An advanced telerobotic system for shuttle payload changeout room processing applications

To potentially alleviate the inherent difficulties in the ground processing of the Space Shuttle and its associated payloads, a teleoperated, semi-autonomous robotic processing system for the Payload Changeout Room (PCR) is now in the conceptual stages. The complete PCR robotic system as currently conceived is described and critical design issues and the required technologies are discussed

ROTEX-TRIIFEX: Proposal for a joint FRG-USA telerobotic flight experiment

The concepts and main elements of a RObot Technology EXperiment (ROTEX) proposed to fly with the next German spacelab mission, D2, are presented. It provides a 1 meter size, six axis robot inside a spacelab rack, equipped with a multisensory gripper (force-torque sensors, an array of range finders, and mini stereo cameras). The robot will perform assembly and servicing tasks in a generic way, and will grasp a floating object. The man machine and supervisory control concepts for teleoperation from the spacelab and from ground are discussed. The predictive estimation schemes for an extensive use of time-delay compensating 3D computer graphics are explained

Real-time, interactive, visually updated simulator system for telepresence

Time delays and limited sensory feedback of remote telerobotic systems tend to disorient teleoperators and dramatically decrease the operator's performance. To remove the effects of time delays, key components were designed and developed of a prototype forward simulation subsystem, the Global-Local Environment Telerobotic Simulator (GLETS) that buffers the operator from the remote task. GLETS totally immerses an operator in a real-time, interactive, simulated, visually updated artificial environment of the remote telerobotic site. Using GLETS, the operator will, in effect, enter into a telerobotic virtual reality and can easily form a gestalt of the virtual 'local site' that matches the operator's normal interactions with the remote site. In addition to use in space based telerobotics, GLETS, due to its extendable architecture, can also be used in other teleoperational environments such as toxic material handling, construction, and undersea exploration

Using humanoid robots to study human behavior

Our understanding of human behavior advances as our humanoid robotics work progresses-and vice versa. This team's work focuses on trajectory formation and planning, learning from demonstration, oculomotor control and interactive behaviors. They are programming robotic behavior based on how we humans “program” behavior in-or train-each other

Aplikácia kognitivného modelu vizuálnej pozornosti v automatizovanej montáži

Zásobovacie zariadenia a podsystémy v štruktúrach montážnych systémov majú významné postavenie. Technickú zložitosť klasických zásobovacích zariadení a podsystémov je možné eliminovať pružnými programovateľnými automatizovanými zariadeniami. Informácie o spomínanom objekte zabezpečované senzorovými modulmi sa spracovávajú v riadiacom systéme zariadenia resp. na vyššej úrovni riadenia montážneho systému. Spracované informácie sú distribuované ako riadiace informácie výkonným jednotkám a prvkom, ktoré vykonávajú príslušné funkcie. Riadiace systémy programovateľných zásobovacích zariadení a podsystémov plnia viaceré funkcie napr. spracovanie informácií od senzorových jednotiek a modulov, správne vyhodnotenie polohy súčiastky a určenie postupu činnosti výkonných jednotiek a prvkov, distribúcia výkonných inštrukcií pohonovým jednotkám, atď. Programové vybavenie založené na využívaní kognitívneho modelu vizuálnej pozornosti charakterizuje nový prístup k riešeniu uvádzaných problémov. Pri vizuálnom vnímání scény obsahujúcej rôzne objekty a pre potrebu interakcie s určitým cieľovým objektom nachádzajúcim sa v tejto scéne je nutné aby systém upriamil svoju pozornosť na tento (cieľový) objekt. Tento mechanizmus je jedným z principiálnych prvkov videnia a podobne ako mnoho biologicky motivovaných systémov je veľmi výhodne využiteľný v praxi. Navrhovaný model je implementáciou mechanizmu vizuálnej pozornosti vo vytvorenom počítačom simulovanom prostredí.Logistic devices and sub - systems in the structures of assembly systems have significant position. Technical complexity of classical devices and sub - systems can be decreased by using of flexible programmable automated devices. Information's about objects provided by sensor modules are handled in processing system of the device, respective on the higher level of the assembly system. Executed information is distributed like processing information to executive units and elements. Control systems of programmable supply devices and sub - systems take handle of many functions, for example: processing information from sensor devices and modules, right calculating of the bearing of the component, distributing of executive instructions to actuating units, and many others. Software accessories based on the using of cognitive model of visual attention featured a new way of solving former problems. By visual reception the scenes contains miscellaneous objects and for the demand of the interaction with the target object is necessary that the system is need to be focused to this object. This mechanism is one of the pricipally elements of vision, and like many biologically motivated systems is very useful in practice. Designed model is an implementation of the mechanism of visual attention in the computer created simulation environment

Symbol Emergence in Robotics: A Survey

Humans can learn the use of language through physical interaction with their environment and semiotic communication with other people. It is very important to obtain a computational understanding of how humans can form a symbol system and obtain semiotic skills through their autonomous mental development. Recently, many studies have been conducted on the construction of robotic systems and machine-learning methods that can learn the use of language through embodied multimodal interaction with their environment and other systems. Understanding human social interactions and developing a robot that can smoothly communicate with human users in the long term, requires an understanding of the dynamics of symbol systems and is crucially important. The embodied cognition and social interaction of participants gradually change a symbol system in a constructive manner. In this paper, we introduce a field of research called symbol emergence in robotics (SER). SER is a constructive approach towards an emergent symbol system. The emergent symbol system is socially self-organized through both semiotic communications and physical interactions with autonomous cognitive developmental agents, i.e., humans and developmental robots. Specifically, we describe some state-of-art research topics concerning SER, e.g., multimodal categorization, word discovery, and a double articulation analysis, that enable a robot to obtain words and their embodied meanings from raw sensory--motor information, including visual information, haptic information, auditory information, and acoustic speech signals, in a totally unsupervised manner. Finally, we suggest future directions of research in SER.Comment: submitted to Advanced Robotic

NASA space station automation: AI-based technology review. Executive summary

Research and Development projects in automation technology for the Space Station are described. Artificial Intelligence (AI) based technologies are planned to enhance crew safety through reduced need for EVA, increase crew productivity through the reduction of routine operations, increase space station autonomy, and augment space station capability through the use of teleoperation and robotics

Technology assessment of advanced automation for space missions

Six general classes of technology requirements derived during the mission definition phase of the study were identified as having maximum importance and urgency, including autonomous world model based information systems, learning and hypothesis formation, natural language and other man-machine communication, space manufacturing, teleoperators and robot systems, and computer science and technology