Human Management of the Hierarchical System for the Control of Multiple Mobile Robots

In order to take advantage of autonomous robotic systems, and yet ensure successful completion of all feasible tasks, we propose a mediation hierarchy in which an operator can interact at all system levels. Robotic systems are not robust in handling un-modeled events. Reactive behaviors may be able to guide the robot back into a modeled state and to continue. Reasoning systems may simply fail. Once a system has failed it is difficult to re-start the task from the failed state. Rather, the rule base is revised, programs altered, and the task re-tried from the beginning

Towards a Prototype Platform for ROS Integrations on a Ground Robot

The intent of this work was to develop, evaluate, and demonstrate a prototype robot platform on which ROS integrations could be explored. With observations of features and requirements of existing industrial and service mobile ground robots, a platform was designed and outfitted with appropriate components to enable the most common operational-critical functionalities and account for unforeseen components and features. The resulting Arlo Demonstration Robot accommodates basic mapping, localization, and navigation in both two and three-dimensional space as well as additional safety and teleoperation features. The control system is centered around the Zybo Z7 FPGA SoC hosting a custom hardware design. The platform is validated through an analysis of feature requirements and limitations and additional evaluations of a series of real-world use cases demonstrating high-level behaviors. In order to promote further development, this work serves as detailed documentation of the selection, implementation, and testing of this platform and complements initial binary releases for the Zybo Z7 control system and accompanying source code for the functionalities implemented. This prototype robot stack can be further developed to enable additional capabilities and validate its performance in other real-world scenarios or used as a reference for porting to alternative robot platforms

Mobile robot teleoperation through eye-gaze (telegaze)

In most teleoperation applications the human operator is required to monitor the status of the robot, as well as, issue controlling commands for the whole duration of the operation. Using a vision based feedback system, monitoring the robot requires the operator to look at a continuous stream of images displayed on an interaction screen. The eyes of the operator therefore, are fully engaged in monitoring and the hands in controlling. Since the eyes of the operator are engaged in monitoring anyway, inputs from their gaze can be used to aid in controlling. This frees the hands of the operator, either partially or fully, from controlling which can then be used to perform any other necessary tasks. However, the challenge here lies in distinguishing between the inputs that can be used for controlling and the inputs that can be used for monitoring. In mobile robot teleoperation, controlling is mainly composed of issuing locomotion commands to drive the robot. Monitoring on the other hand, is looking where the robot goes and looking for any obstacles in the route. Interestingly, there exist a strong correlation between human's gazing behaviours and their moving intentions. This correlation has been exploited in this thesis to investigate novel means for mobile robot teleoperation through eye-gaze, which has been named TeleGaze for short

Robots in my contact list : Using social media platforms for human-robot interaction in domestic environment

Master'sMASTER OF SCIENC

Hospital Lobby Assistant Robot

The primary goal of this MQP is to produce a user friendly robot that assists users in navigating a given area. Specifically, this group chose to focus on a hospital setting. In order to achieve this goal, the group designed a robot that was capable of navigation, possessed an arm with which to open doors, and that could be commanded by users from an intuitive on-board UI. A secondary goal of this MQP was to create an extensible platform for future groups. To achieve this goal, the team designed a modular backend system so that new modules could be added to the robot in the future with minimal time spent by future groups on integration

DELIBOT WITH SLAM IMPLEMENTATION

This paper describes and discusses a research work on "DeliBOT – A Mobile Robot with Implementation of SLAM utilizing Computer Vision/Machine Learning Techniques". The principle objective is to study about the utilization of Kinect in mobile robotics and use it to assemble an integrated system framework equipped for building a map of environment, and localizing mobile robot with respect to the map using visual cues. There were four principle work stages. The initial step was studying and testing solutions for mapping and navigation with a RGB-D sensor, the Kinect. The accompanying stage was implementing a system framework equipped for identifying and localizing objects from the point cloud given by the Kinect, permitting the execution of further errands on the system framework, i.e. considering the computational load. The third step was identifying the landmarks and the improvement they can present in the framework. At last, the joining of the previous modules was led and experimental evaluation and validation of the integrated system. The demand of substitution of human by a robot is winding up noticeably more probable eager these days because of the likelihood of less mistakes that the robot apparently makes. Amid the previous couple of years, the technology turn out to be more accurate and legitimate outcomes with less errors, and researches started to consolidate more sensors. By utilizing accessible sensors, robot will perceive and identify environment it is in and makes map. Additionally, robot will have element of itself locating inside environment. Robot fundamental operations are identification of objects and localization for conduction of the services. Robot conduct appropriate path planning and avoidance of object by setting a target or determining goal [1]. Because of the outstanding research and robotics applications in almost every segments of life of human's, from space surveillance to health-care, solution is created for autonomous mobile robots direct tasks excluding human intervention in indoor environment [2], a few applications like cleaning facilities and transportation fields. Robot navigation in environment that is safe that performs profoundly, require environment map. Since in the greater part of applications in real-life map is not given, exploration algorithm is used

Haptic Tele-operation of Wheeled Mobile Robot and Unmanned Aerial Vehicle over the Internet

Teleoperation of ground/aerial vehicle extends operator\u27s ability (e.g. expertise, strength, mobility) into the remote environment, and haptic feedback enhances the human operator\u27s perception of the slave environment. In my thesis, two cases are studied: wheeled mobile robot (MWR) haptic tele-driving over the Internet and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) haptic teleoperation over the Internet. We propose novel control frameworks for both dynamic WMR and kinematic WMR in various tele-driving modes, and for a mixed UAV with translational dynamics and attitude kinematics. The recently proposed passive set-position modulation (PSPM) framework is extended to guarantee the passivity and/or stability of the closed-loop system with time-varying/packet-loss in the communication; and proved performance in steady state is shown by theoretical measurements.For UAV teleoperation, we also derive a backstepping trajectory tracking control with robustness analysis. Experimental results for dynamic/kinematic WMR and an indoor quadrotor-type UAV are presented to show the efficacy of the proposed control framework

Integration of a mobile autonomous robot in a surveillance multi-agent system

This dissertation aims to guarantee the integration of a mobile autonomous robot equipped with many sensors in a multi-agent distributed and georeferenced surveillance system. The integration of a mobile autonomous robot in this system leads to new features that will be available to clients of surveillance system may use. These features may be of two types: using the robot as an agent that will act in the environment or by using the robot as a mobile set of sensors. As an agent in the system, the robot can move to certain locations when alerts are received, in order to acknowledge the underlying events or take to action in order to assist in resolving this event. As a sensor platform in the system, it is possible to access information that is read from the sensors of the robot and access complementary measurements to the ones taken by other sensors in the multi-agent system. To integrate this mobile robot in an effective way it is necessary to extend the current multi-agent system architecture to make the connection between the two systems and to integrate the functionalities provided by the robot into the multi-agent system

Constraint-based navigation for safe, shared control of ground vehicles

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, 2013.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (p. 138-147).Human error in machine operation is common and costly. This thesis introduces, develops, and experimentally demonstrates a new paradigm for shared-adaptive control of human-machine systems that mitigates the effects of human error without removing humans from the control loop. Motivated by observed human proclivity toward navigation in fields of safe travel rather than along specific trajectories, the planning and control framework developed in this thesis is rooted in the design and enforcement of constraints rather than the more traditional use of reference paths. Two constraint-planning methods are introduced. The first uses a constrained Delaunay triangulation of the environment to identify, cumulatively evaluate, and succinctly circumscribe the paths belonging to a particular homotopy with a set of semi autonomously enforceable constraints on the vehicle's position. The second identifies a desired homotopy by planning - and then laterally expanding - the optimal path that traverses it. Simulated results show both of these constraint-planning methods capable of improving the performance of one or multiple agents traversing an environment with obstacles. A method for predicting the threat posed to the vehicle given the current driver action, present state of the environment, and modeled vehicle dynamics is also presented. This threat assessment method, and the shared control approach it facilitates, are shown in simulation to prevent constraint violation or vehicular loss of control with minimal control intervention. Visual and haptic driver feedback mechanisms facilitated by this constraint-based control and threat-based intervention are also introduced. Finally, a large-scale, repeated measures study is presented to evaluate this control framework's effect on the performance, confidence, and cognitive workload of 20 drivers teleoperating an unmanned ground vehicle through an outdoor obstacle course. In 1,200 trials, the constraint-based framework developed in this thesis is shown to increase vehicle velocity by 26% while reducing the occurrence of collisions by 78%, improving driver reaction time to a secondary task by 8.7%, and increasing overall user confidence and sense of control by 44% and 12%, respectively. These performance improvements were realized with the autonomous controller usurping less than 43% of available vehicle control authority, on average.by Sterling J. Anderson.Ph.D