Jerarquía dinámica de esquemas para la generación de comportamiento autónomo

La robótica móvil es una rama importante de la robótica, y persigue la construcción de robots con objetivos, capaces de desenvolverse por sí mismos en entornos desconocidos y parcialmente cambiantes sin necesidad de supervisión. Aunque los avances tecnológicos de los últimos años nos han dado los sensores más precisos, los mejores actuadores y los procesadores más potentes, la manera de combinarlos para generar comportamiento inteligente sigue siendo un problema abierto. La arquitectura conceptual de un robot es la organización de sus capacidades de actuación, percepción y procesamiento para generar un repertorio de comportamientos autónomos. Ella determina las conductas observables que exhibe un robot móvil. La arquitectura que proponemos en esta tesis es la Jerarquía Dinámica de Esquemas, JDE. En ella se concibe el comportamiento autónomo como la imbricación de dos cuestiones diferentes: la percepción y el control. Ambas se cuantizan en unas unidades pequeñas llamadas esquemas. Siguiendo la inspiración de los modelos etológicos JDE propone una colección de esquemas para generar comportamiento, todos ellos funcionando en paralelo y organizados en jerarquía. Este diseño jerárquico concurrente permite generar fenómenos de atención, percibir estímulos complejos y acotar la complejidad de decidir qué hacer en el siguiente instante (selección de acción). Además facilita la reutilización de partes y la escalabilidad del sistema a comportamientos más complejos

Accuracy Analysis of Marker-Based 3D Visual Localization

[Abstract] 3D localization from images is an useful capability for robots and cameras. One successful approach is to rely on visual SLAM techniques. Another approach, maybe more robust, is to use visual markers in the environment. In this paper a study about the accuracy of marker based visual 3D localization is presented, using AprilTags markers and the solvepnp algorithm in OpenCV library. The impact of distance to markers, number of markers, their position in the image on accuracy of the 3D estimated pose is experimentally measured and analyzed.This research has been partially sponsored by the Community of Madrid through the RoboCity2030-III project (S2013/MIT-2748), by the Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad through the SIRMAVED project (DPI2013-40534-R) and by the URJC-BancoSantanderComunidad de Madrid; S2013/MIT-2748https://doi.org/10.17979/spudc.978849749808

Graphical user interface in JDE robots applications

JDE is an ethology inspired architecture for designing applications both in autonomous and teleoperated robots. In this paper we will outline the JDE architecture, present some tools included in the JDE suite and show several examples of different applications built using it. Experiments carried out using this suite will be described and the obtained results discussed. We will make emphasis on the Graphical User Interfaces of the examples, like those in Fig. 1. JDE suite provides a exible way to build such interfaces and controls the execution time devoted to them in the applications. The GUIs provide visual objects to graphically command the actuators and to display the sensor data, like laser, sonar, encoders readings or images from robot cameras. Using them, JDE lets us operate and monitor different mobile robots where monitorization or tele-operation is required. The GUIs also allow the visualization of internal states and structures of the control program, and so they are a useful tool for debugging. JDE suite includes two socket servers (oculo and otos) which provide sensors readings and motor commands. These servers can be used both locally or remotely, which makes them really convenient for tele-operation and tele-supervision. They de ne a standard mes- sage protocol which eases the development of new applications and their portability across dfferent robot platform

Dynamic gridmaps: comparing building techniques

P. 5-22Mobile robots need to represent obstacles in their surroundings, even moving ones, to make right movement decisions. For higher autonomy the robot should automatically build such representation from its sensory input. This paper compares the dynamic character of several gridmap building techniques: probabilistic, fuzzy, theory of evidence and histogramic. Two criteria are defined to rank such dynamism in the representation: time to show a new obstacle and time to show a new hole. The update rules for first three such techniques hold associative property which confers them static character, inconvenient for dynamic environments. Major contribution of this paper is the introduction of two new approaches are presented to improve the perception of mobile obstacles: one uses a differential equation to update the map and another uses majority voting in a limited memory per cell. Their dynamisms are also evaluated and the results presentedS

Dynamic gridmaps: comparing building techniques

Mobile robots need to represent obstacles in their surroundings, even moving ones, to make right movement decisions. For higher autonomy the robot should automatically build such representation from its sensory input. This paper compares the dynamic character of several gridmap building techniques: probabilistic, fuzzy, theory of evidence and histogramic. Two criteria are defined to rank such dynamism in the representation: time to show a new obstacle and time to show a new hole. The update rules for first three such techniques hold associative property which confers them static character, inconvenient for dynamic environments. Major contribution of this paper is the introduction of two new approaches are presented to improve the perception of mobile obstacles: one uses a differential equation to update the map and another uses majority voting in a limited memory per cell. Their dynamisms are also evaluated and the results presented

Comparing Bayesian and Montecarlo localization for a robot with local vision

Position estimation is one of the classic problems in mobile robotics. The goal of this paper is to compare two probabilistic localization methods based on local vision for a mobile robot. The experimental set up is based on the Aibo league of the RoboCup, where the robotic dogs major sensor is the on-board camera. Two localization algorithms, Bayesian and Montecarlo (MCL), have been implemented and compared, and their behaviour studied in several situations using a simulato

Hydrological rehabilitation of neighbourhoodsusing sustainable urban drainage systems.

Este artículo es una síntesis del proyecto de investigación realizado en la Universidad de Sevilla para diseñar un modelo de análisis que permita la comprobación de la viabilidad técnica y socioeconómica de los proyectos de rehabilitación hidrológica de barrios urbanos, mediante la construcción de infraestructuras de drenaje sostenibles. El modelo propuesto presenta novedades significativas con respecto a los empleados tradicionalmente en los sistemas urbanos de drenaje sostenible. En primer lugar, se parte de la base de la realización de análisis previos que permitan comprobar la posibilidad de recuperación del agua de lluvia para que, tras sencillos tratamientos para eliminar sus posibles contaminantes, pueda ser usada en labores urbanas del barrio que no requieren agua de calidad. Además, al plantearse como un proyecto cuyo objetivo es “la rehabilitación hidrológica” de un barrio urbano habitado, se contempla medidas clave para conseguir la interacción con los agentes sociales que intervendrán en la gestión local del ciclo del agua, incluyendo medidas sociales y educativas relacionadas con el uso del agua. La finalidad del modelo es aportar los suficientes datos, tanto relacionados con las características del lugar como con la calidad del agua, para poder diseñar unos Sistemas Urbanos de Drenaje Sostenible que sean adecuadosThis paper summarizes a research project conducted in the University of Seville, in order to design an analysis model that allows the assessment of technical and socio-economic viability of hydrological rehabilitation projects in urban neighbourhoods, through the construction of sustainable drainage infrastructures. The model proposed presents significant developments when compared with the ones traditionally used in sustainable urban drainage systems. On the one hand, the possibility of recovering rainwater with simple treatments, eliminating potential contaminants, has been verified previously, testing water for urban purposes with no quality requirements. Moreover, since the main objective of this project is the “hydrological rehabilitation” of an inhabited neighbourhood, the interaction with social agents is a key factor that must be considered for a more appropriate local management of the water cycle, thus social and educational measurements related to the use of water have been included. The aim of this model is to present sufficient data, both referred to the water quality and hydrological conditions of the neighborhood, in order to design adequate Sustainable Drainage Urban Systems

Control System in Open-Source FPGA for a Self-Balancing Robot

Computing in technological applications is typically performed with software running on general-purpose microprocessors, such as the Computer Processing Unit (CPU), or specific ones, like the Graphical Processing Unit (GPU). Application-Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs) are an interesting option when speed and reliability are required, but development costs are usually high. Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA) combine the flexibility of software with the high-speed operation of hardware, and can keep costs low. The dominant FPGA infrastructure is proprietary, but open tools have greatly improved and are a growing trend, from which robotics can benefit. This paper presents a robotics application that was fully developed using open FPGA tools. An inverted pendulum robot was designed, built, and programmed using open FPGA tools, such as IceStudio and the IceZum Alhambra board, which integrates the iCE40HX4K-TQ144 from Lattice. The perception from an inertial sensor is used in a PD control algorithm that commands two DC motors. All the modules were synthesized in an FPGA as a proof of concept. Its experimental validation shows good behavior and performance.This work was partially funded by the Community of Madrid through the RoboCity2030-III project (S2013/MIT-2748) and by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness through the RETOGAR project (TIN2016-76515-R)