Robot manipulation in human environments

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 2007.Includes bibliographical references (p. 211-228).Human environments present special challenges for robot manipulation. They are often dynamic, difficult to predict, and beyond the control of a robot engineer. Fortunately, many characteristics of these settings can be used to a robot's advantage. Human environments are typically populated by people, and a robot can rely on the guidance and assistance of a human collaborator. Everyday objects exhibit common, task-relevant features that reduce the cognitive load required for the object's use. Many tasks can be achieved through the detection and control of these sparse perceptual features. And finally, a robot is more than a passive observer of the world. It can use its body to reduce its perceptual uncertainty about the world. In this thesis we present advances in robot manipulation that address the unique challenges of human environments. We describe the design of a humanoid robot named Domo, develop methods that allow Domo to assist a person in everyday tasks, and discuss general strategies for building robots that work alongside people in their homes and workplaces.by Aaron Ladd Edsinger.Ph.D

Development of the huggable social robot Probo: on the conceptual design and software architecture

This dissertation presents the development of a huggable social robot named Probo. Probo embodies a stuffed imaginary animal, providing a soft touch and a huggable appearance. Probo's purpose is to serve as a multidisciplinary research platform for human-robot interaction focused on children. In terms of a social robot, Probo is classified as a social interface supporting non-verbal communication. Probo's social skills are thereby limited to a reactive level. To close the gap with higher levels of interaction, an innovative system for shared control with a human operator is introduced. The software architecture de nes a modular structure to incorporate all systems into a single control center. This control center is accompanied with a 3D virtual model of Probo, simulating all motions of the robot and providing a visual feedback to the operator. Additionally, the model allows us to advance on user-testing and evaluation of newly designed systems. The robot reacts on basic input stimuli that it perceives during interaction. The input stimuli, that can be referred to as low-level perceptions, are derived from vision analysis, audio analysis, touch analysis and object identification. The stimuli will influence the attention and homeostatic system, used to de ne the robot's point of attention, current emotional state and corresponding facial expression. The recognition of these facial expressions has been evaluated in various user-studies. To evaluate the collaboration of the software components, a social interactive game for children, Probogotchi, has been developed. To facilitate interaction with children, Probo has an identity and corresponding history. Safety is ensured through Probo's soft embodiment and intrinsic safe actuation systems. To convey the illusion of life in a robotic creature, tools for the creation and management of motion sequences are put into the hands of the operator. All motions generated from operator triggered systems are combined with the motions originating from the autonomous reactive systems. The resulting motion is subsequently smoothened and transmitted to the actuation systems. With future applications to come, Probo is an ideal platform to create a friendly companion for hospitalised children

Gaze control for visually guided manipulation

Human studies have shown that gaze shifts are mostly driven by the task. One explanation is that fixations gather information about task relevant properties, where task relevance is signalled by reward. This thesis pursues primarily an engineering science goal to determine what mechanisms a rational decision maker could employ to select a gaze location optimally, or near optimally, given limited information and limited computation time. To do so we formulate and characterise three computational models of gaze shifting (implemented on a simulated humanoid robot), which use lookahead to imagine the informational effects of possible gaze fixations. Our first model selects the gaze that most reduces uncertainty in the scene (Unc), the second maximises expected rewards by reducing uncertainty (Rew+Unc), and the third maximises the expected gain in cumulative reward by reducing uncertainty (Rew+Unc+Gain). We also present an integrated account of a visual search process into the Rew+Unc+Gain gaze scheme. Our secondary goal is concerned with the way in which humans might select the next gaze location. We compare the hand-eye coordination timings of our models to previously published human data, and we provide evidence that only the models that incorporate both uncertainty and reward (Rew+Unc and Rew+Unc+Gain) match human data

Designing Social Robots for Early Detection of Mental Heath Conditions

Globally, mental health is a growing socio-economic burden and leads to negative ramifications including mortality and poor quality of life. Successful early detection of mental illness will make a significant, positive economic and societal impact. Social robots show potential to be integrated as tools for psychological therapy and early detection. This thesis seeks to design and develop social robots for early detection of mental illness. I explore how multi-modal inputs can be used to infer user's mental state and to direct appropriate robot behavior. I have employed an iterative design process for the design of robot morphology, personality, and behavior. Design 1 is a social robot with 6 DOF and exhibits non-verbal behaviors. In this design, I explore audio, video, and haptic inputs to detect user's emotional state. Design 2 is an interactive device that aims to collect audio data for the detection of early signs of depression. In this design, acoustic features are explored for depression detection, and the device uses audio and LEDs to communicate it's internal state. Finally, I have conducted a pilot experiment to investigate how the users interact with the robot. This thesis informs the design of future robots that aim to support early detection of mental illnesses

Computational intelligence approaches to robotics, automation, and control [Volume guest editors]

No abstract available

Optimization and validation of a new 3D-US imaging robot to detect, localize and quantify lower limb arterial stenoses

L’athérosclérose est une maladie qui cause, par l’accumulation de plaques lipidiques, le durcissement de la paroi des artères et le rétrécissement de la lumière. Ces lésions sont généralement localisées sur les segments artériels coronariens, carotidiens, aortiques, rénaux, digestifs et périphériques. En ce qui concerne l’atteinte périphérique, celle des membres inférieurs est particulièrement fréquente. En effet, la sévérité de ces lésions artérielles est souvent évaluée par le degré d’une sténose (réduction >50 % du diamètre de la lumière) en angiographie, imagerie par résonnance magnétique (IRM), tomodensitométrie ou échographie. Cependant, pour planifier une intervention chirurgicale, une représentation géométrique artérielle 3D est notamment préférable. Les méthodes d’imagerie par coupe (IRM et tomodensitométrie) sont très performantes pour générer une imagerie tridimensionnelle de bonne qualité mais leurs utilisations sont dispendieuses et invasives pour les patients. L’échographie 3D peut constituer une avenue très prometteuse en imagerie pour la localisation et la quantification des sténoses. Cette modalité d’imagerie offre des avantages distincts tels la commodité, des coûts peu élevés pour un diagnostic non invasif (sans irradiation ni agent de contraste néphrotoxique) et aussi l’option d’analyse en Doppler pour quantifier le flux sanguin. Étant donné que les robots médicaux ont déjà été utilisés avec succès en chirurgie et en orthopédie, notre équipe a conçu un nouveau système robotique d’échographie 3D pour détecter et quantifier les sténoses des membres inférieurs. Avec cette nouvelle technologie, un radiologue fait l’apprentissage manuel au robot d’un balayage échographique du vaisseau concerné. Par la suite, le robot répète à très haute précision la trajectoire apprise, contrôle simultanément le processus d’acquisition d’images échographiques à un pas d’échantillonnage constant et conserve de façon sécuritaire la force appliquée par la sonde sur la peau du patient. Par conséquent, la reconstruction d’une géométrie artérielle 3D des membres inférieurs à partir de ce système pourrait permettre une localisation et une quantification des sténoses à très grande fiabilité. L’objectif de ce projet de recherche consistait donc à valider et optimiser ce système robotisé d’imagerie échographique 3D. La fiabilité d’une géométrie reconstruite en 3D à partir d’un système référentiel robotique dépend beaucoup de la précision du positionnement et de la procédure de calibration. De ce fait, la précision pour le positionnement du bras robotique fut évaluée à travers son espace de travail avec un fantôme spécialement conçu pour simuler la configuration des artères des membres inférieurs (article 1 - chapitre 3). De plus, un fantôme de fils croisés en forme de Z a été conçu pour assurer une calibration précise du système robotique (article 2 - chapitre 4). Ces méthodes optimales ont été utilisées pour valider le système pour l’application clinique et trouver la transformation qui convertit les coordonnées de l’image échographique 2D dans le référentiel cartésien du bras robotisé. À partir de ces résultats, tout objet balayé par le système robotique peut être caractérisé pour une reconstruction 3D adéquate. Des fantômes vasculaires compatibles avec plusieurs modalités d’imagerie ont été utilisés pour simuler différentes représentations artérielles des membres inférieurs (article 2 - chapitre 4, article 3 - chapitre 5). La validation des géométries reconstruites a été effectuée à l`aide d`analyses comparatives. La précision pour localiser et quantifier les sténoses avec ce système robotisé d’imagerie échographique 3D a aussi été déterminée. Ces évaluations ont été réalisées in vivo pour percevoir le potentiel de l’utilisation d’un tel système en clinique (article 3- chapitre 5).Atherosclerosis is a disease caused by the accumulation of lipid deposits inducing the remodeling and hardening of the vessel wall, which leads to a progressive narrowing of arteries. These lesions are generally located on the coronary, carotid, aortic, renal, digestive and peripheral arteries. With regards to peripheral vessels, lower limb arteries are frequently affected. The severity of arterial lesions are evaluated by the stenosis degree (reduction > 50.0 % of the lumen diameter) using angiography, magnetic resonance angiography (MRA), computed tomography (CT) and ultrasound (US). However, to plan a surgical therapeutic intervention, a 3D arterial geometric representation is notably preferable. Imaging methods such as MRA and CT are very efficient to generate a three-dimensional imaging of good quality even though their use is expensive and invasive for patients. 3D-ultrasound can be perceived as a promising avenue in imaging for the location and the quantification of stenoses. This non invasive, non allergic (i.e, nephrotoxic contrast agent) and non-radioactive imaging modality offers distinct advantages in convenience, low cost and also multiple diagnostic options to quantify blood flow in Doppler. Since medical robots already have been used with success in surgery and orthopedics, our team has conceived a new medical 3D-US robotic imaging system to localize and quantify arterial stenoses in lower limb vessels. With this new technology, a clinician manually teaches the robotic arm the scanning path. Then, the robotic arm repeats with high precision the taught trajectory and controls simultaneously the ultrasound image acquisition process at even sampling and preserves safely the force applied by the US probe. Consequently, the reconstruction of a lower limb arterial geometry in 3D with this system could allow the location and quantification of stenoses with high accuracy. The objective of this research project consisted in validating and optimizing this 3D-ultrasound imaging robotic system. The reliability of a 3D reconstructed geometry obtained with 2D-US images captured with a robotic system depends considerably on the positioning accuracy and the calibration procedure. Thus, the positioning accuracy of the robotic arm was evaluated in the workspace with a lower limb-mimicking phantom design (article 1 - chapter 3). In addition, a Z-phantom was designed to assure a precise calibration of the robotic system. These optimal methods were used to validate the system for the clinical application and to find the transformation which converts image coordinates of a 2D-ultrasound image into the robotic arm referential. From these results, all objects scanned by the robotic system can be adequately reconstructed in 3D. Multimodal imaging vascular phantoms of lower limb arteries were used to evaluate the accuracy of the 3D representations (article 2 - chapter 4, article 3 - chapter 5). The validation of the reconstructed geometry with this system was performed by comparing surface points with the manufacturing vascular phantom file surface points. The accuracy to localize and quantify stenoses with the 3D-ultrasound robotic imaging system was also determined. These same evaluations were analyzed in vivo to perceive the feasibility of the study

Behavior-based Control for Service Robots inspired by Human Motion Patterns : a Robotic Shopping Assistant

Es wurde, unter Verwendung menschenähnlicher Bewegungsmuster und eines verhaltensbasierten Ansatzes, eine Steuerung für mobile Serviceroboter entwickelt, die Aufgabenplanung, globale und lokale Navigation in dynamischen Umgebungen, sowie die gemeinsame Aufgabenausführung mit einem Benutzer umfasst. Das Verhaltensnetzwerk besteht aus Modulen mit voneinander unabhängigen Aufgaben. Das komplexe Gesamtverhalten des Systems ergibt sich durch die Vereinigung der Einzelverhalten (\u27Emergenz\u27)

Computational intelligence approaches to robotics, automation, and control [Volume guest editors]

No abstract available

Robotics 2010

Without a doubt, robotics has made an incredible progress over the last decades. The vision of developing, designing and creating technical systems that help humans to achieve hard and complex tasks, has intelligently led to an incredible variety of solutions. There are barely technical fields that could exhibit more interdisciplinary interconnections like robotics. This fact is generated by highly complex challenges imposed by robotic systems, especially the requirement on intelligent and autonomous operation. This book tries to give an insight into the evolutionary process that takes place in robotics. It provides articles covering a wide range of this exciting area. The progress of technical challenges and concepts may illuminate the relationship between developments that seem to be completely different at first sight. The robotics remains an exciting scientific and engineering field. The community looks optimistically ahead and also looks forward for the future challenges and new development

Multi-Robot Systems: Challenges, Trends and Applications

This book is a printed edition of the Special Issue entitled “Multi-Robot Systems: Challenges, Trends, and Applications” that was published in Applied Sciences. This Special Issue collected seventeen high-quality papers that discuss the main challenges of multi-robot systems, present the trends to address these issues, and report various relevant applications. Some of the topics addressed by these papers are robot swarms, mission planning, robot teaming, machine learning, immersive technologies, search and rescue, and social robotics