CCRP: A Novel Clone-Based Cloud Robotic Platform for Multi-Robots

Recently, the cloud computing paradigm has evolved from various research fields. A new path of research, cloud robotics, has emerged which allows robots to inherit the enormous computing and storage capability of cloud. Advances in cloud computing technologies, networking, parallel computing and other evolving technologies, and the integration with multi-robot systems, make it possible to design systems with new capabilities. The main advantages of cloud robotics are in overcoming the limitations of on-board robot computing and storage capabilities and in improving energy efficiency. Nevertheless, there is a lack of cloud robotics frameworks that can provide a secured environment for multi-robot application. The implementation of a robust cloud robotic platform capable of handling multi-robot applications has been shown to be challenging. This research proposes a novel Clone-based Cloud Robotic Platform architecture (CCRP) which assigns a Virtual Machine (VM) clone of each individual robot's operating system in the cloud, enabling fast and efficient collaboration between them via the cloud's inner-network. The system utilises Robot Operating System (ROS) as a middleware and programmable environment for robot development. This model is using the OpenVPN as a communication protocol between the robot and the VM, which provides considerable enhancement for the security and additional network for the system to allow multi-master ROS deployment. The Quality of Service (QoS) for the system has been tested and evaluated in terms of performance, compatibility and scalability via comparison study, which examines the CCRP performance against a local system and a proxy-based cloud system. Two case studies have been deployed for different robot scenarios. Case study 1 was focused on a navigation task which includes the process of mapping and teleoperation implemented in Google public cloud. The real time response has been examined by using the CCRP to teleoperate the NAO and Turtlebot robots. A response time and video streaming delays were measured to assess the overall QoS performance. Case study 2 is composed of a face recognition task performed using the CCRP in a private cloud on an Openstack platform. The objective of this task was to evaluate the system ability of running the tasks in the cloud effectively and to assess the collaborative learning capability. During the CCRP development and deployment stages an optimization study was conducted to determine optimal parameters for data offloading to the cloud and energy efficiency of a low-cost robot. The result of the CCRP performance evaluation proved that it is capable of running on a public and private cloud platform for self-configuring and programmable robotic systems, as well as executing various applications on different robot types. The CCRP is facilitating the improvements to QoS performance, compatibility and scalability and is providing a secure cloud computing environment for on-board robots

Socially assistive robots : the specific case of the NAO

Numerous researches have studied the development of robotics, especially socially assistive robots (SAR), including the NAO robot. This small humanoid robot has a great potential in social assistance. The NAO robot’s features and capabilities, such as motricity, functionality, and affective capacities, have been studied in various contexts. The principal aim of this study is to gather every research that has been done using this robot to see how the NAO can be used and what could be its potential as a SAR. Articles using the NAO in any situation were found searching PSYCHINFO, Computer and Applied Sciences Complete and ACM Digital Library databases. The main inclusion criterion was that studies had to use the NAO robot. Studies comparing it with other robots or intervention programs were also included. Articles about technical improvements were excluded since they did not involve concrete utilisation of the NAO. Also, duplicates and articles with an important lack of information on sample were excluded. A total of 51 publications (1895 participants) were included in the review. Six categories were defined: social interactions, affectivity, intervention, assisted teaching, mild cognitive impairment/dementia, and autism/intellectual disability. A great majority of the findings are positive concerning the NAO robot. Its multimodality makes it a SAR with potential

The Complete Reference (Volume 4)

This is the fourth volume of the successful series Robot Operating Systems: The Complete Reference, providing a comprehensive overview of robot operating systems (ROS), which is currently the main development framework for robotics applications, as well as the latest trends and contributed systems. The book is divided into four parts: Part 1 features two papers on navigation, discussing SLAM and path planning. Part 2 focuses on the integration of ROS into quadcopters and their control. Part 3 then discusses two emerging applications for robotics: cloud robotics, and video stabilization. Part 4 presents tools developed for ROS; the first is a practical alternative to the roslaunch system, and the second is related to penetration testing. This book is a valuable resource for ROS users and wanting to learn more about ROS capabilities and features.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

PABI: Developing a New Robotic Platform for Autism Therapy

Autism Spectrum Disorder affects many children across the world. Through the use of Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) therapy, improvements in behavior and social outcomes have been observed. We have developed a new, robust, and durable research platform designed to interact with children through basic ABA therapy in order to test the effectiveness of robots in autism therapy. This platform is able to log therapy sessions while interacting with the child in an innovative way through multiple degrees of freedom. The platform is also designed to be expandable by future researchers with the ability to integrate both additional actuators and sensors. Lastly, the entire structure is modular in its construction, meaning entire modules can be removed and added in the future with minimal effort

Algorithmic Identification of the Best WLAN Protocol and Network Architecture for Internet-Based Applications

This research developed a novel algorithm to evaluate internet-based services such as VoIP, Video Conferencing, HTTP and FTP, of different IEEE 802.11 technologies in order to identify the optimum network architecture among Basic Service Set (BSS), Extended Service Set (ESS) and the Independent Basic Service Set (BSS). The proposed algorithm will yield the rank order of different IEEE 802.11 technologies. By selecting the optimum network architecture and technology, the best overall network performance that provides good voice, video and data quality is guaranteed. Furthermore, it meets the acceptance threshold values for the VoIP, Video Conferencing, HTTP and FTP quality metrics. This algorithm was applied to various room sizes ranging from 2 x 3 m to 10 x 14 m and the number of nodes ranged from 1 to 65. The spatial distributions considered were circular, uniform and random. The Quality of Service (QoS) metrics used were delay, jitter, throughput and packet loss

Becoming Human with Humanoid

Nowadays, our expectations of robots have been significantly increases. The robot, which was initially only doing simple jobs, is now expected to be smarter and more dynamic. People want a robot that resembles a human (humanoid) has and has emotional intelligence that can perform action-reaction interactions. This book consists of two sections. The first section focuses on emotional intelligence, while the second section discusses the control of robotics. The contents of the book reveal the outcomes of research conducted by scholars in robotics fields to accommodate needs of society and industry

Hydrodynamics-Biology Coupling for Algae Culture and Biofuel Production

International audienceBiofuel production from microalgae represents an acute optimization problem for industry. There is a wide range of parameters that must be taken into account in the development of this technology. Here, mathematical modelling has a vital role to play. The potential of microalgae as a source of biofuel and as a technological solution for CO2 fixation is the subject of intense academic and industrial research. Large-scale production of microalgae has potential for biofuel applications owing to the high productivity that can be attained in high-rate raceway ponds. We show, through 3D numerical simulations, that our approach is capable of discriminating between situations where the paddle wheel is rapidly moving water or slowly agitating the process. Moreover, the simulated velocity fields can provide lagrangian trajectories of the algae. The resulting light pattern to which each cell is submitted when travelling from light (surface) to dark (bottom) can then be derived. It will then be reproduced in lab experiments to study photosynthesis under realistic light patterns

Advances in Intelligent Robotics and Collaborative Automation

This book provides an overview of a series of advanced research lines in robotics as well as of design and development methodologies for intelligent robots and their intelligent components. It represents a selection of extended versions of the best papers presented at the Seventh IEEE International Workshop on Intelligent Data Acquisition and Advanced Computing Systems: Technology and Applications IDAACS 2013 that were related to these topics. Its contents integrate state of the art computational intelligence based techniques for automatic robot control to novel distributed sensing and data integration methodologies that can be applied to intelligent robotics and automation systems. The objective of the text was to provide an overview of some of the problems in the field of robotic systems and intelligent automation and the approaches and techniques that relevant research groups within this area are employing to try to solve them.The contributions of the different authors have been grouped into four main sections:• Robots• Control and Intelligence• Sensing• Collaborative automationThe chapters have been structured to provide an easy to follow introduction to the topics that are addressed, including the most relevant references, so that anyone interested in this field can get started in the area