Engineering Commons^™

Integrating Mathematics And Educational Robotics: Simple Motion Planning, Ronald I. Greenberg, George K. Thiruvathukal, Sara T. Greenberg

George K. Thiruvathukal

This paper shows how students can be guided to integrate elementary mathematical analyses with motion planning for typical educational robots. Rather than using calculus as in comprehensive works on motion planning, we show students can achieve interesting results using just simple linear regression tools and trigonometric analyses. Experiments with one robotics platform show that use of these tools can lead to passable navigation through dead reckoning even if students have limited experience with use of sensors, programming, and mathematics.

Work In Progress: Teaching Game Design And Robotics Together: A Natural Marriage Of Computing And Engineering Design In A First-Year Engineering Course, Adam R. Carberry, Ashish Amresh

Ashish Amresh

The increased dependence on computer programming in engineering has made it essential for engineering students to learn about programming throughout their undergraduate education. In the same vein, computing students benefit when given an opportunity to learn more about engineering design and systematic thinking. This paper discusses how one college embedded computing and engineering into a combined first-year introductory course. The course fuses computing and engineering using game design and robotics as an offering for both cohorts of students to work together in a multidisciplinary environment. Over the course of the semester, students learn introductory computing and engineering design concepts by …

Pythagorean Combinations For Lego Robot Building., Ronald I. Greenberg

Ronald Greenberg

This paper provides tips for LEGO robot construction involving bracing or gear meshing along a diagonal using standard Botball kits.

Pythagorean Approximations For Lego: Merging Educational Robot Construction With Programming And Data Analysis, Ronald I. Greenberg

Ronald Greenberg

Abstract. This paper can be used in two ways. It can provide reference information for incorporating diagonal elements (for bracing or gear meshing) in educational robots built from standard LEGO kits. Alternatively, it can be used as the basis for an assignment for high school or college students to recreate this information; in the process, students will exercise skills in both computer programming and data analysis. Using the paper in the second way can be an excellent integrative experience to add to an existing course; for example, the Exploring Computer Science high school curriculum concludes with the units “Introduction to …

Swarm Engineering, S. Kazadi '90

Sanza Kazadi

Swarm engineering is the natural evolution of the use of swarm-based techniques in the accomplishment of high level tasks using a number of simple robots. In this approach, one seeks not to generate a class of behaviors designed to accomplish a given global goal, as is the approach typically found in mainstream robotics. Once the class of behaviors has been understood and decided upon, specific behaviors designed to accomplish this goal may be generated that will complete the desired task without any concern about whether or not the final goal will actually be completed. As long as the generated behaviors …

Mira V: An Integrated System For Minimally Invasive Robot-Assisted Lung Brachytherapy, A. Trejos, A. Lin, S. Mohan, H. Bassan, C. Edirisinghe, R. Patel, C. Lewis, E. Yu, A. Fenster, R. Malthaner

Richard A. Malthaner

An integrated system for minimally invasive robot-assisted image-guided lung brachytherapy has been developed. The system incorporates an experimental setup for accurate radioactive seed placement with commercially available dosimetry planning software. The end result is a complete system that allows planning and executing a brachytherapy procedure with increased accuracy. The results of the in vitro seed placement evaluation show that seed misplacement has a significant effect on the volume receiving more than 200% of the dose (V200), and the minimum dosage received by 90% of the volume (D90).

Mira V: An Integrated System For Minimally Invasive Robot-Assisted Lung Brachytherapy, A. Trejos, A. Lin, S. Mohan, H. Bassan, C. Edirisinghe, R. Patel, C. Lewis, E. Yu, A. Fenster, R. Malthaner

Richard A. Malthaner

An integrated system for minimally invasive robot-assisted image-guided lung brachytherapy has been developed. The system incorporates an experimental setup for accurate radioactive seed placement with commercially available dosimetry planning software. The end result is a complete system that allows planning and executing a brachytherapy procedure with increased accuracy. The results of the in vitro seed placement evaluation show that seed misplacement has a significant effect on the volume receiving more than 200% of the dose (V200), and the minimum dosage received by 90% of the volume (D90).

Direction Of Slip Detection For A Biomimetic Tactile Sensor, Erik Engeberg, Morteza Vatani, Jae-Won Choi

Dr. Jae-Won Choi

A biomimetic tactile sensor (BTS) is developed from strips of electrically conductive carbon nanotubes (CNTs) mixed in a polymer matrix that is embedded within a flexible polyurethane shell. The mechanical compliance of the BTS is similar to the human fingertip. Experiments are performed which show that the BTS can be used to detect slip and the direction that slip occurs by examining the relative timing among force signals from adjacent strips of CNTs and the frequency content of the force signals. The BTS can also detect forces applied at distinct points on the surface of the BTS.

Design And Validation Of A Mr-Compatible Pneumatic Manipulandum, Aaron J. Suminski, Janice L. Zimbelman, Robert A. Scheidt

Robert Scheidt

The combination of functional MR imaging and novel robotic tools may provide unique opportunities to probe the neural systems underlying motor control and learning. Here, we describe the design and validation of a MR-compatible, 1 degree-of-freedom pneumatic manipulandum along with experiments demonstrating its safety and efficacy. We first validated the robot's ability to apply computer-controlled loads about the wrist, demonstrating that it possesses sufficient bandwidth to simulate torsional spring-like loads during point-to-point flexion movements. Next, we verified the MR-compatibility of the device by imaging a head phantom during robot operation. We observed no systematic differences in two measures of MRI …

Optimizing The Robot Arm Movement Time Using Virtual Reality Robotic Teaching System

Faculty of Engineering University of Malaya

Robots play an important role in performing operations such as welding, drilling and screwing parts in manufacturing. Optimizing the robot arm movement time between different points is an important task which will minimize the make-span and maximize the production rate. But robot programming is a complex task whereby the user needs to teach and control the robot in order to perform a desired action. In order to address the above problem, an integrated 3-dimensional (3D) simulation software and virtual reality (VR) system is developed to simplify and speed up tasks and therefore enhance the quality of manufacturing processes. This system …

Extracting Depth Information From Stereo Vision System, Using A Correlation And A Feature Based Methods, Mahmoud Abdelhamid

Mahmoud M Abdelhamid

This thesis presents a new method to extract depth information from stereo-vision acquisitions using a feature and a correlation based approaches. The main implementation of the proposed method is in the area of Autonomous Pick & Place, using a robotic manipulator. Current vision-guided robotics are still based on a priori training and teaching steps, and still suffer from long response time. The study uses a stereo triangulation setup where two Charged Coupled Devices CCDs are arranged to acquire the scene from two different perspectives. The study discusses the details of two methods to calculate the depth; firstly a correlation matching …

Carbon Nanotube-Based Synthetic Gecko Tapes, Liehui Ge, Sunny Sethi, Lijie Ci, Pulickel Ajayan, Ali Dhinojwala

Ali Dhinojwala

We have developed a synthetic gecko tape by transferring micropatterned carbon nanotube arrays onto flexible polymer tape based on the hierarchical structure found on the foot of a gecko lizard. The gecko tape can support a shear stress (36 N/cm2) nearly four times higher than the gecko foot and sticks to a variety of surfaces, including Teflon. Both the micrometer-size setae (replicated by nanotube bundles) and nanometer-size spatulas (individual nanotubes) are necessary to achieve macroscopic shear adhesion and to translate the weak van der Waals interactions into high shear forces. We have demonstrated for the first time a macroscopic flexible …

Distributed Tactical Surveillance With Atvs, John M. Dolan, Ashitey Trebi-Ollennu, Alvaro Soto, Pradeep K. Khosla

Pradeep K Khosla

In Carnegie Mellon University's CyberScout project, we are developing mobile robotic technologies that will extend the sphere of awareness and mobility of small military units while exploring issues of command and control, task decomposition, multi-agent collaboration, e±cient perception algorithms, and sensor fusion. This paper describes our work on robotic all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), one of several platforms within CyberScout. We have retrofitted two Polaris ATVs as mobile robotic surveillance and reconnaissance platforms. We describe the computing, sensing, and actuation infrastructure of these platforms, their current capabilities, and future research and applications.

Motion Capture In Robotics Review, Matthew Field, David A. Stirling, Fazel Naghdy, Zengxi Pan

zengxi pan

This survey reviews motion capture technologies and the current challenges associated with their application in robotic systems. Various sensor systems used in current literature are introduced and evaluated based on the relative strengths and weaknesses. Some research problems pursued with these sensors in robotics are reviewed and application areas are discussed. Significant methodologies in analysing the sensor data are discussed and evaluated based on the perceived benefits and limitations. Finally, results from experimentation with an inertial motion capture system are shown based on clustering and segmentation techniques.

Human Motion Capture Sensors And Analysis In Robotics, Matthew Field, Zengxi Pan, David Stirling, Fazel Naghdy

zengxi pan

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a review of various motion capture technologies and discuss the methods for handling the captured data in applications related to robotics. Design/methodology/approach – The approach taken in the paper is to compare the features and limitations of motion trackers in common use. After introducing the technology, a summary is given of robotic-related work undertaken with the sensors and the strengths of different approaches in handling the data are discussed. Each comparison is presented in a table. Results from the author's experimentation with an inertial motion capture system are discussed based …

Motion Capture In Robotics Review, Matthew Field, David A. Stirling, Fazel Naghdy, Zengxi Pan

Dr David Stirling

This survey reviews motion capture technologies and the current challenges associated with their application in robotic systems. Various sensor systems used in current literature are introduced and evaluated based on the relative strengths and weaknesses. Some research problems pursued with these sensors in robotics are reviewed and application areas are discussed. Significant methodologies in analysing the sensor data are discussed and evaluated based on the perceived benefits and limitations. Finally, results from experimentation with an inertial motion capture system are shown based on clustering and segmentation techniques.

Software And System Health Management For Autonomous Robotics Missions, Johann Schumann, Timmy Mbaya, Ole J. Mengshoel

Ole J Mengshoel

Advanced autonomous robotics space missions rely heavily on the flawless interaction of complex hardware, multiple sensors, and a mission-critical software system. This software system consists of an operating system, device drivers, controllers, and executives; recently highly complex AI-based autonomy software have also been introduced. Prior to launch, this software has to undergo rigorous verification and validation (V&V). Nevertheless, dormant software bugs, failing sensors, unexpected hardware-software interactions, and unanticipated environmental conditions—likely on a space exploration mission—can cause major software faults that can endanger the entire mission.

Our Integrated Software Health Management (ISWHM) system continuously monitors the hardware sensors and the software …

Depth Maps Generation Through Thresholding In A Robotics System, H Shi, Christopher Cook

Christopher Cook

The project described in this paper aims to develop a simple but efficient method for mapping the depth of an object used in an industrial application. In order to produce the depth and cross-sectional images of an object the intensity threshold for converting the grey image to a binary image is varied. This operation will not produce a satisfactory result when the object is observed in air. The result will be however significantly different when the object is located in a colour liquid. Since the refraction of the light in the liquid varies with the depth, the intensity of the …

Robotics Assembly Of Electronic Components On To Pcbs, Christopher Cook

Christopher Cook

No abstract provided.

A Monocular Approach To 3-D Information In A Robotics System, H Shi, Fazel Naghdy, Christopher Cook

Christopher Cook

No abstract provided.

The Dynamics Of Legged Locomotion: Models, Analyses, And Challenges, Philip Holmes, Robert J. Full, Daniel E. Koditschek, John Guckenheimer

Daniel E Koditschek

Cheetahs and beetles run, dolphins and salmon swim, and bees and birds fly with grace and economy surpassing our technology. Evolution has shaped the breathtaking abilities of animals, leaving us the challenge of reconstructing their targets of control and mechanisms of dexterity. In this review we explore a corner of this fascinating world. We describe mathematical models for legged animal locomotion, focusing on rapidly running insects and highlighting past achievements and challenges that remain. Newtonian body–limb dynamics are most naturally formulated as piecewise-holonomic rigid body mechanical systems, whose constraints change as legs touch down or lift off. Central pattern generators …

Adaptive Algorithms For Coverage Control And Space Partitioning In Mobile Robotic Networks, Jerome Le Ny, George J. Pappas

George J. Pappas

We consider deployment problems where a mobile robotic network must optimize its configuration in a distributed way in order to minimize a steady-state cost function that depends on the spatial distribution of certain probabilistic events of interest. Three classes of problems are discussed in detail: coverage control problems, spatial partitioning problems, and dynamic vehicle routing problems. Moreover, we assume that the event distribution is a priori unknown, and can only be progressively inferred from the observation of the location of the actual event occurrences. For each problem we present distributed stochastic gradient algorithms that optimize the performance objective. The stochastic …

Adaptive Robot Deployment Algorithms, Jerome Le Ny, George J. Pappas

George J. Pappas

In robot deployment problems, the fundamental issue is to optimize a steady state performance measure that depends on the spatial configuration of a group of robots. For static deployment problems, a classical way of designing high- level feedback motion planners is to implement a gradient descent scheme on a suitably chosen objective function. This can lead to computationally expensive deployment algorithms that may not be adaptive to uncertain dynamic environments. We address this challenge by showing that algorithms for a variety of deployment scenarios in stochastic environments and with noisy sensor measurements can be designed as stochastic gradient descent algorithms, …

Adaptive Algorithms For Coverage Control And Space Partitioning In Mobile Robotic Networks, Jerome Le Ny, George J. Pappas

George J. Pappas

We consider deployment problems where a mobile robotic network must optimize its configuration in a distributed way in order to minimize a steady-state cost function that depends on the spatial distribution of certain probabilistic events of interest. Three classes of problems are discussed in detail: coverage control problems, spatial partitioning problems, and dynamic vehicle routing problems. Moreover, we assume that the event distribution is a priori unknown, and can only be progressively inferred from the observation of the location of the actual event occurrences. For each problem we present distributed stochastic gradient algorithms that optimize the performance objective. The stochastic …

Adaptive Robot Deployment Algorithms, Jerome Le Ny, George J. Pappas

George J. Pappas

In robot deployment problems, the fundamental issue is to optimize a steady state performance measure that depends on the spatial configuration of a group of robots. For static deployment problems, a classical way of designing high- level feedback motion planners is to implement a gradient descent scheme on a suitably chosen objective function. This can lead to computationally expensive deployment algorithms that may not be adaptive to uncertain dynamic environments. We address this challenge by showing that algorithms for a variety of deployment scenarios in stochastic environments and with noisy sensor measurements can be designed as stochastic gradient descent algorithms, …

Adaptive Algorithms For Coverage Control And Space Partitioning In Mobile Robotic Networks, Jerome Le Ny, George J. Pappas

George J. Pappas

We consider deployment problems where a mobile robotic network must optimize its configuration in a distributed way in order to minimize a steady-state cost function that depends on the spatial distribution of certain probabilistic events of interest. Three classes of problems are discussed in detail: coverage control problems, spatial partitioning problems, and dynamic vehicle routing problems. Moreover, we assume that the event distribution is a priori unknown, and can only be progressively inferred from the observation of the location of the actual event occurrences. For each problem we present distributed stochastic gradient algorithms that optimize the performance objective. The stochastic …

Adaptive Robot Deployment Algorithms, Jerome Le Ny, George J. Pappas

George J. Pappas

In robot deployment problems, the fundamental issue is to optimize a steady state performance measure that depends on the spatial configuration of a group of robots. For static deployment problems, a classical way of designing high- level feedback motion planners is to implement a gradient descent scheme on a suitably chosen objective function. This can lead to computationally expensive deployment algorithms that may not be adaptive to uncertain dynamic environments. We address this challenge by showing that algorithms for a variety of deployment scenarios in stochastic environments and with noisy sensor measurements can be designed as stochastic gradient descent algorithms, …

Motion Capture In Robotics Review, Matthew Field, David A. Stirling, Fazel Naghdy, Zengxi Pan

Professor Fazel Naghdy

This survey reviews motion capture technologies and the current challenges associated with their application in robotic systems. Various sensor systems used in current literature are introduced and evaluated based on the relative strengths and weaknesses. Some research problems pursued with these sensors in robotics are reviewed and application areas are discussed. Significant methodologies in analysing the sensor data are discussed and evaluated based on the perceived benefits and limitations. Finally, results from experimentation with an inertial motion capture system are shown based on clustering and segmentation techniques.

Imirok: Real-Time Imitative Robotic Arm Control For Home Robot Applications, Heng-Tze Cheng, Zheng Sun, Pei Zhang

Zheng Sun

Training home robots to behave like human can help people with their daily chores and repetitive tasks. In this paper, we present Imirok, a system to remotely control robotic arms by user motion using low-cost, off-the-shelf mobile devices and webcam. The motion tracking algorithm detects user motion in real-time, without classifier training or predefined action set. Experimental results show that the system achieves 90% precision and recall rate on motion detection with blank background, and is robust under the change of cluttered background and user-to-camera distance.

A Genetic Algorithm Approach To End-Of-Life Disassembly Sequencing For Robotic Disassembly, Ahmed Elsayed, Elif Kongar, Surendra M. Gupta

Surendra M. Gupta

End-of-life (EOL) processing options include reuse, remanufacturing, recycling and proper disposal. In almost all cases, a certain level of disassembly may be required due to possible changes in the original product structure. Thus, finding an optimal or near optimal disassembly sequence is crucial to increasing the efficiency of the process. Disassembly operations are labor intensive, can be costly, have unique characteristics and cannot be considered as reverse of assembly operations. Since the complexity of determining the best disassembly sequence increases as the number of parts of the product grow, an efficient methodology is reuired for disassembly sequencing. In this paper, …