Tractor cabin ergonomics analyses by means of Kinect motion capture technology

Kinect is the de facto standard for real-time depth sensing and motion capture cameras. The sensor is here proposed for exploiting body tracking during driving operations. The motion capture system was developed taking advantage of the Microsoft software development kit (SDK), and implemented for real-time monitoring of body movements of a beginner and an expert tractor drivers, on different tracks (straight and with curves) and with different driving conditions (manual and assisted steering). Tests show how analyses can be done not only in terms of absolute movements, but also in terms of relative shifts, allowing for quantification of angular displacements or rotations

Effects of Control Device and Task Complexity on Performance and Task Shedding During a Robotic Arm Task

The use of robotic arms across domains is increasing, but the relationship between control features and performance is not fully understood. The goal of this research was to investigate the difference in task performance when using two different control devices at high and low task complexities when participants can shed tasks to automation. In this experiment, 40 undergraduates (24 females) used two control devices, a Leap Motion controller and an Xbox controller, to teleoperate a robotic arm in a high or low complexity peg placement task. Simultaneously, participants were tasked with scanning images for tanks. During the experiment, participants had the option to task shed the peg task to imperfect automation. Analyses indicated a significant main effect of control device on task completion rate and time to first grasp the peg, with completion rate higher and time lower when using the Leap. However, participants made significantly more errors with the Leap Motion controller than with the Xbox controller. Participants in both conditions task shed similarly with both control devices and task shed at similar times. The 2 x 2 mixed ANOVAs somewhat supported the proposed hypotheses. The results of this study indicate that control device impacts performance on a robotic arm task. The Leap Motion controller supports increased task completion rate and quicker peg grasps in high and low task complexity when compared with the Xbox controller. This supports the extension of Control Order Theory into three-dimensional space and suggests that the Leap Motion controller can be implemented in some domains. However, the criticality and frequency of errors should be carefully considered

ROObockey: Remote Controlled, Aim-Assisted Street Hockey Robot

The goal of the ROObockey project is to design and construct a floor hockey robot that can competitively shoot a puck. The robot design quickly locates a specific beacon through the use of image processing and uses a pneumatic shooting mechanism to send a puck to a specified target. The beacons act as possible player or goal positions in a hockey game. The robot also utilizes a wireless controller device to allow a user to maneuver the robot across a hockey field

ROOBockey Autonomous Hockey Robot

The goal of the ROOBockey project is to design and construct a floor hockey robot that can competitively shoot a puck. The robot design quickly locates a specific beacon through the use of image processing and uses a pneumatic shooting mechanism to send a puck to a specified target. The beacons act as possible player or goal positions in a hockey game. The robot also utilizes a wireless controller device to allow a user to maneuver the robot across a hockey field

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

Logic Algorithm for contour following task: An evaluation using Adept SCARA Robot

This paper presents the performance evaluation of logic algorithms for contourfollowing task in order to automate the manual programming process. The main objective of this work is to evaluate and compare the performance of single logic and dual sensor logic algorithmsfor autonomous contourfollowing in industrial robot. Thosi atgorithms have been implemented using Adept SCAM robot. The algorithms were tested on a semicircle object o/ 40 millimeter radius. The result shows mean of error and standard deviation value of single logic algorithm is a bit lower than clual sensar logic algorithtn