1,178 research outputs found
Synchronized computational architecture for generalized bilateral control of robot arms
A master six degree of freedom Force Reflecting Hand Controller (FRHC) is available at a master site where a received image displays, in essentially real time, a remote robotic manipulator which is being controlled in the corresponding six degree freedom by command signals which are transmitted to the remote site in accordance with the movement of the FRHC at the master site. Software is user-initiated at the master site in order to establish the basic system conditions, and then a physical movement of the FRHC in Cartesean space is reflected at the master site by six absolute numbers that are sensed, translated and computed as a difference signal relative to the earlier position. The change in position is then transmitted in that differential signal form over a high speed synchronized bilateral communication channel which simultaneously returns robot-sensed response information to the master site as forces applied to the FRHC so that the FRHC reflects the feel of what is taking place at the remote site. A system wide clock rate is selected at a sufficiently high rate that the operator at the master site experiences the Force Reflecting operation in real time
Enabling technologies for precise aerial manufacturing with unmanned aerial vehicles
The construction industry is currently experiencing a revolution with automation techniques
such as additive manufacturing and robot-enabled construction. Additive Manufacturing (AM)
is a key technology that can o er productivity improvement in the construction industry by
means of o -site prefabrication and on-site construction with automated systems. The key
bene t is that building elements can be fabricated with less materials and higher design freedom
compared to traditional manual methods.
O -site prefabrication with AM has been investigated for some time already, but it has limitations
in terms of logistical issues of components transportation and due to its lack of design
exibility on-site. On-site construction with automated systems, such as static gantry systems
and mobile ground robots performing AM tasks, can o er additional bene ts over o -site
prefabrication, but it needs further research before it will become practical and economical.
Ground-based automated construction systems also have the limitation that they cannot extend
the construction envelope beyond their physical size. The solution of using aerial robots
to liberate the process from the constrained construction envelope has been suggested, albeit
with technological challenges including precision of operation, uncertainty in environmental
interaction and energy e ciency.
This thesis investigates methods of precise manufacturing with aerial robots. In particular,
this work focuses on stabilisation mechanisms and origami-based structural elements that allow
aerial robots to operate in challenging environments. An integrated aerial self-aligning delta
manipulator has been utilised to increase the positioning accuracy of the aerial robots, and
a Material Extrusion (ME) process has been developed for Aerial Additive Manufacturing
(AAM). A 28-layer tower has been additively manufactured by aerial robots to demonstrate the
feasibility of AAM. Rotorigami and a bioinspired landing mechanism demonstrate their abilities
to overcome uncertainty in environmental interaction with impact protection capabilities and
improved robustness for UAV. Design principles using tensile anchoring methods have been
explored, enabling low-power operation and explores possibility of low-power aerial stabilisation.
The results demonstrate that precise aerial manufacturing needs to consider not only just the
robotic aspects, such as
ight control algorithms and mechatronics, but also material behaviour
and environmental interaction as factors for its success.Open Acces
Towards Autonomous Selective Harvesting: A Review of Robot Perception, Robot Design, Motion Planning and Control
This paper provides an overview of the current state-of-the-art in selective
harvesting robots (SHRs) and their potential for addressing the challenges of
global food production. SHRs have the potential to increase productivity,
reduce labour costs, and minimise food waste by selectively harvesting only
ripe fruits and vegetables. The paper discusses the main components of SHRs,
including perception, grasping, cutting, motion planning, and control. It also
highlights the challenges in developing SHR technologies, particularly in the
areas of robot design, motion planning and control. The paper also discusses
the potential benefits of integrating AI and soft robots and data-driven
methods to enhance the performance and robustness of SHR systems. Finally, the
paper identifies several open research questions in the field and highlights
the need for further research and development efforts to advance SHR
technologies to meet the challenges of global food production. Overall, this
paper provides a starting point for researchers and practitioners interested in
developing SHRs and highlights the need for more research in this field.Comment: Preprint: to be appeared in Journal of Field Robotic
Design and Development of Sensor Integrated Robotic Hand
Most of the automated systems using robots as agents do use few sensors according to the need. However, there are situations where the tasks carried out by the end-effector, or for that matter by the robot hand needs multiple sensors. The hand, to make the best use of these sensors, and behave autonomously, requires a set of appropriate types of sensors which could be integrated in proper manners.
The present research work aims at developing a sensor integrated robot hand that can collect information related to the assigned tasks, assimilate there correctly and then do task action as appropriate. The process of development involves selection of sensors of right types and of right specification, locating then at proper places in the hand, checking their functionality individually and calibrating them for the envisaged process. Since the sensors need to be integrated so that they perform in the desired manner collectively, an integration platform is created using NI PXIe-1082.
A set of algorithm is developed for achieving the integrated model. The entire process is first modelled and simulated off line for possible modification in order to ensure that all the sensors do contribute towards the autonomy of the hand for desired activity.
This work also involves design of a two-fingered gripper. The design is made in such a way that it is capable of carrying out the desired tasks and can accommodate all the sensors within its fold. The developed sensor integrated hand has been put to work and its performance test has been carried out. This hand can be very useful for part assembly work in industries for any shape of part with a limit on the size of the part in mind.
The broad aim is to design, model simulate and develop an advanced robotic hand. Sensors for pick up contacts pressure, force, torque, position, surface profile shape using suitable sensing elements in a robot hand are to be introduced. The hand is a complex structure with large number of degrees of freedom and has multiple sensing capabilities apart from the associated sensing assistance from other organs. The present work is envisaged to add multiple sensors to a two-fingered robotic hand having motion capabilities and constraints similar to the human hand. There has been a good amount of research and development in this field during the last two decades a lot remains to be explored and achieved.
The objective of the proposed work is to design, simulate and develop a sensor integrated robotic hand. Its potential applications can be proposed for industrial environments and in healthcare field. The industrial applications include electronic assembly tasks, lighter inspection tasks, etc. Application in healthcare could be in the areas of rehabilitation and assistive techniques.
The work also aims to establish the requirement of the robotic hand for the target application areas, to identify the suitable kinds and model of sensors that can be integrated on hand control system. Functioning of motors in the robotic hand and integration of appropriate sensors for the desired motion is explained for the control of the various elements of the hand. Additional sensors, capable of collecting external information and information about the object for manipulation is explored.
Processes are designed using various software and hardware tools such as mathematical computation MATLAB, OpenCV library and LabVIEW 2013 DAQ system as applicable, validated theoretically and finally implemented to develop an intelligent robotic hand. The multiple smart sensors are installed on a standard six degree-of-freedom industrial robot KAWASAKI RS06L articulated manipulator, with the two-finger pneumatic SHUNK robotic hand or designed prototype and robot control programs are integrated in such a manner that allows easy application of grasping in an industrial pick-and-place operation where the characteristics of the object can vary or are unknown. The effectiveness of the actual recommended structure is usually proven simply by experiments using calibration involving sensors and manipulator. The dissertation concludes with a summary of the contribution and the scope of further work
Design of a Surgical Manipulator System for Lumbar Discectomy Procedures
A 3D printed surgical master-slave manipulator system for minimally invasive lumbar discectomy procedure is proposed. Discectomy is the surgery to remove the herniated disc material that is pressing on a nerve root or spinal cord. This surgery is performed to relieve pain or numbness caused by the pressure on the nerve. The workspace is limited (\u3c 27 cm3) and the manipulator has to go through a 3.175mm (0.125”) diameter channel. The proposed system is comprised of a family of manipulators that can work alone or co-operatively to perform tasks required in the surgery. In the proposed system, the manipulator is 3D printed with multiple materials, with flexible links acting as joints of the mechanism. These flexible links are actuated by cables which provide sufficient forces for actuation in the surgical workspace. In this thesis, existing surgical techniques are investigated and a new surgical system is proposed. Various design ideas are presented and evaluated for manufacturing and assembly. Finally, the proposed mechanisms are modeled and tested for their capability to assist the surgeon to perform tasks required for the surgery
Actuators and sensors for application in agricultural robots: A review
In recent years, with the rapid development of science and technology, agricultural robots have gradually begun to replace humans, to complete various agricultural operations, changing traditional agricultural production methods. Not only is the labor input reduced, but also the production efficiency can be improved, which invariably contributes to the development of smart agriculture. This paper reviews the core technologies used for agricultural robots in non-structural environments. In addition, we review the technological progress of drive systems, control strategies, end-effectors, robotic arms, environmental perception, and other related systems. This research shows that in a non-structured agricultural environment, using cameras and light detection and ranging (LiDAR), as well as ultrasonic and satellite navigation equipment, and by integrating sensing, transmission, control, and operation, different types of actuators can be innovatively designed and developed to drive the advance of agricultural robots, to meet the delicate and complex requirements of agricultural products as operational objects, such that better productivity and standardization of agriculture can be achieved. In summary, agricultural production is developing toward a data-driven, standardized, and unmanned approach, with smart agriculture supported by actuator-driven-based agricultural robots. This paper concludes with a summary of the main existing technologies and challenges in the development of actuators for applications in agricultural robots, and the outlook regarding the primary development directions of agricultural robots in the near future
Design, fabrication and control of soft robots
Conventionally, engineers have employed rigid materials to fabricate precise, predictable robotic systems, which are easily modelled as rigid members connected at discrete joints. Natural systems, however, often match or exceed the performance of robotic systems with deformable bodies. Cephalopods, for example, achieve amazing feats of manipulation and locomotion without a skeleton; even vertebrates such as humans achieve dynamic gaits by storing elastic energy in their compliant bones and soft tissues. Inspired by nature, engineers have begun to explore the design and control of soft-bodied robots composed of compliant materials. This Review discusses recent developments in the emerging field of soft robotics.National Science Foundation (U.S.) (Grant IIS-1226883
Haptics-Enabled Teleoperation for Robotics-Assisted Minimally Invasive Surgery
The lack of force feedback (haptics) in robotic surgery can be considered to be a safety risk leading to accidental tissue damage and puncturing of blood vessels due to excessive forces being applied to tissue and vessels or causing inefficient control over the instruments because of insufficient applied force. This project focuses on providing a satisfactory solution for introducing haptic feedback in robotics-assisted minimally invasive surgical (RAMIS) systems. The research addresses several key issues associated with the incorporation of haptics in a master-slave (teleoperated) robotic environment for minimally invasive surgery (MIS). In this project, we designed a haptics-enabled dual-arm (two masters - two slaves) robotic MIS testbed to investigate and validate various single-arm as well as dual-arm teleoperation scenarios. The most important feature of this setup is the capability of providing haptic feedback in all 7 degrees of freedom (DOF) required for RAMIS (3 translations, 3 rotations and pinch motion of the laparoscopic tool). The setup also enables the evaluation of the effect of replacing haptic feedback by other sensory cues such as visual representation of haptic information (sensory substitution) and the hypothesis that surgical outcomes may be improved by substituting or augmenting haptic feedback by such sensory cues
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