Framework-level resource awareness in robotics and intelligent systems. Improving dependability by exploiting knowledge about system resources

Wienke J. Framework-level resource awareness in robotics and intelligent systems. Improving dependability by exploiting knowledge about system resources. Bielefeld: Universität Bielefeld; 2018.Modern robots have evolved to complex hardware and software systems. As such, their construction and maintenance have become more challenging and the potential for failures has increased. These failures and the resulting reduction of dependability have a considerable effect on the acceptance and usefulness of robotics systems in their intended applications. Even though different software engineering techniques have been developed to control dependability-critical aspects of such complex systems, the state of the art for experimental robotics and intelligent systems is that – if at all – functional properties are systematically controlled though techniques such as unit testing and simulation runs. Yet, system dependability can also be impaired if nonfunctional properties behave unexpectedly. This thesis focuses on the utilization of system resources such as CPU, memory, or network bandwidth as an important nonfunctional aspect, which has not received much systematic treatment in robotics and intelligent systems so far. Unexpected utilizations of system resources can have effects ranging from merely wasting energy and reducing a robot’s operational time to a degradation in its function due to processing delays. Even safety-critical situations can arise, for instance, if a motion planner or obstacle avoidance component cannot react before a collision. Therefore, the systematic analysis of a system’s resource utilization, a guidance of developers regarding these aspects, and testing and fault detection for unexpected resource utilization patterns are an effective contribution of this thesis towards more reliable robots. In this work I describe a concept for integrating resource awareness into component-based robotics and intelligent systems. This concept specifically addresses the often loosely controlled development process predominant in experimental research. As such, the presented methods have to be applicable without a high overhead or large changes to the evolved development methods and system structures. Within this concept, which I termed framework-level resource awareness, I have explored methods in two directions: On the one hand, a set of tools helps developers to understand and systematically control the resource utilization while developing and testing systems. On the other hand, I have applied machine learning techniques to enable autonomous reactions at runtime based on predictions about the resource utilization of system components. With the two views, this work explores novel directions for implementing resource awareness in research systems and the conducted evaluations underline the suitability of the framework-level resource awareness concept

Engineering Background Knowledge for Social Robots

Social robots are embodied agents that continuously perform knowledge-intensive tasks involving several kinds of information coming from different heterogeneous sources. Providing a framework for engineering robots' knowledge raises several problems like identifying sources of information and modeling solutions suitable for robots' activities, integrating knowledge coming from different sources, evolving this knowledge with information learned during robots' activities, grounding perceptions on robots' knowledge, assessing robots' knowledge with respect humans' one and so on. In this thesis we investigated feasibility and benefits of engineering background knowledge of Social Robots with a framework based on Semantic Web technologies and Linked Data. This research has been supported and guided by a case study that provided a proof of concept through a prototype tested in a real socially assistive context

Embodying Spirits: Village Oracles and Possession Ritual in Ladakh, North India

This thesis focuses upon village oracles in Buddhist Ladakh who provide ritual services to clients when they are in trance and possessed by gods. Village oracles are discussed in the context of a customary division made by Ladakhis between the lay and clerical components of their society. They are among the few lay ritual specialists and are consequently accorded less esteem than their monastic counterparts for they are associated with the lower reaches of the pantheon and with inferior ritual techniques. Moreover, Ladakhi village oracles attract suspicion because of the manner in which they are created. They are elected through affliction which is gradually, but only precariously, contained as the spirits responsible are domesticated in their human vessels. The process of initiation is seen in terms of the transformation of a probable demonic affliction into a capricious divine power. This process is analysed further through rituals associated with witchcraft possession and monastery oracles. Village oracles were once overwhelmed by affliction, like witchcraft victims, and it is never clear that these erstwhile patients have become healers, or that they have turned their demons into gods. Village oracles are also related to practitioners in the monastery. The gods evoked by monastery oracles were converted to Buddhism in “historical” times and, today, they join the side of religion in the continuing conquest of enemies. The gods embodied by village oracles may also be seen as converts but, by comparison, their conversion is a much more uncertain affair. It is argued that village oracles are best understood in terms of their position in-between affliction in the village and a respected ritual power in the monastery. The analysis suggests similarities with spirit mediums elsewhere who are likewise associated with movements away from affliction towards ritual powers