Hammer: an Android based application for end-user industrial robot programming

This paper presents a novel tablet based end-user interface for industrial robot programming (called Hammer). This application makes easier to program tasks for industrial robots like polishing, milling or grinding. It is based on the Scratch programming language, but specifically design and created for Android OS. It is a visual programming concept that allows non-skilled programmer operators to create programs. The application also allows to monitor the tasks while it is being executed by overlapping real time information through augmented reality. The application includes a teach pendant screen that can be customized according to the operator needs at every moment

Robot agnostic interface for industrial aplications

The quick evolution of robotic arms has generated many manufacturers of robotic arms, such as Universal Robots, ABB, or Fanuc. Each manufacturer offers a unique interface to program and control their robots. This can limit companies choices when selecting a suitable robot for their industrial operations, as they will choose an interface that doesn’t require new training. For that reason, and based on the experience at UPC CIM, this project will focus on creating a common interface for robotic arms. The main objectives are to produce an interface to simulate robots from different manu- facturers, save and load data, and create a simple scripting language. By using ROS, an open-source software infrastructure to communicate between different robotic elements, and Python, the code will be created in five different modules: the launch application, obtaining information about the robot, editing files, moving the robot, and scripting actions. To test the resulting interface, first a setup sequence is performed to see the limitations of the interaction. Then, three theoretical scenarios are proposed, and a scripting sequence is created for each one: Pick and Place, Sorting, and Bin Picking. While limited in some aspects, the application performs as expected and offers the basic options to solve many robot implementations. New options for the future of robot in- teraction are open with this project, as people could also further develop this program if considered

Robot agnostic interface for industrial aplications

The quick evolution of robotic arms has generated many manufacturers of robotic arms, such as Universal Robots, ABB, or Fanuc. Each manufacturer offers a unique interface to program and control their robots. This can limit companies choices when selecting a suitable robot for their industrial operations, as they will choose an interface that doesn’t require new training. For that reason, and based on the experience at UPC CIM, this project will focus on creating a common interface for robotic arms. The main objectives are to produce an interface to simulate robots from different manufacturers, save and load data, and create a simple scripting language. By using ROS, an open-source software infrastructure to communicate between different robotic elements, and Python, the code will be created in five different modules: the launch application, obtaining information about the robot, editing files, moving the robot, and scripting actions. To test the resulting interface, first a setup sequence is performed to see the limitations of the interaction. Then, three theoretical scenarios are proposed, and a scripting sequence is created for each one: Pick and Place, Sorting, and Bin Picking. While limited in some aspects, the application performs as expected and offers the basic options to solve many robot implementations. New options for the future of robot interaction are open with this project, as people could also further develop this program if considere

APPLICATION OF SIMULATION MODELS FOR PROGRAMMING OF ROBOTS

In recent years, there has been an increasing robotization of many areas of life. This requires knowledge of issues related to robots and their programming. Devices of this type, especially large industrial or medical robots, are very expensive, or they may be hardly affordable for educational purposes. Simulation models are helpful in such situation. The aim of the article is to present the possibilities of using simulation models of robots and robotic stations in the educational and research process. Specialized software packages make it easier not only to understand how robots work, but they also allow to test different operating conditions of the designed computer model of the real robotized process

Trajectory reconstruction for robot programming by demonstration

The reproduction of hand movements by a robot remains difficult and conventional learning methods do not allow us to faithfully recreate these movements because it is very difficult when the number of crossing points is very large. Programming by Demonstration gives a better opportunity for solving this problem by tracking the user’s movements with a motion capture system and creating a robotic program to reproduce the performed tasks. This paper presents a Programming by Demonstration system in a trajectory level for the reproduction of hand/tool movement by a manipulator robot; this was realized by tracking the user’s movement with the ArToolkit and reconstructing the trajectories by using the constrained cubic spline. The results obtained with the constrained cubic spline were compared with cubic spline interpolation. Finally the obtained trajectories have been simulated in a virtual environment on the Puma 600 robot

Design and implementation of robot skill programming and control

Abstract. Skill-based approach has been represented as a solution to the raising complicity of robot programming and control. The skills rely heavily on the use of sensors integrating sensor perceptions and robot actions, which enable the robot to adapt to changes and uncertainties in the real world and operate autonomously. The aim of this thesis was to design and implement a programming concept for skill-based control of industrial robots. At the theoretical part of this thesis, the industrial robot system is introduced as well as some basic concepts of robotics. This is followed by the introduction of different robot programming and 3D machine vision methods. At the last section of the theoretical part, the structure of skill-based programs is presented. In the experimental part, structure of the skills required for the “grinding with localization” -task are presented. The task includes skills such as global localization with 3D-depth sensor, scanning the object with 2D-profile scanner, precise localization of the object as well as two grinding skills: level surface grinding and straight seam grinding. Skills are programmed with an off-line programming tool and implemented in a robot cell, composed of a standard industrial robot with grinding tools, 3D-depth sensors and 2D-profile scanners. The results show that global localization can be carried out with consumer class 3D-depth sensors and more accurate local localization with an industrial high-accuracy 2D-profile scanner attached to the robot’s flange. The grinding experiments and tests were focused on finding suitable structures of the skill programs as well as to understand how the different parameters influence on the quality of the grinding.Robotin taitopohjaisten ohjelmien ohjelmointi ja testaus. Tiivistelmä. Robotin taitopohjaisia ohjelmia on esitetty ratkaisuksi robottien jatkuvasti monimutkaistuvaan ohjelmointiin. Taidot pohjautuvat erilaisten antureiden ja robotin toimintojen integroimiseen, joiden avulla robotti pystyy havainnoimaan muutokset reaalimaailmassa ja toimimaan autonomisesti. Tämän työn tavoitteena oli suunnitella ja toteuttaa taitopohjaisia ohjelmia teollisuusrobotille. Aluksi työn teoriaosuudessa esitellään teollisuusrobottijärjestelmään kuuluvia osia ja muutamia robotiikan olennaisimpia käsitteitä. Sen jälkeen käydään läpi eri robotin ohjelmointitapoja ja eri 3D-konenäön toimintaperiaatteita. Teoriaosuuden lopussa esitellään taitopohjaisten ohjelmien rakennetta. Käytännön osuudessa esitellään ”hionta paikoituksella” -tehtävän suoritukseen tarvittavien taitojen rakenne. Tehtävän vaatimia taitoja ovat muun muassa kappaleen globaalipaikoitus 3D-syvyyskameralla, kappaleen skannaus 2D-profiiliskannerilla, kappaleen tarkkapaikoitus ja kaksi eri hiontataitoa: tasomaisen pinnan ja suoran sauman hionta. Taidot ohjelmoidaan off-line ohjelmointityökalulla ja implementoidaan robottisoluun, joka muodostuu hiontatyökaluilla varustetusta teollisuusrobotista, 3D-kameroista ja 2D-profiiliskannereista. Työn tuloksista selviää, että kappaleen globaalipaikoitus voidaan suorittaa kuluttajille suunnatuilla 3D-syvyyskameroilla ja kappaleen tarkempi lokaalipaikoitus robotin ranteeseen kiinnitetyllä teollisuuden käyttämillä 2D-profiiliskannereilla. Hiontojen kokeellisessa osuudessa etsitään ohjelmien oikeanlaista rakennetta sekä muodostetaan käsitys eri parametrien vaikutuksesta hionnan laatuun

Programming Robots by Demonstration using Augmented Reality

O mundo está a viver a quarta revolução industrial, a Indústria 4.0; marcada pela crescente inteligência e automação dos sistemas industriais. No entanto, existem tarefas que são muito complexas ou caras para serem totalmente automatizadas, seria mais eficiente se a máquina pudesse trabalhar com o ser humano, não apenas partilhando o mesmo espaço de trabalho, mas como colaboradores úteis. O foco da investigação para solucionar esse problema está em sistemas de interação homem-robô, percebendo em que aplicações podem ser úteis para implementar e quais são os desafios que enfrentam. Neste contexto, uma melhor interação entre as máquinas e os operadores pode levar a múltiplos benefícios, como menos, melhor e mais fácil treino, um ambiente mais seguro para o operador e a capacidade de resolver problemas mais rapidamente. O tema desta dissertação é relevante na medida em que é necessário aprender e implementar as tecnologias que mais contribuem para encontrar soluções para um trabalho mais simples e eficiente na indústria. Assim, é proposto o desenvolvimento de um protótipo industrial de um sistema de interação homem-máquina através de Realidade Estendida, no qual o objetivo é habilitar um operador industrial sem experiência em programação, a programar um robô colaborativo utilizando o Microsoft HoloLens 2. O sistema desenvolvido é dividido em duas partes distintas: o sistema de tracking, que regista o movimento das mãos do operador, e o sistema de tradução da programação por demonstração, que constrói o programa a ser enviado ao robô para que ele se mova. O sistema de monitorização e supervisão é executado pelo Microsoft HoloLens 2, utilizando a plataforma Unity e Visual Studio para programá-lo. A base do sistema de programação por demonstração foi desenvolvida em Robot Operating System (ROS). Os robôs incluídos nesta interface são Universal Robots UR5 (robô colaborativo) e ABB IRB 2600 (robô industrial). Adicionalmente, a interface foi construída para incorporar facilmente mais robôs.The world is living the fourth industrial revolution, Industry 4.0; marked by the increasing intelligence and automation of manufacturing systems. Nevertheless, there are types of tasks that are too complex or too expensive to be fully automated, it would be more efficient if the machine were able to work with the human, not only by sharing the same workspace but also as useful collaborators. A possible solution to that problem is on human-robot interactions systems, understanding the applications where they can be helpful to implement and what are the challenges they face. In this context a better interaction between the machines and the operators can lead to multiples benefits, like less, better, and easier training, a safer environment for the operator and the capacity to solve problems quicker. The focus of this dissertation is relevant as it is necessary to learn and implement the technologies which most contribute to find solutions for a simpler and more efficient work in industry. This dissertation proposes the development of an industrial prototype of a human machine interaction system through Extended Reality (XR), in which the objective is to enable an industrial operator without any programming experience to program a collaborative robot using the Microsoft HoloLens 2. The system itself is divided into two different parts: the tracking system, which records the operator's hand movement, and the translator of the programming by demonstration system, which builds the program to be sent to the robot to execute the task. The monitoring and supervision system is executed by the Microsoft HoloLens 2, using the Unity platform and Visual Studio to program it. The programming by demonstration system's core was developed in Robot Operating System (ROS). The robots included in this interface are Universal Robots UR5 (collaborative robot) and ABB IRB 2600 (industrial robot). Moreover, the interface was built to easily add other robots

Program modeling and control synthesis for robotic manipulators

The control and programming methodology of industrial robots is becoming increasingly important. The speed and accuracy of data generation, and the performance of the robot are considered the most important factors in robotics control. This paper presents and discusses algorithms that solve for the inverse solution for a given point in space at a very high speed based on the top down abstract method. The algorithms are independent of any specific type of manipulator configuration or programming language. The algorithms were implemented or the IBM-PC using the FORTRAN language to control the Armdroid robot. The program generates 500 sets of data in 1.25 minutes. This paper also describes the Armdroid robot and presents its kinematic equations for both the forward and inverse solutions. Critical positions exist in the workspace of the robot where the inverse solutions become degenerate. Special algorithms are presented to resolve the degeneracy associated with these positions --Abstract, page iii