KANT: A tool for Grounding and Knowledge Management

The intelligent robotics community usually organizes knowledge into symbolic and sub-symbolic levels. These two levels establish the set of symbols and rules for manipulating knowledge based on their (symbol system - dictionary). Thus, the correspondences -- Grounding or knowledge representation -- require specific software techniques for anchoring continuous and discrete state variables between these two levels. This paper presents the design and evaluation of an Open Source tool called KANT(Knowledge mAnagemeNT) to let different components of the system architecture controlling the robot query, save, edit, and delete the data from the Knowledge Base without having to worry about the type and the implementation of the source data. Using KANT, components managing subsymbolic information can smoothly interact with symbolic components. Besides, implementation mechanisms used in KANT, such as the use of in-memory and non-SQL databases, improve the performance of the knowledge management systems in ROS middleware, as shown by the evaluations presented in this work

Cybersecurity of Robotics and Autonomous Systems: Privacy and Safety

Robots and autonomous systems in general are set to suffer similar cybersecurity problems that computers have been facing for decades. This is not only worrying for critical tasks such as those performed by surgical, or military robots but also for household robots such as vacuum cleaners or for teleconference robots compromise privacy and safety of their owners. What will happen if these robots are hacked? This study presents a survey on the cybersecurity attacks associated with service robots, and as a result, a taxonomy that classifies the risks faced by users when using service robots, distinguishing between security and safety threads, is presented. We also present the robot software development phase as one the most relevant ones for the security of robots

Impact of decision-making system in social navigation

[EN] Facing human activity-aware navigation with a cognitive architecture raises several difficulties integrating the components and orchestrating behaviors and skills to perform social tasks. In a real-world scenario, the navigation system should not only consider individuals like obstacles. It is necessary to offer particular and dynamic people representation to enhance the HRI experience. The robot’s behaviors must be modified by humans, directly or indirectly. In this paper, we integrate our human representation framework in a cognitive architecture to allow that people who interact with the robot could modify its behavior, not only with the interaction but also with their culture or the social context. The human representation framework represents and distributes the proxemic zones’ information in a standard way, through a cost map. We have evaluated the influence of the decision-making system in human-aware navigation and how a local planner may be decisive in this navigation. The material developed during this research can be found in a public repository (https://github.com/IntelligentRoboticsLabs/social_navigation2_WAF) and instructions to facilitate the reproducibility of the results.S

Integration of Large Language Models within Cognitive Architectures for Autonomous Robots

The usage of Large Language Models (LLMs) has increased recently, not only due to the significant improvements in their accuracy but also because of the use of the quantization that allows running these models without intense hardware requirements. As a result, the LLMs have proliferated. It implies the creation of a great variety of LLMs with different capabilities. This way, this paper proposes the integration of LLMs in cognitive architectures for autonomous robots. Specifically, we present the design, development and deployment of the llama\_ros tool that allows the easy use and integration of LLMs in ROS 2-based environments, afterward integrated with the state-of-the-art cognitive architecture MERLIN2 for updating a PDDL-based planner system. This proposal is evaluated quantitatively and qualitatively, measuring the impact of incorporating the LLMs in the cognitive architecture.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures, 2 tables, Submitted to ICRA 202

Using Large Language Models for Interpreting Autonomous Robots Behaviors

The deployment of autonomous robots in various domains has raised significant concerns about their trustworthiness and accountability. This study explores the potential of Large Language Models (LLMs) in analyzing ROS 2 logs generated by autonomous robots and proposes a framework for log analysis that categorizes log files into different aspects. The study evaluates the performance of three different language models in answering questions related to StartUp, Warning, and PDDL logs. The results suggest that GPT 4, a transformer-based model, outperforms other models, however, their verbosity is not enough to answer why or how questions for all kinds of actors involved in the interaction

VIGICOP: autonomous surveillance robots with Sodar detection and autonomous navigator

The main goal of the project described in this paper is to create a security system using autonomous surveillance robots that use SODAR-like detection system sensors, working with acoustic signals in air environment and navigation base on Geographic Information System and Markov's models. The surveillance system based on SONAR provides great information from the environment, even lets you see behind objects (rebounds effects) whose manipulation offers a great added value to surveillance The guide system will implement in one hand a local navigation module directed to avoid obstacles based on classical techniques and using the new SODAR sensor. On the other hand a global navigation module will be implemented using preset trajectories and gradient techniques and an auto-location system. One of the greatest challenges obtained is the definition of the VIGICOPVar variable that defines, depending on the environment and safety parameters, the probability of intrusion. Surveillance experts of GRUPO NORTE (multinational company with security expertise of more than 38 years) have worked In the definition and validation of the model. The monitoring robots will be controlled in a centralized way from an alarm center from where you can manage all information relating to intrusion detected. VIGICOP is the low cost surveillance robot which provides new/full information interactive surveillance informatio

Reperfusion treatment in acute ischaemic stroke due to cervical and cerebral artery dissection: results of a Spanish national multicentre study

Introducción: El ictus isquémico (II) por disección arterial cervicocerebral (DAC) es una entidad infrecuente y existen pocos datos sobre el uso de terapias de reperfusión como la fibrinólisis intravenosa y la trombectomía mecánica. Se analizó el uso de dichas terapias en pacientes con II por DAC y se comparó con aquellos pacientes reperfundidos con II por otras causas. Método: Estudio observacional retrospectivo multicéntrico de pacientes con II por DAC basado en el Registro Nacional de Ictus de la Sociedad Española de Neurología durante el periodo 2011-2019. Se realizaron análisis comparativos entre: a) pacientes con DAC tratados y no tratados con terapias de reperfusión y b) pacientes reperfundidos con II por DAC y pacientes reperfundidos con II por otras causas. Se incluyeron variables epidemiológicas, del ictus y resultados al alta y a los 3 meses. Resultados: Un total de 21.037 pacientes con II fueron incluidos; 223 (1%) fueron por DAC y 68 (30%) recibieron tratamiento de reperfusión. El uso de tratamientos de reperfusión fue menor en los casos de DAC de arteria vertebral y mayor en los casos de oclusión carotídea. Los pacientes con II por DAC reperfundidos respecto a aquellos con II reperfundidos por otras causas fueron más jóvenes, la trombectomía mecánica se utilizó más y la fibrinólisis intravenosa menos. Las complicaciones hemorrágicas, la mortalidad y la autonomía a los 3 meses fueron similares. Conclusiones: Las terapias de reperfusión se usan con frecuencia en los pacientes con II por DAC. Los resultados demuestran eficacia y seguridad y son equiparables a los pacientes tratados con terapias de reperfusión por II de otras causas.Introduction: Ischaemic stroke (IS) due to cervical and cerebral artery dissection (CAD) is a rare entity, and few data are available on the use of such reperfusion therapies as intravenous fibrinolysis and mechanical thrombectomy in these patients. We analysed the use of these treatments in patients with IS due to CAD and compared them against patients receiving reperfusion treatment for IS of other aetiologies. Method: We conducted an observational, retrospective, multicentre study of patients with IS due to CAD recorded in the National Stroke Registry of the Spanish Society of Neurology during the period 2011-2019. Comparative analyses were performed between: a) patients with CAD treated and not treated with reperfusion therapies and b) patients treated with reperfusion for IS due to CAD and patients treated with reperfusion for IS due to other causes. Epidemiological data, stroke variables, and outcomes at discharge and at 3 months were included in the analysis. Results: The study included 21,037 patients with IS: 223 (1%) had IS due to CAD, of whom 68 (30%) received reperfusion treatment. Reperfusion treatments were used less frequently in cases of vertebral artery dissection and more frequently in patients with carotid artery occlusion. Compared to patients with IS due to other causes, patients with CAD were younger, more frequently underwent mechanicalthrombectomy, and less frequently received intravenous fibri nolysis. Rates of haemorrhagic complications, mortality, and independence at 3 months were similar in both groups. Conclusions: Reperfusion therapy is frequently used in patients with IS due to CAD. The outcomes of these patients demonstrate the efficacy and safety of reperfusion treatments, and are comparable to the outcomes of patients with IS due to other aetiologie

CIBERER : Spanish national network for research on rare diseases: A highly productive collaborative initiative

Altres ajuts: Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII); Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación.CIBER (Center for Biomedical Network Research; Centro de Investigación Biomédica En Red) is a public national consortium created in 2006 under the umbrella of the Spanish National Institute of Health Carlos III (ISCIII). This innovative research structure comprises 11 different specific areas dedicated to the main public health priorities in the National Health System. CIBERER, the thematic area of CIBER focused on rare diseases (RDs) currently consists of 75 research groups belonging to universities, research centers, and hospitals of the entire country. CIBERER's mission is to be a center prioritizing and favoring collaboration and cooperation between biomedical and clinical research groups, with special emphasis on the aspects of genetic, molecular, biochemical, and cellular research of RDs. This research is the basis for providing new tools for the diagnosis and therapy of low-prevalence diseases, in line with the International Rare Diseases Research Consortium (IRDiRC) objectives, thus favoring translational research between the scientific environment of the laboratory and the clinical setting of health centers. In this article, we intend to review CIBERER's 15-year journey and summarize the main results obtained in terms of internationalization, scientific production, contributions toward the discovery of new therapies and novel genes associated to diseases, cooperation with patients' associations and many other topics related to RD research