Cartesian impedance control of dexterous robot hand

Presents a novel compliant motion control for a robot hand using the Cartesian impedance approach based on fingertip force measurements. The fingertip can accurately track desired motion in free space and appear as mechanical impedance in constrained space. In the position based impedance control strategy, any switching mode in contact transition phase is not needed. The impedance parameters can be adjusted in a certain range according to various tasks. In this paper, the analysis of the finger’s kinematics and dynamics is given. Experimental results have shown the effectiveness of this control strategy.

Adaptive genetic algorithm for path planning of loosely coordinated multi-robot manipulators

Adaptive genetic algorithm A SA GA, a novel algorithm, which can dynamically modify the parameters of Genetic Algorithms in terms of simulated annealing mechanism, is proposed for path planning of loosely coordinated multi robot manipulators. Over the task space of a multi robot, a strategy of decoupled planning is also applied to the evolutionary process, which enables a multi robot to avoid falling into deadlock and calculating of composite C space. Finally, two representative tests are given to validate A SA GA and the strategy of decoupled planning.

Fuzzy reasoning model using fuzzy Petri Nets for the monitoring of robotic assembly

This paper presented a fuzzy Petri net model to deal with the monitoring of robotic assembly. Based on the fuzzy Petri net model, an efficient composite reasoning mode was proposed to perform fuzzy reasoning automatiealy. It can determine whether there exists an antecedent-consequence relationship between two contact states. Furthermore, various types of sensor signals can be converted to the same form of real values between zero and one, and the contradiction among large number, high degree of truth and importance of input conditions can be resolved very well by introducing the weight factors and priorities for sensor signals. Finally, a peg- in-the-hole example was given to illustrate the reasonability and feasibility of the proposed model.

Internet based design of distributed virtual environment for multi-robot teleoperation

Studies the design of distributed virtual environments （DVEs） for tele-multi-robotics. The proposed design, incorporating two models （ distributlon-supported model and VE-supported model）, attempts to represent common functionality, communication issues, and requirements found in multi-operator DVEs. The distribution-supported model concentrates on the introduction of computer-supported collaborative work （CSCW） to realize the coordination of multi-operators, while the VE-supported model concentrates on the utilization of an object-oriented approach to strengthen the expandability and robustness of the system. Finally, the configuration anti running environments of the system are given.

Safety architecture of internet based multi-robot teleoperation system

Safety subsystem is one of the important parts in robot teleoperation system. In this paper, a safety architecture of safety subsystem in Internet based multi-operator-multi-robot (MOMR) teleoperation system is presented. The subsystem is divided into three layers in its logic architecture: interactive monitor layer, collaborative control layer and real-time control layer. The safety problems and the related strategy are clarified by detailed analysis of each layer and relationship among the layers. So we can obtain a high performance MOMR teleoperation system with multi-layer safety architecture.

Application of Artificial Neural Network in Robotic Hybrid Position/Force Control

A hybrid position/force controller is designed for the joint 2 and the joint 3 of thePUMA 560 robot.The hybrid controller includes a multilayered neural network,which canidentify the dynamics of the contacted environment and can optimize the parameters of PIDcontroller.The experimental results show that after having been trained,the robot has sta-ble response to the training patterns and strong adaptive ability to the situation between thepatterns.

Experimental study of Internet telerobotics based on virtual guides

For the virtual environment (VE) to control remote robots through Internet, this paper proposes an operational idea based on virtual guides (VGs). The VGs consist of three types, line VG, plane VG, and body VG, which can greatly enhance the safety and flexibility of the man-machine system. Through the analysis of several common cases, the idea of the VGs are first introduced and described. Second, detailed descriptions of the three VGs are given, and then a uniform representation of all VGs is given. Finally, a typical experiment is designed and implemented according to the modes of video feedback, video&VE feedback, and video&VE&VG feedback. Experimental results show that the operation based on VEs and VGs have significant advantages over that based on video feedback, and VGs can greatly improve the ability of the VE to control remote robots, thus obtaining high and efficient man-machine cooperation.

Obstacle detection of mobile robot based on data fusion

To study the problem of obstacle detection based on multi-sensors data fusion,the multi-target tracking theory and techniques are introduced into obstacle detection systems,and the exact position of obstacle can be determined.Data fusion problems are discussed directly based on achievable data from some sensors without considering the specific structure of each individual sensor.With respect to normal linear systems and nonlinear systems,the corresponding algorithms are proposed.The validity of the method is confirmed by simulation results.

Two-grade search mechanism based motion planning of a three-limbed robot

A novel three-limbed robot was described and its motion planning method was discussed.After theintroduction of the robot mechanical structure and the human-robot interface,a two-grade search mecha-nism based motion planning method was proposed.The first-grade search method using genetic algorithmtries to find an optimized target position and orientation of the three-limbed robot.The second-gradesearch method using virtual compliance tries to avoid the collision between the three-limbed robot and ob-stacles in a dynamic environment.Experiment shows the feasibility of the two-grade search mechanismand proves that the proposed motion planning method can be used to solve the motion planning problem ofthe redundant three-limbed robot without deficiencies of traditional genetic algorithm.

Key Problems in Microforming Processes of Microparts

From the viewpoint of production engineering, microforming is considered as an effective process to fabricate various microparts. Several key problems in microforming processes were investigated. A new microforming apparatus with a high stiffness piezoelectric actuator as the punch driver was developed to produce microparts.To improve the forming abilities and locate the billets, a floating microdie was designed. The size effects of the billets and die cavities on the microforming abilities were studied with upsetting and coining tests, respectively.And the isothermal microforming process of microgears was performed with the developed microforming apparatus. Several analysis methods were used to evaluate the forming quality of the microparts.

Collision avoidance planning in multi-robot system based on improved artificial potential field and rules

For real-time and distributed features of multi-robot system,the strategy of combining the improved artificial potential field method and the rules based on priority is proposed to study the collision avoidance planning in multi-robot systems. The improved artificial potential field based on simulated annealing algorithm satisfactorily overcomes the drawbacks of traditional artificial potential field method,so that robots can find a local collision-free path in the complex environment. According to the movement vector trail of robots,collisions between robots can be detected,thereby the collision avoidance rules can be obtained. Coordination between robots by the priority based rules improves the real-time property of multi-robot system. The combination of these two methods can help a robot to find a collision-free path from a starting point to the goal quickly in an environment with many obstacles. The feasibility of the proposed method is validated in the VC-based simulated environment.

HIT anthropomorphic robotic hand and finger motion control

Nowadays many anthropomorphic robotic hands have been put forward. These hands emphasize different aspects according to their applications. HIT Anthropomorphic Robotic Hand (ARhand) is a simple, lightweight and dexterous design per the requirements of anthropomorphic robots. Underactuated self-adaptive theory is adopted to decrease the number of motors and weight. The fingers of HIT ARhand with multi phalanges have the same size as those of an adult hand. Force control is realized with the position sensor, joint torque sensor and fingertip torque sensor. From the 3D model, the whole hand, with the low power consumption DSP control board integrated in it, will weigh only 500 g. It will be assembled on a BIT-Anthropomorphic Robot.

A robotic tele-drill system over network using predictive display

Based on a robotic telesurgery system whose function is to liberate doctor from X-ray radiation, a robotic tele-drill system is constructed. The system is in client/server structure. Client part includes main control interface, video-audio interface and predictive display interface. Server part includes robot control server and video, audio server. For applying to teleoperation, a virtual reality environment of the system developed by using Java, Java 3D, Pro/E, etc. is established. The geometry and kinematics model of serial robot MOTOMAN sv3x, parallel robot, C-type arm and X-ray machine, surgery bed and its work environment are fulfilled in it. Simulation engine and its simulation syntax are finished, which made the environment controllable. This environment is used as predictive display interface in the telerobotics in order to tackling the problem in visualization feedback as ambiguous or time delay. Experiments that verified feasibility of the system have been done.

A gait planning method applied to hexapod biomimetic robot locomotion

In order to fulfill the goal of autonomous walking on rough terrain,a distributed gait planningmethod applied to hexapod biomimetic robot locomotion is proposed based on the research effort of gait co-ordination mechanism of stick insect.The mathematical relation of walking velocity and gait pattern wasdepicted,a set of local rules operating between adjacent legs were put forward,and a distributed networkof local rules for gait control was constructed.With the interaction of adjacent legs,adaptive adjustmentof phase sequence fluctuation of walking legs resulting from change of terrain conditions or variety of walk-ing speed was implemented to generate statically stable gait.In the simulation experiments,adaptive ad-justment of inter-leg phase sequence and smooth transition of velocity and gait pattern were realized,andstatic stableness was ensured simultaneously,which provided the hexapod robot with the capability ofwalking on rough terrain stably and expeditiously.

Multibaseline stereo with active illumination and its application in robot welding

Object positioning and 3D modeling is not only a promising research direction in robot welding, but also an emphasis research field of machine vision. For objects lacking of textures on its surface, such as welding part, problem of 3D modeling of this kind of object can not be settled by traditional binocular stereo vision. In this paper, an approach to the problem is presented. A multibaseline stereo vision system with four verging configured cameras is proposed. Experiments show that we can get dense data points by the method, the results of surface reconstruction of objects with no matching texture on its surface is good. Experiment results confirmed that the method is valid in solving the problem of 3D surface reconstruction of objects lacking of matching texture.

Collaborative task planning for an internet based multi-operator multi-robot system

In an Internet based multi-operator and multi-robot system (IMOMR), operators have to work collaboratively to overcome the constraints of space and time. Inherently, the activities among them can be defined as a computer-supported cooperative work (CSCW). As a practical application of CSCW, a collaborative task planning system (CTPS) for IMOMR is proposed in this paper on the basis of Petri nets. Its definition, components design, and concrete implementation are given in detail, respectively. As a result, a clear collaboration mechanism of multiple operators in an IMOMR is obtained to guarantee their task planning.

Discrete-event modeling for internet multi-robotics

Internet multi-robotics is a typical discrete-event system. In order to describe joint activities between multiple operators and multiple robots, a 4-level discrete-event model is proposed in this paper based on the controlled condition/event Petri nets (CCEP). On the first or mission level, the task splitting of the system is defined; on the second or multi-operator level, a precedence graph is introduced for every operator to plan his or her robotic actions; on the third or coordination level, the above precedence graphs are translated and integrated into the corresponding CCEPs in terms of specific rules; and on the last or multi-robot level, operators can select their control range by setting the corresponding control marks of the obtained CCEPs. As a consequence, a clear mechanism of operator-robot collaboration is obtained to conduct the development of the system.

A Wall Climbing Robot with Two Driven Wheels

A wall climbing robot with two driven wheels and single adhering disk is introduced in this paper. The robot has a compact structure and can be controlled flexibly. This kind of robot will have a wide prospect for application.

Study on algorithm of dynamic uncalibrated eye-in-hand visual servoing system

Currently, most visual servoing system must be calibrated, while it is impossible to calibrate cameras and robot models precisely in industrial practice, so a novel dynamic uncalibrated eye-in-hand visual servoing system of tracking a moving target is proposed. The method does not require calibration of camera and robot kinematic models. Vision guided algorithm for tracking dynamic image is developed through minimizing nonlinear objective function. For the large residual has not been approximated in dynamic environment and the change of composite image Jacobian with time increment has not been computed in visual servoing system now,large residuals are dynamic approximated and the change of composite image Jacobian at each iterative step is computed. Simulation results demonstrate the validity of these approaches.

An object oriented multi-robotic graphic simulation environment for programming the welding tasks

An object oriented multi robotic graphic simulation environment is described in this paper. Object oriented programming is used to model the physical objects of the robotic workcell in the form of software objects or classes. The virtual objects are defined to provide the user with a user friendly interface including realistic graphic simulation and clarify the software architecture. The programming method of associating the task object with active object effectively increases the software reusability, maintainability and modifiability. Task level programming is also demonstrated through a multi robot welding task that allows the user to concentrate on the most important aspects of the tasks. The multi thread programming technique is used to simulate the interaction of multiple tasks. Finally, a virtual test is carried out in the graphic simulation environment to observe design and program errors and fix them before downloading the software to the real workcell.