Autonomous Power Distribution Systems,
2014
Michigan Technological University
Autonomous Power Distribution Systems, Barzin Moridian
Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open
Using robotic systems for many missions that require power distribution can decrease the need for human intervention in such missions significantly. For accomplishing this capability a robotic system capable of autonomous navigation, power systems adaptation, and establishing physical connection needs to be developed. This thesis presents developed path planning and navigation algorithms for an autonomous ground power distribution system. In this work, a survey on existing path planning methods along with two developed algorithms by author is presented. One of these algorithms is a simple path planner suitable for implementation on lab-size platforms. A navigation hierarchy is developed for experimental …
Multi-Objective Border Patrolling Optimization Using Game Theory And Evolutionary Algorithms,
2014
University of Texas at El Paso
Multi-Objective Border Patrolling Optimization Using Game Theory And Evolutionary Algorithms, Franciso Oswaldo Aguirre
Open Access Theses & Dissertations
Border security has evolved significantly since the days when no more than 75 Mounted Guards patrolled the U.S. border in the early 1900's. The border region includes thousands of miles of both land and maritime borders that must be controlled, as well as commercial transportation networks. One of the primary components of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency. One of the most typical activities performed by CBP is patrolling the expansive open areas in between official points of entry (POEs) to prohibit illegal entry attempts. Roving patrols are routinely conducted by …
Perception Based Misunderstandings In Human-Computer Dialogues,
2014
Technological University Dublin
Perception Based Misunderstandings In Human-Computer Dialogues, Niels Schütte, John D. Kelleher, Brian Mac Namee
Articles
In a situated dialogue, misunderstandings may arise if the participants perceive or interpret the environment in different ways. In human-computer dialogue this may be due the sensor errors. We present an experiment system and a series of experiments in which we investigate this problem.
Clarification Dialogues For Perception-Based Errors In Situated Human-Computer Dialogues,
2014
Technological University Dublin
Clarification Dialogues For Perception-Based Errors In Situated Human-Computer Dialogues, Niels Schütte, John D. Kelleher, Brian Mac Namee
Conference papers
We present an experiment about situated human-computer interaction. Participants interacted with a simulated robot system to complete a series of tasks in a situated environment. Errors were introduced into the robot's perception to produce misunderstandings. We recorded the interactions and attempt to identify strategies the participants used to solve the arising problems.
Analysis Of A Dual Scissored-Pair,Variable-Speed, Control Moment Gyroscope Driven Spherical Robot,
2014
Wayne State University
Analysis Of A Dual Scissored-Pair,Variable-Speed, Control Moment Gyroscope Driven Spherical Robot, Richard Chase
Wayne State University Dissertations
The objective of this research is to compare barycenter offset based designs of spherical robots to control moment gyroscope (CMG) based designs in order to determine which approach is most effective. The first objective was to develop a list of current state of the art designs in order to gain an overall understanding of what the obstacles in this area of research were. The investigation showed that barycenter offset designs can produce a low, continuous output torque, whereas CMG based designs can usually only produce a high, momentary output torque. The second objective was to develop a CMG based design …
Mobile Sensor Data Mining,
2013
Fordham University
Mobile Sensor Data Mining, Jeff Lockhart Fcrh '13
The Fordham Undergraduate Research Journal
At an ever increasing rate, the smartphones and other devices people carry with them in their everyday lives are packed with sensors and processing power. This provides an unprecedented opportunity to apply data mining techniques to people’s activities as they go about their daily lives, without changing their routine. The goal of the Wireless Sensor Data Mining (WISDM) Project is to explore the possibilities of data mining on these powerful mobile platforms.1 Data mining involves extracting knowledge from data using computer algorithms. A major sensor in these devices is the tri-axial accelerometer originally included for screen rotation and advanced gaming. …
Computer-Based Stereoscopic Parts Recognition For Robotic Applications,
2013
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Computer-Based Stereoscopic Parts Recognition For Robotic Applications, Ahmad A. Fayed
UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones
Most of robotic handling and assembly operations are based on sensors such as range and touch sensors. In certain circumstances, such as in the presence of ionizing radiation where most customary sensors will degrade over time due to radiation exposure, these sensors won't function properly. Utilizing two or more cameras (stereo vision) located outside the target zone and analyzing their images to identify location and dimensions of parts within the robot workspace is an alternative for using sensors. Object Recognition is affected by the light condition which oftentimes causes the gray-scale or red, green, and blue values to have a …
Remote/Autonomous Sentry Gun Platform,
2013
California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo
Remote/Autonomous Sentry Gun Platform, Angelo Gagliardi, Dante Gagliardi
Electrical Engineering
This senior project involves the complete system design and construction of a "Nerf" sentry gun to replace an armed guard. We aimed to develop a compact and highly mobile defense system that allows operational flexibility. The sentry gun can autonomously track and shoot at moving targets, while also allowing a user to remotely access and control the gun via computer. The mobility, hardiness, and functionality of this system allows a reliable replacement for human beings in harsh and hostile environments; ultimately sparing a life.
Getting It Right The First Time: Robot Mission Guarantees In The Presence Of Uncertainty,
2013
Fordham University
Getting It Right The First Time: Robot Mission Guarantees In The Presence Of Uncertainty, Damian M. Lyons, Ronald C. Arkin, Paramesh Nirmal, Shu Jiang, Tsung-Ming Liu, J. Deeb
Faculty Publications
Certain robot missions need to perform predictably in a physical environment that may only be poorly characterized in advance. We have previously developed an approach to establishing performance guarantees for behaviorbased controllers in a process-algebra framework. We extend that work here to include random variables, and we show how our prior results can be used to generate a Dynamic Bayesian Network for the coupled system of program and environment model. Verification is reduced to a filtering problem for this network. Finally, we present validation results that demonstrate the effectiveness of the verification of a multiple waypoint robot mission using this …
Getting It Right The First Time: Robot Mission Guarantees In The Presence Of Uncertainty,
2013
Fordham University
Getting It Right The First Time: Robot Mission Guarantees In The Presence Of Uncertainty, Damian Lyons, Ron Arkin, Paramesh Nirmal, Shu Jiang, Tsung-Ming Liu, Julia Deeb
Faculty Publications
Abstract—Certain robot missions need to perform predictably in a physical environment that may only be poorly characterized in advance. We have previously developed an approach to establishing performance guarantees for behavior-based controllers in a process-algebra framework. We extend that work here to include random variables, and we show how our prior results can be used to generate a Dynamic Bayesian Network for the coupled system of program and environment model. Verification is reduced to a filtering problem for this network. Finally, we present validation results that demonstrate the effectiveness of the verification of a multiple waypoint robot mission using this …
Dexterous Hexrotor Uav Platform,
2013
University of Denver
Dexterous Hexrotor Uav Platform, Guangying Jiang
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Mobile manipulation is a hot area of study in robotics as it unites the two classes of robots: locomotors and manipulators. An emerging niche in the field of mobile manipulation is aerial mobile manipulation. Although there has been a fair amount of study of free-flying satellites with graspers, the more recent trend has been to outfit UAVs with graspers to assist various manipulation tasks. While this recent work has yielded impressive results, it is hampered by a lack of appropriate testbeds for aerial mobile manipulation, similar to the state of ground-based mobile manipulation a decade ago. Typical helicopters or quadrotors …
Development Of Pneumatic Robot For Outreach,
2013
Purdue University
Development Of Pneumatic Robot For Outreach, Eshamogbo E. Ojuba, John Lumkes
The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium
To encourage the current generation of high school and middle school students to pursue careers in engineering, it is important to have challenging hands-on engineering activities for them. Such activities should be interesting, compelling, and, most importantly, educative. A mini-excavator was built for fluid power outreach, but this tool only demonstrates fluid power, without showing other important aspects of engineering. The tool being developed is able to demonstrate fluid power, as well as other important aspects of engineering, such as controls, electronics, and programming. This tool is an electronically-controlled device that allows the user control a pneumatic circuit, coupled with …
Performance Guarantees For C-Wmd Robot Missions,
2013
Georgia Institute of Technology
Performance Guarantees For C-Wmd Robot Missions, Shu Jiang, Ronald C. Arkin, Damian M. Lyons, Tsung-Ming Liu, Dagon Harrington
Faculty Publications
Robotics has been considered as one of the five key technology areas for defense against attacks with weapons of mass destruction (WMD). However, due to the mass impact nature of WMD, failures of counter-WMD (C-WMD) missions can have catastrophic consequences.To ensure robot's success in carrying out C-WMD missions, we have developed a novel verification framework in providing performance guarantees for behavior-based and probabilistic robot algorithms in complex real-world environments. This paper describes the system architecture and discusses how the verification framework can be used to provide pre-mission performance guarantees for robots in executing C-WMD missions.
Reasoning Across Language And Vision In Machines And Humans,
2013
Purdue University
Reasoning Across Language And Vision In Machines And Humans, Andrei Barbu
Open Access Dissertations
Humans not only outperform AI and computer-vision systems, but use an unknown computational mechanism to perform tasks for which no suitable approaches exist. I present work investigating both novel tasks and how humans approach them in the context of computer vision and linguistics. I demonstrate a system which, like children, acquires high-level linguistic knowledge about the world. Robots learn to play physically-instantiated board games and use that knowledge to engage in physical play. To further integrate language and vision I develop an approach which produces rich sentential descriptions of events depicted in videos. I then show how to simultaneously detect …
Hypothesize-And-Verify Based Solutions For Place Recognition And Mobile Robot Self-Localization In Interior Hallways,
2013
Purdue University
Hypothesize-And-Verify Based Solutions For Place Recognition And Mobile Robot Self-Localization In Interior Hallways, Khalil Mustafa Ahmad Yousef
Open Access Dissertations
There is much research interest currently in having mobile robots build accurate and visually dense models ofinterior space as they traverse through such spaces. One of the interesting problems that has came out of this research is that of visual place recognition and self-localization. This is the problem that forms the focus of the present dissertation. We show how dense and accurate 3D models of the interior space can be constructed using a hierarchical sensor-fusion architecture. Our system fuses images from a single photometric camera with range data from a laser scanning sensor. The range data used is rudimentary--the range …
Continuum Robotic Surface: Forward Kinematic Analysis And Implementation,
2013
Clemson University
Continuum Robotic Surface: Forward Kinematic Analysis And Implementation, Jessica Merino
All Theses
This thesis presents a new class of biologically inspired robots: continuum robotic surfaces. This work is fueled by the question: can the interaction between robot and environment be advanced with “programmable surfaces in space?” The novelty of continuum robotic surfaces lies in their ability to be actively controlled and reconfigured in what we believe is the current “missing dimension” in robot movements — two–dimensional space. We believe that such surfaces will lend themselves to more complex applications. However, to effectively deploy such surfaces for these complex applications, kinematic models will be necessary to plan and control desired configurations. The forward …
Modeling, Control, And Motion Analysis Of A Class Of Extensible Continuum Manipulators,
2013
Clemson University
Modeling, Control, And Motion Analysis Of A Class Of Extensible Continuum Manipulators, Apoorva Kapadia
All Dissertations
In this dissertation, the development of a kinematic model, a configuration-space controller, a master-slave teleoperation controller, along with the analysis of the self-motion properties for redundant, extensible, continuous backbone (continuum) ``trunk and tentacle' manipulators are detailed. Unlike conventional rigid-link robots, continuum manipulators are robots that can bend at any point along their backbone, resulting in new and unique modeling and control issues. Taken together, these chapters represent one of the first efforts towards devising model-based controllers of such robots, as well as characterizing their self-motion in its simplest form.
Chapter 2 describes the development of a convenient set of generalized, …
Decentralized Collision Avoidance,
2013
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Decentralized Collision Avoidance, Jayasri K. Janardanan
School of Computing: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research
Autonomous Robots must carry out their tasks as independently as possible and each robot may be assigned different tasks at different locations. As these tasks are being performed, the robots have to navigate correctly such that the assigned tasks are completed efficiently, while also avoiding each other and other obstacles. To accomplish effective navigation, we must ensure that the robots are calibrated to avoid colliding with any kind of object on its path. Each robot has to sense the obstacles on its path and take necessary corrective measure to avoid those obstacles. In a situation with multiple robots, robots may …
Mobile Robot Navigation For Person Following In Indoor Environments,
2013
Clemson University
Mobile Robot Navigation For Person Following In Indoor Environments, Ninad Pradhan
All Dissertations
Service robotics is a rapidly growing area of interest in robotics research. Service robots inhabit human-populated environments and carry out specific tasks. The goal of this dissertation is to develop a service robot capable of following a human leader around populated indoor environments. A classification system for person followers is proposed such that it clearly defines the expected interaction between the leader and the robotic follower. In populated environments, the robot needs to be able to detect and identify its leader and track the leader through occlusions, a common characteristic of populated spaces. An appearance-based person descriptor, which augments the …
Verifying Performance For Autonomous Robot Missions With Uncertainty,
2013
Fordham University
Verifying Performance For Autonomous Robot Missions With Uncertainty, Damian M. Lyons, Ronald Arkin, Tsung-Ming Liu, Shu Jiang, Paramesh Nirmal
Faculty Publications
Establishing performance guarantees for robot missions is especially important for C-WMD applications. Software verification techniques, such as model checking (Clark 1999, Jhala & Majumdar 2009), can be applied to robotic applications but characteristics of this application area, including addition of a robot environment model and handling continuous spatial location well, exacerbate state explosion, a key weakness of these methods. We have proposed an approach to verifying robot missions that shifts the focus from state-based analysis onto the solution of a set of flow equations (Lyons et al. 2012). The key novelty introduced in this paper is a probabilistic spatial representation …
