3,524 research outputs found
HERMIES-3: A step toward autonomous mobility, manipulation, and perception
HERMIES-III is an autonomous robot comprised of a seven degree-of-freedom (DOF) manipulator designed for human scale tasks, a laser range finder, a sonar array, an omni-directional wheel-driven chassis, multiple cameras, and a dual computer system containing a 16-node hypercube expandable to 128 nodes. The current experimental program involves performance of human-scale tasks (e.g., valve manipulation, use of tools), integration of a dexterous manipulator and platform motion in geometrically complex environments, and effective use of multiple cooperating robots (HERMIES-IIB and HERMIES-III). The environment in which the robots operate has been designed to include multiple valves, pipes, meters, obstacles on the floor, valves occluded from view, and multiple paths of differing navigation complexity. The ongoing research program supports the development of autonomous capability for HERMIES-IIB and III to perform complex navigation and manipulation under time constraints, while dealing with imprecise sensory information
Whole-Body MPC for a Dynamically Stable Mobile Manipulator
Autonomous mobile manipulation offers a dual advantage of mobility provided
by a mobile platform and dexterity afforded by the manipulator. In this paper,
we present a whole-body optimal control framework to jointly solve the problems
of manipulation, balancing and interaction as one optimization problem for an
inherently unstable robot. The optimization is performed using a Model
Predictive Control (MPC) approach; the optimal control problem is transcribed
at the end-effector space, treating the position and orientation tasks in the
MPC planner, and skillfully planning for end-effector contact forces. The
proposed formulation evaluates how the control decisions aimed at end-effector
tracking and environment interaction will affect the balance of the system in
the future. We showcase the advantages of the proposed MPC approach on the
example of a ball-balancing robot with a robotic manipulator and validate our
controller in hardware experiments for tasks such as end-effector pose tracking
and door opening
A Novel Design and Evaluation of a Dactylus-Equipped Quadruped Robot for Mobile Manipulation
Quadruped robots are usually equipped with additional arms for manipulation,
negatively impacting price and weight. On the other hand, the requirements of
legged locomotion mean that the legs of such robots often possess the needed
torque and precision to perform manipulation. In this paper, we present a novel
design for a small-scale quadruped robot equipped with two leg-mounted
manipulators inspired by crustacean chelipeds and knuckle-walker forelimbs. By
making use of the actuators already present in the legs, we can achieve
manipulation using only 3 additional motors per limb. The design enables the
use of small and inexpensive actuators relative to the leg motors, further
reducing cost and weight. The moment of inertia impact on the leg is small
thanks to an integrated cable/pulley system. As we show in a suite of
tele-operation experiments, the robot is capable of performing single- and
dual-limb manipulation, as well as transitioning between manipulation modes.
The proposed design performs similarly to an additional arm while weighing and
costing 5 times less per manipulator and enabling the completion of tasks
requiring 2 manipulators.Comment: 6 pages, 10 figures, updated layout to fit in margins and corrected
typos, accepted to the 2022 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent
Robots and Systems (IROS 2022
Advancing automation and robotics technology for the space station and for the US economy: Submitted to the United States Congress October 1, 1987
In April 1985, as required by Public Law 98-371, the NASA Advanced Technology Advisory Committee (ATAC) reported to Congress the results of its studies on advanced automation and robotics technology for use on the space station. This material was documented in the initial report (NASA Technical Memorandum 87566). A further requirement of the Law was that ATAC follow NASA's progress in this area and report to Congress semiannually. This report is the fifth in a series of progress updates and covers the period between 16 May 1987 and 30 September 1987. NASA has accepted the basic recommendations of ATAC for its space station efforts. ATAC and NASA agree that the mandate of Congress is that an advanced automation and robotics technology be built to support an evolutionary space station program and serve as a highly visible stimulator affecting the long-term U.S. economy
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