Haptic-Guided Shared Control Grasping for Collision-Free Manipulation

We propose a haptic-guided shared control system that provides an operator with force cues during reach-to-grasp phase of tele-manipulation. The force cues inform the operator of grasping configuration which allows collision-free autonomous post-grasp movements. Previous studies showed haptic guided shared control significantly reduces the complexities of the teleoperation. We propose two architectures of shared control in which the operator is informed about (1) the local gradient of the collision cost, and (2) the grasping configuration suitable for collision-free movements of an aimed pick-and-place task. We demonstrate the efficiency of our proposed shared control systems by a series of experiments with Franka Emika robot. Our experimental results illustrate our shared control systems successfully inform the operator of predicted collisions between the robot and an obstacle in the robot's workspace. We learned that informing the operator of the global information about the grasping configuration associated with minimum collision cost of post-grasp movements results in a reach-to-grasp time much shorter than the case in which the operator is informed about the local-gradient information of the collision cost

Selecting sites to prove the concept of IAR4D in the Lake Kivu Pilot Learning Site

Selecting sites is an essential step in enabling the assessment of the impact of Integrated Agricultural Research for Development (IAR4D) in the Lake Kivu Pilot Learning Site. This paper reports on the process of identifying distinct administrative territories (sites) in which to establish innovation platforms and to monitor similar communities that are experiencing alternative agricultural research for development interventions. We show how the research design for the Sub- Saharan Africa Challenge Programme (SSACP) has been modified to take into account the key conditioning factors of the LKPLS without relinquishing robustness. A key change is the explicit incorporation of accessibility to multiple markets. Candidate sites were stratified according to the national political context, followed by good and poor accessibility to markets and finally according to security considerations and agro-ecology. Randomisation was carried out at all levels, although the need for paired counterfactual sites required the diagnosis of conditioning factors at the site level. Potential sites were characterised in terms of existing or recent agricultural research initiatives, as well as local factors that would have a direct effect on the success of interventions seeking to improve productivity, ameliorate the degradation of natural resources and enhance incomes through better links to markets. Fourteen sites were selected during the initial phase, and a further ten sites were added one year afterwards due to the need for more innovation platforms to test IAR4D. The site selection was successful in pairing action and counterfactual sites in terms of the baseline socioeconomic conditions of farming households. The unavoidable proximity of action and counterfactual sites, however, allows the possibility of spill-over effects and could reduce the measurable impact of IAR4D