Quadratic and nonlinear programming problems solving and analysis in fully fuzzy environment

AbstractThis paper presents a comprehensive methodology for solving and analyzing quadratic and nonlinear programming problems in fully fuzzy environment. The solution approach is based on the Arithmetic Fuzzy Logic-based Representations, previously founded on normalized fuzzy matrices. The suggested approach is generalized for the fully fuzzy case of the general forms of quadratic and nonlinear modeling and optimization problems of both the unconstrained and constrained fuzzy optimization problems. The constrained problems are extended by incorporating the suggested fuzzy logic-based representations assuming complete fuzziness of all the optimization formulation parameters. The robustness of the optimal fuzzy solutions is then analyzed using the recently newly developed system consolidity index. Four examples of quadratic and nonlinear programming optimization problems are investigated to illustrate the efficacy of the developed formulations. Moreover, consolidity patterns for the illustrative examples are sketched to show the ability of the optimal solution to withstand any system and input parameters changes effects. It is demonstrated that the geometric analysis of the consolidity charts of each region can be carried out based on specifying the type of consolidity region shape (such as elliptical or circular), slope or angle in degrees of the centerline of the geometric, the location of the centroid of the geometric shape, area of the geometric shape, lengths of principals diagonals of the shape, and the diversity ratio of consolidity points. The overall results demonstrate the consistency and effectiveness of the developed approach for incorporation and implementation for fuzzy quadratic and nonlinear optimization problems. Finally, it is concluded that the presented concept could provide a comprehensive methodology for various quadratic and nonlinear systems’ modeling and optimization in fully fuzzy environments

Mobile robot transportation in laboratory automation

In this dissertation a new mobile robot transportation system is developed for the modern laboratory automation to connect the distributed automated systems and workbenches. In the system, a series of scientific and technical robot indoor issues are presented and solved, including the multiple robot control strategy, the indoor transportation path planning, the hybrid robot indoor localization, the recharging optimization, the robot-automated door interface, the robot blind arm grasping & placing, etc. The experiments show the proposed system and methods are effective and efficient

Dynamics Modeling of a Continuum Robotic Arm with a Contact Point in Planar Grasp

Grasping objects by continuum arms or fingers is a new field of interest in robotics. Continuum manipulators have the advantages of high adaptation and compatibility with respect to the object shape. However, due to their extremely nonlinear behavior and infinite degrees of freedom, continuum arms cannot be easily modeled. In fact, dynamics modeling of continuum robotic manipulators is state-of-the-art. Using the exact modeling approaches, such as theory of Cosserat rod, the resulting models are either too much time-taking for computation or numerically unstable. Thus, such models are not suitable for applications such as real-time control. However, based on realistic assumptions and using some approximations, these systems can be modeled with reasonable computational efforts. In this paper, a planar continuum robotic arm is modeled, considering its backbone as two circular arcs. In order to simulate finger grasping, the continuum arm experiences a point-force along its body. Finally, the results are validated using obtained experimental data

Modular Self-Reconfigurable Robotic Systems: A Survey on Hardware Architectures

Modular self-reconfigurable robots present wide and unique solutions for growing demands in the domains of space exploration, automation, consumer products, and so forth. The higher utilization factor and self-healing capabilities are most demanded traits in robotics for real world applications and modular robotics offer better solutions in these perspectives in relation to traditional robotics. The researchers in robotics domain identified various applications and prototyped numerous robotic models while addressing constraints such as homogeneity, reconfigurability, form factor, and power consumption. The diversified nature of various modular robotic solutions proposed for real world applications and utilization of different sensor and actuator interfacing techniques along with physical model optimizations presents implicit challenges to researchers while identifying and visualizing the merits/demerits of various approaches to a solution. This paper attempts to simplify the comparison of various hardware prototypes by providing a brief study on hardware architectures of modular robots capable of self-healing and reconfiguration along with design techniques adopted in modeling robots, interfacing technologies, and so forth over the past 25 years

A novel event-based incipient slip detection using Dynamic Active-Pixel Vision Sensor (DAVIS)

In this paper, a novel approach to detect incipient slip based on the contact area between a transparent silicone medium and different objects using a neuromorphic event-based vision sensor (DAVIS) is proposed. Event-based algorithms are developed to detect incipient slip, slip, stress distribution and object vibration. Thirty-seven experiments were performed on five objects with different sizes, shapes, materials and weights to compare precision and response time of the proposed approach. The proposed approach is validated by using a high speed constitutional camera (1000 FPS). The results indicate that the sensor can detect incipient slippage with an average of 44.1 ms latency in unstructured environment for various objects. It is worth mentioning that the experiments were conducted in an uncontrolled experimental environment, therefore adding high noise levels that affected results significantly. However, eleven of the experiments had a detection latency below 10 ms which shows the capability of this method. The results are very promising and show a high potential of the sensor being used for manipulation applications especially in dynamic environments

Robots in gastronomy: psychological and financial considerations

Both the popular press as well as a number of academic researchers have enthusiastically endorsed the possibility/prediction that (service) robots will come to play an increasingly important role in the world of quick service restaurants and/or gastronomy in the years ahead. This development, or so it has been suggested, may potentially help to address the seemingly ubiquitous staffing issues that are proving problematic for many in the hospitality industry nowadays. However, until the costs of installing, running, and maintaining such high-tech devices fall, and until such time as consumer opinion changes, such technology (be it robots for food preparation or else service robots) is unlikely to find a place in the market for fast food never mind in the world of fine dining (gastronomy). While robot bartenders and chefs would currently appear to have a certain novelty and/or experiential value, the financial case for their incorporation into the hospitality setting has yet to be convincingly demonstrated, even once the technical challenges have been addressed. As such, there is little sign that such automation will make its way (either in the front or back of house) into the world of either quick-service restaurants or high-end gastronomic establishments

Navigation aiding by a hybrid laser-camera motion estimator for micro aerial vehicles

Micro Air Vehicles (MAVs) equipped with various sensors are able to carry out autonomous flights. However, the self-localization of autonomous agents is mostly dependent on Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS). In order to provide an accurate navigation solution in absence of GNSS signals, this article presents a hybrid sensor. The hybrid sensor is a deep integration of a monocular camera and a 2D laser rangefinder so that the motion of the MAV is estimated. This realization is expected to be more flexible in terms of environments compared to laser-scan-matching approaches. The estimated ego-motion is then integrated in the MAV’s navigation system. However, first, the knowledge about the pose between both sensors is obtained by proposing an improved calibration method. For both calibration and ego-motion estimation, 3D-to-2D correspondences are used and the Perspective-3-Point (P3P) problem is solved. Moreover, the covariance estimation of the relative motion is presented. The experiments show very accurate calibration and navigation results

Development of a 4-DoF Active Upper Limb Orthosis

In this paper, the designs and manufacturing process of a powered upper limb orthosis are presented. The orthosis is an exoskeleton worn on one arm by the user and fixed to the trunk. The orthosis’ architecture, design, and manufacturing process are presented and discussed. Estimations of the ranges of movement related to daily living activities are presented. The preliminary tests to verify the functionality of the design show encouraging results