achieve this goal, the group designed a robot that was capable of navigation, possessed an arm with which to open doors, and that could be commanded by users from an intuitive on-board UI. A secondary goal of this MQP was to create an extensible platform for future groups. To achieve this goal, the team designed a modular backend system so that new modules could be added to the robot in the future with minimal time spent by future groups on integration

RUR53: an Unmanned Ground Vehicle for Navigation, Recognition and Manipulation

This paper proposes RUR53: an Unmanned Ground Vehicle able to autonomously navigate through, identify, and reach areas of interest; and there recognize, localize, and manipulate work tools to perform complex manipulation tasks. The proposed contribution includes a modular software architecture where each module solves specific sub-tasks and that can be easily enlarged to satisfy new requirements. Included indoor and outdoor tests demonstrate the capability of the proposed system to autonomously detect a target object (a panel) and precisely dock in front of it while avoiding obstacles. They show it can autonomously recognize and manipulate target work tools (i.e., wrenches and valve stems) to accomplish complex tasks (i.e., use a wrench to rotate a valve stem). A specific case study is described where the proposed modular architecture lets easy switch to a semi-teleoperated mode. The paper exhaustively describes description of both the hardware and software setup of RUR53, its performance when tests at the 2017 Mohamed Bin Zayed International Robotics Challenge, and the lessons we learned when participating at this competition, where we ranked third in the Gran Challenge in collaboration with the Czech Technical University in Prague, the University of Pennsylvania, and the University of Lincoln (UK).Comment: This article has been accepted for publication in Advanced Robotics, published by Taylor & Franci

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

Smartphone-based two-wheeled self-balancing vehicles rider assistant

This paper presents an approach to a driver assistant system for a two-wheeled self-balancing mobility vehicles in particular for a Segway. The approach is aimed for the readily available mobile devices, which become a part of our daily life such as a smartphone or a tablet. If a mobile device is well-positioned on a mobility vehicle, its front and rear cameras can be utilized as sensors to capture the ride related information about the rider's intention(s) and the interaction of the rider with the environment. In addition, attached to the handle bar of the mobility vehicle, this mobile device can be used to alert the driver using the motion and location sensor as well as cameras and gather ride characteristics. In this study, we describe a context-aware system that continuously observes both the rider and the dynamical characteristics of the ride and provides alerts to the rider anticipating the hazards, collision, the route of the other public road users, and the stability of the current ride characteristics

Pengembangan Self-balancing Bike

Sepeda disebut-sebut sebagai solusi sederhana dari berbagai permasalahan pelik dunia, salah satunya kemacetan. Lewat pelaksanaan Tugas Akhir ini, penulis mengambil salah satu fokus permasalahan, yaitu masih banyak pengguna yang belum bisa menggunakan sepeda walaupun sudah dewasa. Melalui hipotesis diasumsikan penyebabnya adalah seringnya hilang keseimbangan saat kayuhan awal, dan mayoritas dialami oleh perempuan, untuk membuktikan hipotesis ini kemudian dilakukan survey dengan mengambil lingkungan ITB sebagai sampel dan untuk mencari solusi, penulis meneliti prinsip gyroscope yang diterapkan pada Segway. Teorinya adalah memasang piringan sebagai flywheel, untuk lebih menstabilkan sepeda. Selain sisi teknologi, penelitian ini juga memfokuskan sisi ergonomi sepeda untuk perempuan

Context-Based Rider Assistant System for Two Wheeled Self-Balancing Vehicles

Personal mobility devises become more and more popular last years. Gyroscooters, two wheeled self-balancing vehicles, wheelchair, bikes, and scooters help people to solve the first and last mile problems in big cities. To help people with navigation and to increase their safety the intelligent rider assistant systems can be utilized that are used the rider personal smartphone to form the context and provide the rider with the recommendations. We understand the context as any information that characterize current situation. So, the context represents the model of current situation. We assume that rider mounts personal smartphone that allows it to track the rider face using the front-facing camera. Modern smartphones allow to track current situation using such sensors as: GPS / GLONASS, accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer, microphone, and video cameras. The proposed rider assistant system uses these sensors to capture the context information about the rider and the vehicle and generates context-oriented recommendations. The proposed system is aimed at dangerous situation detection for the rider, we are considering two dangerous situations: drowsiness and distraction. Using the computer vision methods, we determine parameters of the rider face (eyes, nose, mouth, head pith and rotation angles) and based on analysis of this parameters detect the dangerous situations. The paper presents a comprehensive related work analysis in the topic of intelligent driver assistant systems and recommendation generation, an approach to dangerous situation detection and recommendation generation is proposed, and evaluation of the distraction dangerous state determination for personal mobility device riders