1,705 research outputs found
Lift-off dynamics in a simple jumping robot
We study vertical jumping in a simple robot comprising an actuated
mass-spring arrangement. The actuator frequency and phase are systematically
varied to find optimal performance. Optimal jumps occur above and below (but
not at) the robot's resonant frequency . Two distinct jumping modes
emerge: a simple jump which is optimal above is achievable with a squat
maneuver, and a peculiar stutter jump which is optimal below is generated
with a counter-movement. A simple dynamical model reveals how optimal lift-off
results from non-resonant transient dynamics.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, Physical Review Letters, in press (2012
In-home and remote use of robotic body surrogates by people with profound motor deficits
By controlling robots comparable to the human body, people with profound
motor deficits could potentially perform a variety of physical tasks for
themselves, improving their quality of life. The extent to which this is
achievable has been unclear due to the lack of suitable interfaces by which to
control robotic body surrogates and a dearth of studies involving substantial
numbers of people with profound motor deficits. We developed a novel, web-based
augmented reality interface that enables people with profound motor deficits to
remotely control a PR2 mobile manipulator from Willow Garage, which is a
human-scale, wheeled robot with two arms. We then conducted two studies to
investigate the use of robotic body surrogates. In the first study, 15 novice
users with profound motor deficits from across the United States controlled a
PR2 in Atlanta, GA to perform a modified Action Research Arm Test (ARAT) and a
simulated self-care task. Participants achieved clinically meaningful
improvements on the ARAT and 12 of 15 participants (80%) successfully completed
the simulated self-care task. Participants agreed that the robotic system was
easy to use, was useful, and would provide a meaningful improvement in their
lives. In the second study, one expert user with profound motor deficits had
free use of a PR2 in his home for seven days. He performed a variety of
self-care and household tasks, and also used the robot in novel ways. Taking
both studies together, our results suggest that people with profound motor
deficits can improve their quality of life using robotic body surrogates, and
that they can gain benefit with only low-level robot autonomy and without
invasive interfaces. However, methods to reduce the rate of errors and increase
operational speed merit further investigation.Comment: 43 Pages, 13 Figure
A Game-theoretic Formulation of the Homogeneous Self-Reconfiguration Problem
In this paper we formulate the homogeneous two- and three-dimensional
self-reconfiguration problem over discrete grids as a constrained potential
game. We develop a game-theoretic learning algorithm based on the
Metropolis-Hastings algorithm that solves the self-reconfiguration problem in a
globally optimal fashion. Both a centralized and a fully distributed algorithm
are presented and we show that the only stochastically stable state is the
potential function maximizer, i.e. the desired target configuration. These
algorithms compute transition probabilities in such a way that even though each
agent acts in a self-interested way, the overall collective goal of
self-reconfiguration is achieved. Simulation results confirm the feasibility of
our approach and show convergence to desired target configurations.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures, 2 algorithm
A Model that Predicts the Material Recognition Performance of Thermal Tactile Sensing
Tactile sensing can enable a robot to infer properties of its surroundings,
such as the material of an object. Heat transfer based sensing can be used for
material recognition due to differences in the thermal properties of materials.
While data-driven methods have shown promise for this recognition problem, many
factors can influence performance, including sensor noise, the initial
temperatures of the sensor and the object, the thermal effusivities of the
materials, and the duration of contact. We present a physics-based mathematical
model that predicts material recognition performance given these factors. Our
model uses semi-infinite solids and a statistical method to calculate an F1
score for the binary material recognition. We evaluated our method using
simulated contact with 69 materials and data collected by a real robot with 12
materials. Our model predicted the material recognition performance of support
vector machine (SVM) with 96% accuracy for the simulated data, with 92%
accuracy for real-world data with constant initial sensor temperatures, and
with 91% accuracy for real-world data with varied initial sensor temperatures.
Using our model, we also provide insight into the roles of various factors on
recognition performance, such as the temperature difference between the sensor
and the object. Overall, our results suggest that our model could be used to
help design better thermal sensors for robots and enable robots to use them
more effectively.Comment: This article is currently under review for possible publicatio
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