Domain Specific Language for Geometric Relations between Rigid Bodies targeted to robotic applications

This paper presents a DSL for geometric relations between rigid bodies such as relative position, orientation, pose, linear velocity, angular velocity, and twist. The DSL is the formal model of the recently proposed semantics for the standardization of geometric relations between rigid bodies, referred to as `geometric semantics'. This semantics explicitly states the coordinate-invariant properties and operations, and, more importantly, all the choices that are made in coordinate representations of these geometric relations. This results in a set of concrete suggestions for standardizing terminology and notation, allowing programmers to write fully unambiguous software interfaces, including automatic checks for semantic correctness of all geometric operations on rigid-body coordinate representations. The DSL is implemented in two different ways: an external DSL in Xcore and an internal DSL in Prolog. Besides defining a grammar and operations, the DSL also implements constraints. In the Xcore model, the Object Constraint Language language is used, while in the Prolog model, the constraint are natively modelled in Prolog. This paper discusses the implemented DSL and the tools developed on top of this DSL. In particular an editor, checking the semantic constraints and providing semantic meaningful errors during editing is proposed.Comment: Presented at DSLRob 2012 (arXiv:cs/1302.5082

A Survey on Domain-Specific Languages in Robotics

Nordmann A, Hochgeschwender N, Wrede S. A Survey on Domain-Specific Languages in Robotics. In: International Conference on Simulation, Modeling, and Programming for Autonomous Robots. 2014.The design, simulation and programming of robotics systems is challenging as expertise from multiple domains needs to be integrated conceptually and technically. Domain-specific modeling promises an efficient and flexible concept for developing robotics applications that copes with this challenge. It allows to raise the level of abstraction through the use of specific concepts that are closer to the respective domain concerns and easier to understand and validate. Furthermore, it focuses on increasing the level of automation, e.g. through code generation, to bridge the gap between the modeling and the implementation levels and to improve the efficiency and quality of the software development process. Within this contribution, we survey the literature available on domain-specific (modeling) languages in robotics required to realize a state-of-the-art real-world example from the RoboCup@Work competition. We classify 41 publications in the field as reference for potential DSL users. Furthermore, we analyze these contributions from a DSL-engineering viewpoint and discuss quantitative and qualitative aspects such as the methods and tools used for DSL implementation as well as their documentation status and platform integration. Finally, we conclude with some recommendations for discussion in the robotics programming and simulation community based on the insights gained with this survey

Mechatronic Systems

Mechatronics, the synergistic blend of mechanics, electronics, and computer science, has evolved over the past twenty five years, leading to a novel stage of engineering design. By integrating the best design practices with the most advanced technologies, mechatronics aims at realizing high-quality products, guaranteeing at the same time a substantial reduction of time and costs of manufacturing. Mechatronic systems are manifold and range from machine components, motion generators, and power producing machines to more complex devices, such as robotic systems and transportation vehicles. With its twenty chapters, which collect contributions from many researchers worldwide, this book provides an excellent survey of recent work in the field of mechatronics with applications in various fields, like robotics, medical and assistive technology, human-machine interaction, unmanned vehicles, manufacturing, and education. We would like to thank all the authors who have invested a great deal of time to write such interesting chapters, which we are sure will be valuable to the readers. Chapters 1 to 6 deal with applications of mechatronics for the development of robotic systems. Medical and assistive technologies and human-machine interaction systems are the topic of chapters 7 to 13.Chapters 14 and 15 concern mechatronic systems for autonomous vehicles. Chapters 16-19 deal with mechatronics in manufacturing contexts. Chapter 20 concludes the book, describing a method for the installation of mechatronics education in schools

A Framework for Coupled Simulations of Robots and Spiking Neuronal Networks

Bio-inspired robots still rely on classic robot control although advances in neurophysiology allow adaptation to control as well. However, the connection of a robot to spiking neuronal networks needs adjustments for each purpose and requires frequent adaptation during an iterative development. Existing approaches cannot bridge the gap between robotics and neuroscience or do not account for frequent adaptations. The contribution of this paper is an architecture and domain-specific language (DSL) for connecting robots to spiking neuronal networks for iterative testing in simulations, allowing neuroscientists to abstract from implementation details. The framework is implemented in a web-based platform. We validate the applicability of our approach with a case study based on image processing for controlling a four-wheeled robot in an experiment setting inspired by Braitenberg vehicles

Ultrasound-Guided Mechatronic System for Targeted Delivery of Cell-Based Cancer Vaccine Immunotherapy in Preclinical Models

Injection of dendritic cell (DC) vaccines into lymph nodes (LN) is a promising strategy for eliciting immune responses against cancer, but these injections in mouse cancer models are challenging due to the small target scale (~ 1 mm × 2 mm). Direct manual intranodal injection is difficult and can cause architectural damage to the LN, potentially disrupting crucial interactions between DC and T cells. Therefore, a second-generation ultrasound-guided mechatronic device has been developed to perform this intervention. A targeting accuracy of \u3c 500 μm will enable targeted delivery of the DCs specifically to a LN subcapsular space. The device was redesigned from its original CT-guided edition, which used a remote centre of motion architecture, to be easily integrated onto a commercially available VisualSonics imaging rail system. Subtle modifications were made to ensure simple workflow that allows for live-animal interventions that fall within the knockout periods stated in study protocols. Several calibration and registration techniques were developed in order to achieve an overall targeting accuracy appropriate for the intended application. A variety of methods to quantify the positioning accuracy of the device were investigated. The method chosen involved validating a guided injection into a tissue-mimicking phantom using ultrasound imaging post-operatively to localize the end-point position of the needle tip in the track left behind by the needle. Ultrasound-guided injections into a tissue-mimicking phantom revealed a targeting accuracy of 285 ± 94 μm for the developed robot compared to 508 ± 166 μm for a commercial-available manually-actuated injection device from VisuailSonics. The utility of the robot was also demonstrated by performing in vivo injections into the lymph nodes of mice

PolyVR - A Virtual Reality Authoring Framework for Engineering Applications

Die virtuelle Realität ist ein fantastischer Ort, frei von Einschränkungen und vielen Möglichkeiten. Für Ingenieure ist dies der perfekte Ort, um Wissenschaft und Technik zu erleben, es fehlt jedoch die Infrastruktur, um die virtuelle Realität zugänglich zu machen, insbesondere für technische Anwendungen. Diese Arbeit bescheibt die Entstehung einer Softwareumgebung, die eine einfachere Entwicklung von Virtual-Reality-Anwendungen und deren Implementierung in immersiven Hardware-Setups ermöglicht. Virtual Engineering, die Verwendung virtueller Umgebungen für Design-Reviews während des Produktentwicklungsprozesses, wird insbesondere von kleinen und mittleren Unternehmen nur äußerst selten eingesetzt. Die Hauptgründe sind nicht mehr die hohen Kosten für professionelle Virtual-Reality-Hardware, sondern das Fehlen automatisierter Virtualisierungsabläufe und die hohen Wartungs- und Softwareentwicklungskosten. Ein wichtiger Aspekt bei der Automatisierung von Virtualisierung ist die Integration von Intelligenz in künstlichen Umgebungen. Ontologien sind die Grundlage des menschlichen Verstehens und der Intelligenz. Die Kategorisierung unseres Universums in Begriffe, Eigenschaften und Regeln ist ein grundlegender Schritt von Prozessen wie Beobachtung, Lernen oder Wissen. Diese Arbeit zielt darauf ab, einen Schritt zu einem breiteren Einsatz von Virtual-Reality-Anwendungen in allen Bereichen der Wissenschaft und Technik zu entwickeln. Der Ansatz ist der Aufbau eines Virtual-Reality-Authoring-Tools, eines Softwarepakets zur Vereinfachung der Erstellung von virtuellen Welten und der Implementierung dieser Welten in fortschrittlichen immersiven Hardware-Umgebungen wie verteilten Visualisierungssystemen. Ein weiteres Ziel dieser Arbeit ist es, das intuitive Authoring von semantischen Elementen in virtuellen Welten zu ermöglichen. Dies sollte die Erstellung von virtuellen Inhalten und die Interaktionsmöglichkeiten revolutionieren. Intelligente immersive Umgebungen sind der Schlüssel, um das Lernen und Trainieren in virtuellen Welten zu fördern, Prozesse zu planen und zu überwachen oder den Weg für völlig neue Interaktionsparadigmen zu ebnen

Control of a 6DOF Robotic Arm using LabVIEW

Real Time means in time. In other words, a real-time system ensures that responses occur in time, or on time. With general purpose operating systems, you cannot ensure that a response occurs within any given time period, and calculations might finish much later or earlier than expected Nowadays there are many applications that need to be executed in time. In this project, the idea is to make a first approach of a Real Time system, the environments that allowed this kind of control and how a complete project is created; step by step. It has been printed a 3D robotic arm that will be used to strengthen the concepts explained by designing a complete applications to control it. In order to control this prototype it will be used the myRIO, a device oriented to be used by students that are interested in control applications developed in LabVIEW. In this report it is explained from the theoretical concepts to the practical ones developed in LabVIEW, going through the use of different available tools used for transferring data from one part of the controller to the other.Ingeniería Electrónica Industrial y Automátic

Dynamic Modeling and Parameter Identification of a Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle

In recent times, mechanical systems in an automobile are largely controlled by embedded systems, called micro-controllers. These automobiles, installed with micro-controllers, run complex embedded code to improve the efficiency and performance of the targeted mechanical systems. Developing and testing these control algorithms using the concept of model based design (MBD) is a cost-efficient and time-saving approach. MBD employs vehicle system models throughout the design process and offers superior understanding of the system behaviour than a traditional hardware prototype based testing. Consequently, accurate system identification constitutes an important aspect in MBD. The main focus of this thesis is to develop a validated vehicle dynamics model of a Toyota Prius Plug-in hybrid vehicle. This model plays a crucial role in achieving better fuel economy by assisting in the development process of various controller designs such as energy management system, co-operative adaptive cruise control system, and trip planning module. In this work, initially a longitudinal vehicle dynamics model was developed in MapleSim that utilizes acausal modeling techniques and symbolic code generation to create models that are capable of real-time simulation. Here, the motion in longitudinal direction was given importance as it is the crucial degree of freedom (DOF) for determining the fuel consumption. Besides, the generic and full-fledged vehicle dynamics model in Simulink-based Automotive Simulation Models (ASM) software was also modified to create a validated model of the Prius. This software specifically facilitates the implementation of the model for virtual data collection using a driving simulator. Both vehicle models were verified by studying their simulation results at every stage of the development process. Once the vehicle models were fully functional, the accurate and reliable parameters that control the vehicle motion were estimated. For this purpose, experimental data was acquired from the on-road and rolling dynamometer testing of the Prius. During these tests, the vehicle was instrumented with a vehicle measurement system (VMS), global-positioning system (GPS), and inertial measurement unit (IMU) to collect synchronized vehicle dynamics data. Parameters were identified by choosing a local optimization algorithm that minimizes the difference between simulated and experimental results. Homotopy, a global optimization technique was also investigated to check the influence of optimization algorithms on the suspension parameters. This method of parameter estimation from on-road data is highly flexible and economical. Comparison with the parameters obtained from 4-Post testing, a standardized test method, shows that the proposed methods can estimate parameters with an accuracy of 90%. Moreover, the longitudinal and lateral dynamics exhibited by the developed vehicle models are in accordance with the experimental data from on-road testing. The full vehicle simulations suggest that these validated models can be successfully used to evaluate the performance of controllers in real time