Acquisition of Visually Guided Swing Motion Based on Genetic Algorithms and Neural Networks in Two-Armed Bipedal Robot

Proceedings of the 1997 IEEE lntemational Conference on Robotics and Automation Albuquerque, New Mexico - April 199

Walking trajectory generation & control of the humanoid robot: suralp

In recent years, the operational area of the robots started to extend and new functionalities are planned for them in our daily environments. As the human-robot interaction is being improved, the robots can provide support in elderly care, human assistance, rescue, hospital attendance and many other areas. With this motivation, an intensive research is focused around humanoid robotics in the last four decades. However, due to the nonlinear dynamics of the robot and high number of degrees of freedom, the robust balance of the bipedal walk is a challenging task. Smooth trajectory generation and online compensation methods are necessary to achieve a stable walk. In this thesis, Cartesian foot position references are generated as periodic functions with respect to a body-fixed coordinate frame. The online adjustment of these parameterized trajectories provides an opportunity in tuning the walking parameters without stopping the robot. The major contribution of this thesis in the context of trajectory generation is the smoothening of the foot trajectories and the introduction of ground push motion in the vertical direction. This pushing motion provided a dramatic improvement in the stability of the walking. Even though smooth foot reference trajectories are generated using the parameter based functions, the realization of a dynamically stable walk and maintenance of the robot balance requires walking control algorithms. This thesis introduces various control techniques to cope with disturbances or unevenness of the walking environment and compensate the mismatches between the planned and the actual walking based on sensory feedback. Moreover, an automatic homing procedure is proposed for the adjustment of the initial posture before the walking experiments. The presented control algorithms include ZMP regulation, foot orientation control, trunk orientation control, foot pitch torque difference compensation, body pitch angle correction, ground impact compensation and early landing modification. The effectiveness of the proposed trajectory generation and walking control algorithms is tested on the humanoid robot SURALP and a stable walk is achieved

曲率可変台車による走行を可能とする２脚ロボットの開発

計測自動制御学会東北支部　第254回研究集

Human factors and telerobotics : tools and approaches for designing remote robotic workstation displays

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Aeronautics and Astronautics, February 2002.Includes bibliographical references (v. 2, leaves 297-300).A methodology is created for designing and testing an intuitive synthesized telerobotic workstation display configuration for controlling a high degree of freedom dexterous manipulator for use on the International Space Station. With the construction and maintenance of the International Space Station, the number of Extravehicular Activity (EVA) hours is expected to increase by a factor of four over the current Space Shuttle missions, resulting in higher demands on the EVA crewmembers and EVA crew systems. One approach to utilizing EVA resources more effectively while increasing crew safety and efficiency is to perform routine and high-risk EVA tasks telerobotically. NASA's Johnson Space Center is developing the state-of-the-art dexterous robotic manipulator. An anthropomorphic telerobot called Robonaut is being constructed that is capable of performing all of the tasks required of an EVA suited crewmember. Robonaut is comparable in size to a suited crewmember and consists of two 7 DOF arms, two 12 DOF hands, a 6+ DOF "stinger tail", and a 2+ DOF stereo camera platform. Current robotic workstations are insufficient for controlling highly dexterous manipulators, which require full immersion operator telepresence. The Robonaut workstation must be designed to allow an operator to intuitively control numerous degrees of freedom simultaneously, in varying levels of supervisory control and for all types of EVA tasks. This effort critically reviewed previous research into areas including telerobotic interfaces, human-machine interactions, microgravity physiology, supervisory control, force feedback, virtual reality, and manual control.(cont.) A methodology is developed for designing and evaluating integrated interfaces for highly dexterous and multi-functional telerobots. In addition a classification of telerobotic tasks is proposed. Experiments were conducted with subjects performing EVA tasks with Space Station hardware using Robonaut and a Robonaut simulation (also under development). Results indicate that Robonaut simulation subject performance matches Robonaut performance. The simulation can be used for training operators for full-immersion teleoperation and for developing and evaluating future telerobotic workstations. A baseline amount of Situation Awareness time was determined and reduced using the display design iteration.by Jennifer Lisa Rochlis.Ph.D

Open motion control architecture for humanoid robots

This Ph.D. thesis contributes to the development of control architecture for robots. It provides a complex study of a control systems design and makes a proposal for generalized open motion control architecture for humanoid robots. Generally speaking, the development of humanoid robots is a very complex engineering and scientific task that requires new approaches in mechanical design, electronics, software engineering and control. First of all, taking into account all these considerations, this thesis tries to answer the question of why we need the development of such robots. Further, it provides a study of the evolution of humanoid robots, as well as an analysis of modern trends. A complex study of motion, that for humanoid robots, means first of all the biped locomotion is addressed. Requirements for the design of open motion control architecture are posed. This work stresses the motion control algorithms for humanoid robots. The implementation of only servo control for some types of robots (especially for walking systems) is not sufficient. Even having stable motion pattern and well tuned joint control, a humanoid robot can fall down while walking. Therefore, these robots need the implementation of another, upper control loop which will provide the stabilization of their motion. This Ph.D. thesis proposes the study of a joint motion control problem and a new solution to walking stability problem for humanoids. A new original walking stabilization controller based on decoupled double inverted pendulum dynamical model is developed. This Ph.D. thesis proposes novel motion control software and hardware architecture for humanoid robots. The main advantage of this architecture is that it was designed by an open systems approach allowing the development of high-quality humanoid robotics platforms that are technologically up-to-date. The Rh-1 prototype of the humanoid robot was constructed and used as a test platform for implementing the concepts described in this Ph.D. thesis. Also, the implementation of walking stabilization control algorithms was made with OpenHRP platform and HRP-2 humanoid robot. The simulations and walking experiments showed favourable results not only in forward walking but also in turning and backwards walking gaits. It proved the applicability and reliability of designed open motion control architecture for humanoid robots. Finally, it should be noted that this Ph.D. thesis considers the motion control system of a humanoid robot as a whole, stresses the entire concept-design-implementation chain and develops basic guidelines for the design of open motion control architecture that can be easily implemented in other biped platforms

The cyborg as a posthuman figure in science fiction literature

This thesis explores how cyborg figures within science fiction literature represent the posthuman, and function to comment on a contemporary process of posthumanization of the human species. It is a study of species boundaries between human and cyborg characters in science fiction literature, and how these boundaries prove permeable. Through encountering androids in Philip K. Dick’s novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (1968), humanoid robots in selected short stories from Isaac Asimov’s The Complete Robot collection (1982), and the New People in Paolo Bacigalupi’s novel The Windup Girl (2009), the reader’s perspective of the human species changes. Factors separating the human from the technological prove unreliable within the narratives, reflecting the futility of an essentialist perception of the human as separate from the technological. Both in fiction and reality there is an irreversible shift within the human species, from fully organic Homo sapiens to highly technological Robo sapiens. Humans within the narratives try to oppress the cyborgs physically and violently, yet the cyborgs rebel and claim a rightful place alongside “pure” humans, as an enhanced posthuman species. This serves as a comment on how a posthuman species identity cannot be repressed in contemporary society. Even if we do not realize it, our species has changed and is changing. We are all already cyborgs. We are all posthuman now

Towards a Legal end Ethical Framework for Personal Care Robots. Analysis of Person Carrier, Physical Assistant and Mobile Servant Robots.

Technology is rapidly developing, and regulators and robot creators inevitably have to come to terms with new and unexpected scenarios. A thorough analysis of this new and continuosuly evolving reality could be useful to better understand the current situation and pave the way to the future creation of a legal and ethical framework. This is clearly a wide and complex goal, considering the variety of new technologies available today and those under development. Therefore, this thesis focuses on the evaluation of the impacts of personal care robots. In particular, it analyzes how roboticists adjust their creations to the existing regulatory framework for legal compliance purposes. By carrying out an impact assessment analysis, existing regulatory gaps and lack of regulatory clarity can be highlighted. These gaps should of course be considered further on by lawmakers for a future legal framework for personal care robot. This assessment should be made first against regulations. If the creators of the robot do not encounter any limitations, they can then proceed with its development. On the contrary, if there are some limitations, robot creators will either (1) adjust the robot to comply with the existing regulatory framework; (2) start a negotiation with the regulators to change the law; or (3) carry out the original plan and risk to be non-compliant. The regulator can discuss existing (or lacking) regulations with robot developers and give a legal response accordingly. In an ideal world, robots are clear of impacts and therefore threats can be responded in terms of prevention and opportunities in form of facilitation. In reality, the impacts of robots are often uncertain and less clear, especially when they are inserted in care applications. Therefore, regulators will have to address uncertain risks, ambiguous impacts and yet unkown effects

A galaxy of wor(l)ds: the translation of fictive vernacular in the Star Wars transmedia narrative in Brazil

Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Centro de Comunicação e Expressão, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Inglês: Estudos Linguísticos e Literários, Florianópolis, 2020.Com as recentes mudanças de cenário nas publicações de materiais da saga Star Wars no Brasil (que começou com a mudança do titular da propriedade intelectual em 2012), a franquia tornou-se uma narrativa transmídia no país. Diante desse contexto, a presente pesquisa tem como objetivo descrever as práticas tradutórias adotadas para lidar com materiais de Star Wars. Considerando que uma narrativa transmídia é um todo composto formado pela expansão narrativa em múltiplos episódios em diferentes plataformas midiáticas, a presente pesquisa visa, em última instância, investigar as práticas de tradução adotadas e seus impactos para a integridade dessa narrativa transmídia no Brasil. A investigação das práticas de tradução centra-se no dispositivo narrativo baseado na linguagem verbal denominado Vernáculo Fictício, um conceito proposto nesta tese. Os Estudos Descritivos da Tradução ofereceram as bases teóricas para analisar os pares selecionados de textos fontes e suas traduções. Os Estudos de Tradução com base em Corpus fornecem os procedimentos e ferramentas teóricas e metodológicas para conduzir a análise dos dados, para cujo fim foi criado um corpus paralelo computadorizado. O corpus paralelo é composto por pares alinhados de textos fontes e traduções nas mídias livro, quadrinho e filme (apenas os componentes verbais das duas últimas mídias são incluídos no corpus paralelo). Ele é composto por dois pares por mídia, totalizando seis títulos e doze textos. A análise revela duas tendências principais nas práticas adotadas para traduzir o Vernáculo Fictício no corpus. A primeira tendência envolve imprimir a composição de itens fictícios fonte nos textos de chegada. A segunda diz respeito ao aproveitamento dos recursos da língua-alvo para traduzir itens fictícios, mesmo às custas de, ocasionalmente, anular sua função de criação de mundo.Abstract: With the recent change in the publication scenario of materials from the Star Wars saga in Brazil (upon the change of intellectual property holder in 2012), the franchise has become a transmedia narrative in the country. In view of this context, the present research aims to describe the translation practices adopted to deal with Star Wars materials. Considering that a transmedia narrative is a composite whole formed by narrative expansion across multiples instalments in different media platforms, the present research ultimately aims to investigate the adopted translation practices and their impact on the wholeness of the transmedia narrative in Brazil. The investigation of translation practices focuses on the language-based narrative device called Fictive Vernacular, a concept developed in this thesis. Descriptive Translation Studies offered the theoretical foundations to analyse the selected pairs of source and translated texts. Corpus-based Translation Studies provide the theoretical and methodological procedures and tools to conduct the data analysis, for which end a computerised parallel corpus was created. The parallel corpus is composed of aligned pairs of source and target books, comics and films (only the verbal components of the last two are included in the parallel corpus). It comprises of two pairs per media, adding up to six instalments and twelve texts in total. Analysis reveals two main tendencies in the practices of translating the Fictive Vernacular in the corpus. The first tendency involves imprinting the makeup of source fictive items into the target texts. The second concerns drawing on the resources of the target language to render fictive items, even at the expense of occasionally irrupting their world-building function

HSCI2013: proceedings of the 10th International Conference on Hands-on Science

The core topic of the 10th Hands-on Science Conference is "Educating for Science and through Science"Livro de trabalhos extensos aceites para publicação no livro de proceedings da 10ª conferencia HSC