3,226 research outputs found
Formal Synthesis of Controllers for Safety-Critical Autonomous Systems: Developments and Challenges
In recent years, formal methods have been extensively used in the design of
autonomous systems. By employing mathematically rigorous techniques, formal
methods can provide fully automated reasoning processes with provable safety
guarantees for complex dynamic systems with intricate interactions between
continuous dynamics and discrete logics. This paper provides a comprehensive
review of formal controller synthesis techniques for safety-critical autonomous
systems. Specifically, we categorize the formal control synthesis problem based
on diverse system models, encompassing deterministic, non-deterministic, and
stochastic, and various formal safety-critical specifications involving logic,
real-time, and real-valued domains. The review covers fundamental formal
control synthesis techniques, including abstraction-based approaches and
abstraction-free methods. We explore the integration of data-driven synthesis
approaches in formal control synthesis. Furthermore, we review formal
techniques tailored for multi-agent systems (MAS), with a specific focus on
various approaches to address the scalability challenges in large-scale
systems. Finally, we discuss some recent trends and highlight research
challenges in this area
Mixed Initiative Systems for Human-Swarm Interaction: Opportunities and Challenges
Human-swarm interaction (HSI) involves a number of human factors impacting
human behaviour throughout the interaction. As the technologies used within HSI
advance, it is more tempting to increase the level of swarm autonomy within the
interaction to reduce the workload on humans. Yet, the prospective negative
effects of high levels of autonomy on human situational awareness can hinder
this process. Flexible autonomy aims at trading-off these effects by changing
the level of autonomy within the interaction when required; with
mixed-initiatives combining human preferences and automation's recommendations
to select an appropriate level of autonomy at a certain point of time. However,
the effective implementation of mixed-initiative systems raises fundamental
questions on how to combine human preferences and automation recommendations,
how to realise the selected level of autonomy, and what the future impacts on
the cognitive states of a human are. We explore open challenges that hamper the
process of developing effective flexible autonomy. We then highlight the
potential benefits of using system modelling techniques in HSI by illustrating
how they provide HSI designers with an opportunity to evaluate different
strategies for assessing the state of the mission and for adapting the level of
autonomy within the interaction to maximise mission success metrics.Comment: Author version, accepted at the 2018 IEEE Annual Systems Modelling
Conference, Canberra, Australi
A Hierarchical Hybrid Architecture for Mission-Oriented Robot Control
The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-03413-3_26In this work is presented a general architecture for a multi
physical agent network system based on the coordination and the behaviour
management. The system is organised in a hierarchical structure
where are distinguished the individual agent actions and the collective
ones linked to the whole agent network. Individual actions are also organised
in a hybrid layered system that take advantages from reactive and
deliberative control. Sensing system is involved as well in the behaviour
architecture improving the information acquisition performance.This work has been partially supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness under the CICYT project Mission Based Control (COBAMI): DPI2011-28507-C02-02, under coordinated project High Integrity Partitioned Embedded Systems (Hi-PartES): TIN2011-28567-C03-03, and under the collaborative research project supported by the European Union MultiPARTES Project: FP7-ICT 287702. 2011-14.Muñoz Alcobendas, M.; Munera Sánchez, E.; Blanes Noguera, F.; SimĂł Ten, JE. (2013). A Hierarchical Hybrid Architecture for Mission-Oriented Robot Control. En ROBOT2013: First Iberian Robotics Conference: Advances in Robotics, Vol. 1. Springer. 363-380. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-03413-3_26S363380Aragues, R.: Consistent data association in multi-robot systems with limited communications. Robotics: Science and Systems, 97–104 (2010)Aragues, R., Cortes, J., Sagues, C.: Distributed consensus on robot networks for dynamically merging feature-based maps. IEEE Transactions on Robotics (2012)Arkin, R.C.: Motor schema based mobile robot navigation. The International Journal of Robotics Research 8(4), 92–112 (1989)Asama, H., Habib, M.K., Endo, I., Ozaki, K., Matsumoto, A., Ishida, Y.: Functional distribution among multiple mobile robots in an autonomous and decentralized robot system. In: Proceedings of the 1991 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation. IEEE (1991)Benet, G., Blanes, F., MartĂnez, M., SimĂł, J.: A multisensor robot distributed architecture. In: IFAC Conference INCOM 1998 (1998)Brooks, R.: A robust layered control system for a mobile robot. IEEE Journal of Robotics and Automation 2(1), 14–23 (1986)Canas, J.M., Matellán, V.: Dynamic schema hierarchies for an autonomous robot. In: Garijo, F.J., Riquelme, J.-C., Toro, M. (eds.) IBERAMIA 2002. LNCS (LNAI), vol. 2527, pp. 903–912. Springer, Heidelberg (2002)Choset, H., Nagatani, K.: Topological simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM): toward exact localization without explicit localization. IEEE Transactions on Robotics and Automation 17(2), 125–137 (2001)Fox, D., Burgard, W., Dellaert, F., Thrun, S.: Monte carlo localization: Efficient position estimation for mobile robots. American Association for Artificial Intelligence, 343–349 (1999)Hu, J., Xie, L., Xu, J.: Vision-based multi-agent cooperative target search. In: Control Automation Robotics & Vision (ICARCV), pp. 895–900 (2012)Huq, R., Mann, G.K.I., Gosine, R.G.: Behavior-modulation technique in mobile robotics using fuzzy discrete event system. IEEE Transactions on Robotics 22(5), 903–916 (2006)Jayasiri, A., Mann, G., Gosine, R.G.: Mobile robot behavior coordination using supervisory control of fuzzy discrete event systems. In: IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems, IROS 2009, pp. 690–695 (2009)Jayasiri, A., Mann, G.K.I., Gosine, R.G.: Behavior coordination of mobile robotics using supervisory control of fuzzy discrete event systems. IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics, Part B: Cybernetics 41(5), 1224–1238 (2011)Koenig, N., Howard, A.: Gazebo-3d multiple robot simulator with dynamics. Technical report (2006)Lin, F., Ying, H.: Modeling and control of fuzzy discrete event systems. IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics, Part B: Cybernetics 32(4), 408–415 (2002)Madden, J.D.: Multi-robot system based on model of wolf hunting behavior to emulate wolf and elk interactions. In: 2010 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Biomimetics, ROBIO, pp. 1043–1050 (2010)Mataric, M.J.: Interaction and intelligent behavior. Technical report, DTIC Document (1994)Olivera, V.M., Molina, J.M., Sommaruga, L., et al.: Fuzzy cooperation of autonomous robots. In: Fourth International System on Intelligent Robotics Systems, Lisboa, Portugal (1996)McGann, C., Py, F., Rajan, K., Thomas, H., Henthorn, R., McEwen, R.: A deliberative architecture for auv control. In: IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, ICRA 2008, pp. 1049–1054. IEEE (2008)Munera, E., Muñoz, M., SimĂł, J., Blanes, F.: Humanoid Robot Self-Location In SPL League. In: ComitĂ© Español de Automática (CEA), XXXIII Jornadas de Automatica, 797–804 (2012)Proetzsch, M., Luksch, T., Berns, K.: Development of complex robotic systems using the behavior-based control architecture iB2C. Robotics and Autonomous Systems 58(1), 46–67 (2010)Qiu, D.: Supervisory control of fuzzy discrete event systems: a formal approach. IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics, Part B: Cybernetics 35(1), 72–88 (2005)Aladebaran Robotics. NAO Software Documentation 1.12. 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Discrete event simulation and virtual reality use in industry: new opportunities and future trends
This paper reviews the area of combined discrete
event simulation (DES) and virtual reality (VR) use within industry.
While establishing a state of the art for progress in this
area, this paper makes the case for VR DES as the vehicle of choice
for complex data analysis through interactive simulation models,
highlighting both its advantages and current limitations. This paper
reviews active research topics such as VR and DES real-time
integration, communication protocols, system design considerations,
model validation, and applications of VR and DES. While
summarizing future research directions for this technology combination,
the case is made for smart factory adoption of VR DES as
a new platform for scenario testing and decision making. It is put
that in order for VR DES to fully meet the visualization requirements
of both Industry 4.0 and Industrial Internet visions of digital
manufacturing, further research is required in the areas of lower
latency image processing, DES delivery as a service, gesture recognition
for VR DES interaction, and linkage of DES to real-time data streams and Big Data sets
A critical analysis of research potential, challenges and future directives in industrial wireless sensor networks
In recent years, Industrial Wireless Sensor Networks (IWSNs) have emerged as an important research theme with applications spanning a wide range of industries including automation, monitoring, process control, feedback systems and automotive. Wide scope of IWSNs applications ranging from small production units, large oil and gas industries to nuclear fission control, enables a fast-paced research in this field. Though IWSNs offer advantages of low cost, flexibility, scalability, self-healing, easy deployment and reformation, yet they pose certain limitations on available potential and introduce challenges on multiple fronts due to their susceptibility to highly complex and uncertain industrial environments. In this paper a detailed discussion on design objectives, challenges and solutions, for IWSNs, are presented. A careful evaluation of industrial systems, deadlines and possible hazards in industrial atmosphere are discussed. The paper also presents a thorough review of the existing standards and industrial protocols and gives a critical evaluation of potential of these standards and protocols along with a detailed discussion on available hardware platforms, specific industrial energy harvesting techniques and their capabilities. The paper lists main service providers for IWSNs solutions and gives insight of future trends and research gaps in the field of IWSNs
Discrete Event Simulations
Considered by many authors as a technique for modelling stochastic, dynamic and discretely evolving systems, this technique has gained widespread acceptance among the practitioners who want to represent and improve complex systems. Since DES is a technique applied in incredibly different areas, this book reflects many different points of view about DES, thus, all authors describe how it is understood and applied within their context of work, providing an extensive understanding of what DES is. It can be said that the name of the book itself reflects the plurality that these points of view represent. The book embraces a number of topics covering theory, methods and applications to a wide range of sectors and problem areas that have been categorised into five groups. As well as the previously explained variety of points of view concerning DES, there is one additional thing to remark about this book: its richness when talking about actual data or actual data based analysis. When most academic areas are lacking application cases, roughly the half part of the chapters included in this book deal with actual problems or at least are based on actual data. Thus, the editor firmly believes that this book will be interesting for both beginners and practitioners in the area of DES
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