Robotics Commons^™

The 2005 Chios Ancient Shipwreck Survey: New Methods For Underwater Archaeology, Brendan P. Foley, Katerina Dellaporta, Dimitris Sakellariou, Brian S. Bingham, Richard Camilli, Ryan M. Eustice, Dionysis Evagelistis, Vicki Lynn Ferrini, Kostas Katsaros, Dimitris Kourkoumelis, Aggelos Mallios, Paraskevi Micha, David A. Mindell, Christopher Roman, Hanumant Singh, David S. Switzer, Theotokis Theodoulou

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

In 2005 a Greek and American interdisciplinary team investigated two ship wrecks off the coast of Chios dating to the 4th-century B.C. and the 2nd/lst century. The project pioneered archaeological methods of precision acoustic, digital image, and chemical survey using an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) and in-situ sensors, increasing the speed of data acquisition while decreasing costs. The AUV recorded data revealing the physical dimensions, age, cargo, and preservation of the wrecks. The earlier wreck contained more than 350 amphoras, predominantly of Chian type, while the Hellenistic wreck contained about 40 Dressel 1C amphoras. Molecular biological analysis of two amphoras …

Unified Behavior Framework In An Embedded Robot Controller, Stephen S. Lin

Theses and Dissertations

Robots of varying autonomy have been used to take the place of humans in dangerous tasks. While robots are considered more expendable than human beings, they are complex to develop and expensive to replace if lost. Recent technological advances produce small, inexpensive hardware platforms that are powerful enough to match robots from just a few years ago. There are many types of autonomous control architecture that can be used to control these hardware platforms. One in particular, the Unified Behavior Framework, is a flexible, responsive control architecture that is designed to simplify the control system’s design process through behavior module …

Sharing And Fusing Landmark Information In A Team Of Autonomous Robots, Damian M. Lyons

Faculty Publications

A team of robots working to explore and map a space may need to share information about landmarks so as register local maps and to plan effective exploration strategies. In this paper we investigate the use of spatial histograms (spatiograms) as a common representation for exchanging landmark information between robots. Each robot can use sonar, stereo, laser and image information to identify potential landmarks. The sonar, laser and stereo information provide the spatial dimension of the spatiogram in a landmark-centered coordinate frame while video provides the image information. We call the result a terrain spatiogram. This representation can be shared …

Locating And Tracking Objects By Efficient Comparison Of Real And Predicted Synthetic Video Imagery, Damian M. Lyons, D. Paul Benjamin

Faculty Publications

A mobile robot moving in an environment in which there are other moving objects and active agents, some of which may represent threats and some of which may represent collaborators, needs to be able to reason about the potential future behaviors of those objects and agents. In this paper we present an approach to tracking targets with complex behavior, leveraging a 3D simulation engine to generate predicted imagery and comparing that against real imagery. We introduce an approach to compare real and simulated imagery and present results using this approach to locate and track objects with complex behaviors. In this …

Heterogeneous Drive Mechanisms For Novel Locomotion In Rough Terrain, Roy Godzdanker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The smaller the robot the easier it is for it to access voids in a collapsed structure, however small size brings a host of other problems related to constrained resources. One of the primary constraints on small robots is limited motive power to surmount obstacles and navigate rough terrain. This thesis examines the addition of bulk motive force actuators to existing locomotion platforms and the impact of these heterogeneous actuators on conventional steering methods. The steering methods examined are those associated with skid steered vehicles and differential drive vehicles. In developing the Crabinator, a robot composed of a limbed crawler …

The Development Of A Prototype Robotic Platform On Which Awareness Strategies Can Be Implemented, Sean Kinsella

Theses

This thesis describes the design and development of the hardware and software for a prototype robotic platform on which awareness strategies can be developed. The mobile prototype platform designed over the course of work is capable of operating as a distributed or centralised system.

There is no singular definition of awareness for a robotic system and the development of awareness strategies is complex and requires expertise in many scientific disciplines. This paper describes the different types of awareness associated with robotic systems and the technology required to implement this awareness. A review of sensors critical to the development of awareness …

Gathering Cows Using Virtual Fencing Methodologies, Dean M. Anderson, Marek Doniec, Carrick Detweiler, Iuliu Vesilescu, Daniela Rus, Barbara Nolen, Roy Libeau

School of Computing: Conference and Workshop Papers

Free-ranging livestock are classically controlled by herders. Holding, moving, or gathering free-ranging cattle requires flexible husbandry practices for efficient and effective lowstress animal management. Behavioral theory and practical experience indicates cattle can be taught to respond to auditory cues. Preliminary research has demonstrated that cows can be gathered autonomously using recorded audio cues associated with manual gathering. However, efficient gathering requires movement in the proper direction. Therefore, we believe using audio cues administered from directional virtual fencing (DVF™) equipment can facilitate proper animal orientation and facilitate the gathering of animals with minimal human intervention. Results from applying directional audio cues …

Health Prognisis Of Electronics Via Power Profiling, Jonathan Amilcar Cervantes

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The objective of this research is to investigate a new approach for the early detection of latent defects in electronic devices in the field. Reliability is assessed through the non-traditional approach of recording and evaluating the power profile of electronic devices within a deterministic state of operation. Traditionally, measuring the quiescent current (Iddq) of a device has been employed in manufacturing tests to detect defective parts prior to deployment to the field. However, the monitoring of the deterministic power signature (i.e. boot up or during a self-test routine) has never been exploited to monitor the health of a device in …

Agent Based Modeling In Computer Graphics And Games, Brian Macnamee

Books/Book Chapters

As graphics technology has improved in recent years, more and more importance has been placed on the behavior of virtual characters in applications set in virtual worlds in areas such as games, movies and simulations. The behavior of virtual characters should be believable in order to create the illusion that these virtual worlds are populated with living characters. This has led to the application of agent-based modeling to the control of these virtual characters. There are a number of advantages of using agent-based modeling techniques which include the fact that they remove the requirement for hand controlling all agents in …

Distributed Control For Robotic Swarms Using Centroidal Voronoi Tessellations, Shelley Rounds

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This thesis introduces a design combining an emerging area in robotics with a well established mathematical research topic: swarm intelligence and Voronoi tessellations, respectively. The main objective for this research is to design an economical and robust swarm system to achieve distributed control. This research combines swarm intelligence with Voronoi tessellations to localize a source and create formations. Extensive software coding must be implemented for this design, such as the development of a discrete centroidal Voronoi tessellation (CVT) algorithm.

The ultimate purpose of this research is to advance the existing Mobile Actuator and Sensor Network (MASnet) platform to eventually develop …

Deep Sea Underwater Robotic Exploration In The Ice-Covered Arctic Ocean With Auvs, Clayton Kunz, Chris Murphy, Richard Camilli, Hanumant Singh, John Bailey, Ryan M. Eustice, Chris Roman, Michael Jakuba, Claire Willis, Taichi Sato, Ko-Ichi Nakamura, Robert A. Sohn

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

The Arctic seafloor remains one of the last unexplored areas on Earth. Exploration of this unique environment using standard remotely operated oceanographic tools has been obstructed by the dense Arctic ice cover. In the summer of 2007 the Arctic Gakkel Vents Expedition (AGAVE) was conducted with the express intention of understanding aspects of the marine biology, chemistry and geology associated with hydrothermal venting on the section of the mid-ocean ridge known as the Gakkel Ridge. Unlike previous research expeditions to the Arctic the focus was on high resolution imaging and sampling of the deep seafloor. To accomplish our goals we …

Analysis And Experiments For Tendril-Type Robots, Lara Cowan

All Theses

New models for the Tendril continuous backbone robot, and other similarly constructed robots, are introduced and expanded upon in this thesis. The ability of the application of geometric models to result in more precise control of the Tendril manipulator is evaluated on a Tendril prototype. We examine key issues underlying the design and operation of 'soft' robots featuring continuous body ('continuum') elements. Inspiration from nature is used to develop new methods of operation for continuum robots. These new methods of operation are tested in experiments to evaluate their effectiveness and potential.

Comparing Discrimination And Cfa For Selecting Tracking Features, Damian M. Lyons, D. Frank Hsu

Faculty Publications

The ability of a tracker to isolate the foreground target from the background of an image is crucially dependent on the set of features selected for tracking. Collins & Liu [2] propose an on-line, adaptive approach to selecting the set of features based on the insight that the set of features that best discriminate between target and background classes is the best set to use for tracking. In previous work [10], we have proposed an approach based on Combinatorial Fusion Analysis for selecting features for Real-Time tracking. We discuss the relative merits of the two methods and motivate their combination …

Design Concepts And Process Analysis For Transmuter Fuel Manufacturing, Georg F. Mauer

Fuels Campaign (TRP)

The safe and effective manufacturing of actinide-bearing fuels for any transmutation strategy requires that the entire manufacturing process be contained within a shielded hot cell environment. To ensure that the fabrication process is feasible, the entire process must be designed for remote operation. The equipment must be reliable enough to perform over several decades, and also easy to maintain or repair remotely. The facility must also be designed to facilitate its own decontamination and decommissioning. In addition to these design factors, the potential viability of any fuel fabrication process will also be impacted by a number of variables, such as …

Byzantium Beneath The Black Sea, Bridget Buxton, Robert Ballard, Michael Brennan, Dwight Coleman, Katy Croff, Christopher Roman, Dan Davis, Dennis Piechota, Sergiy Voronov

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

This poster reports on the August 2007 Black Sea Expedition of the Institute for Archaeological Oceanography at the University of Rhode Island (IAO) and the Institute for Exploration (IFE), in collaboration with the Department of the Underwater Heritage of Ukraine. This year’s work marks a new phase in a multi-year (2000–2012) archaeological and oceanographic survey of the Black Sea. 2007 fieldwork focuses on two Byzantine shipwrecks. The 10th century C.E. shipwreck Chersonesos A (discovered in 2006) lies at 140 m depth in the suboxic zone off the Crimean peninsula. The ship carried a cargo of one-handled jars of a widely …

Odometry Correction Of A Mobile Robot Using A Range-Finding Laser, Thomas Epton

All Theses

Two methods for improving odometry using a pan-tilt range-finding laser is considered. The first method is a one-dimensional model that uses the laser with a sliding platform. The laser is used to determine how far the platform has moved along a rail. The second method is a two-dimensional model that mounts the laser to a mobile robot. In this model, the laser is used to improve the odometry of the robot. Our results show that the one-dimensional model proves our basic geometry is correct, while the two-dimensional model improves the odometry, but does not completely correct it.

Operational Strategies For Continuum Manipulators, Matt Csencsits

All Theses

We introduce a novel, intuitive user interface for continuum manipulators through the use of various joystick mappings. This user interface allows for the effective use of continuum manipulators in the lab and in the field. A novel geometric approach is developed to produce a more intuitive understanding of continuum manipulator kinematics. Using this geometric approach we derive the first closed-form solution to the inverse kinematics problem for continuum robots. Using the derived inverse kinematics to convert from workspace coordinates to configuration space coordinates we develop a potential-field path planner for continuum manipulators.

Evaluation Of Robocode As A Teaching Tool For Computer Programming, Arnold Hensman

Conference Papers

Robocode began as an educational tool to aid in learning Java programming. It has since evolved into something of a phenomenon, as the prospect of creating simple to complex virtual tanks appears to pose an attractive challenge to both novice and expert programmers alike. What started out as a teaching tool has grown into a worldwide network of competitors, all keen to prove that their ‘bot’ stands out from the crowd. Competitions are well organised and many Robocode events are a PR dream for the computing companies that sponsor them. Without a doubt, this easy to use application has sparked …

Extended Abstract Rotopod: A Novel Approach To Efficient Legged Locomotion, Damian M. Lyons

Faculty Publications

A number of attempts have been made to integrate the efficiency of wheeled locomotion with the terrain versatility of legged locomotion, e.g., Univ.Michigan’s Rhex platform and Case Western’s Whegs. Those platforms cast legs as rotating spokes placed traditionally at the corners of a rectangular platform. In this paper, we present an alternate approach, with three legs radiating down from a central hub. The energy to move the platform is generated by a rotating reaction mass mounted at the hub and, at rest, rotating parallel to the ground plane.

Our approach is to construct a platform whose natural, uncontrolled motion is …

Evaluation Of A Parallel Architecture And Algorithm For Mapping And Localization, Damian M. Lyons, Giselle R. Isner

Faculty Publications

The Beowulf cluster approach to parallel computation offers a potentially cheap and robust source of computational power for high complexity algorithms in robotics. The challenge is to integrate this approach with the mobility and time critical response constraints of many robotic algorithms. The key contributions of this paper are: (1) introduction of a computational architecture for integrating a cluster into the control architecture of one or more robots, (2) a cluster implementation of Thrun et al’s Concurrent Localization and Mapping (CML) algorithm, and (3) presentation of results to illustrate the performance of the implemented CML algorithm and validate the architectural …

Combinatorial Fusion Criteria For Robot Mapping, Damian M. Lyons, D. Frank Hsu, Qiang Ma, Liang Wang

Faculty Publications

We address the problem of sensor fusion for stereo and ultrasound depth measurements for map building for a robot operating in a cluttered environment. In such a situation it’s difficult to make useful and realistic assumpt ions about the sensor or environment statistics. Combinatorial Fusion Analysis is used to develop an approach to fusion with unknown sensor and environment statistics. A metric is proposed that shows when fusion from a set of fusion alternatives will produ ce a more accurate estimation of depth than either sonar or stereo alone and when not. The metric consists of two crit eria: (a) …

An Emotional Mimicking Humanoid Biped Robot And Its Quantum Control Based On The Constraint Satisfaction Model, Quay Williams, Scott Bogner, Michael Kelley, Carolina Castillo, Martin Lukac, Dong Hwa Kim, Jeff S. Allen, Mathias I. Sunardi, Sazzad Hossain, Marek Perkowski

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The paper presents a humanoid robot that responds to human gestures seen by a camera. The behavior of the robot can be completely deterministic as specified by a Finite State Machine that maps the sensor signals to the effector signals. This model is further extended to the constraints-satisfaction based model that links robots vision, motion, emotional behavior and planning. One way of implementing this model is to use adiabatic quantum computer which quadratically speeds-up every constraint problem and will be thus necessary to solve large problems of this type. We propose to use the remotely-connected Orion system by DWAVE Corporation.

Selection Of Fusion Operations Using Rank-Score Diversity For Robot Mapping And Localization, Damian M. Lyons, D. Frank Hsu, Qiang Ma, Liang Wang

Faculty Publications

In this paper, we evaluate the use of a rank-score diversity measure for selecting sensory fusion operations for a robot localization and mapping application. Our current application involves robot mapping and navigation in an outdoor urban search and rescue situation in which we have many similar and mutually occluding landmarks. The robot is a 4- wheel direct drive platform equipped with visual, stereo depth and ultrasound sensors. In such an application it’s difficult to make useful and realistic assumptions about the sensor or environment statistics. Combinatorial Fusion Analysis(CFA) is used to develop an approach to fusion with unknown sensor and …

Design Concepts And Process Analysis For Transmuter Fuel Manufacturing, Georg F. Mauer

Fuels Campaign (TRP)

The safe and effective manufacturing of actinide-bearing fuels for any transmutation strategy requires that the entire manufacturing process be contained within a shielded hot cell environment. To ensure that the fabrication process is feasible, the entire process must be designed for remote operation. The equipment must be reliable enough to perform over several decades, and also easy to maintain or repair remotely. The facility must also be designed to facilitate its own decontamination and decommissioning. In addition to these design factors, the potential viability of any fuel fabrication process will also be impacted by a number of variables, such as …

A Cognitive Robotics Approach To Comprehending Human Language And Behaviors, Deryle W. Lonsdale, D. Paul Benjamin, Damian Lyons

Faculty Publications

The ADAPT project is a collaboration of researchers in linguistics, robotics and artificial intelligence at three universities. We are building a complete robotic cognitive architecture for a mobile robot designed to interact with humans in a range of environments, and which uses natural language and models human behavior. This paper concentrates on the HRI aspects of ADAPT, and especially on how ADAPT models and interacts with humans.

A Fuzzy Logic Controller For Autonomous Wheeled Vehicles, Mohamed Trabia, Linda Z. Shi, Neil Eugene Hodge

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Research

Autonomous vehicles have potential applications in many fields, such as replacing humans in hazardous environments, conducting military missions, and performing routine tasks for industry. Driving ground vehicles is an area where human performance has proven to be reliable. Drivers typically respond quickly to sudden changes in their environment. While other control techniques may be used to control a vehicle, fuzzy logic has certain advantages in this area; one of them is its ability to incorporate human knowledge and experience, via language, into relationships among the given quantities. Fuzzy logic controllers for autonomous vehicles have been successfully applied to address various …

Combining Multiple Scoring Systems For Video Target Tracking Based On Rank-Score Function Variation, D. Frank Hsu, Damian M. Lyons, Jizhou Ai

Faculty Publications

Tracking of video targets is the process of estimating the current and predicting the future state of a target from a sequence of video sensor measurements. Multitarget video tracking is complicated by the fact that targets can occlude one another and affect video feature measurements in a highly non-linear and difficult to model fashion., Tracking multiple targets that undergo repeated mutual occlusions is a challenging problem with several issues to be addressed. In this paper we propose a multisensory fusion approach to the problem of multitarget video tracking with occlusion. Each sensory cue is treated as a scoring system on …

Design Concepts And Process Analysis For Transmuter Fuel Manufacturing: Quarterly Progress Report #6, Kamalakar Alluri, Georg F. Mauer

Fuels Campaign (TRP)

Project Milestones

• Completed a systematic study seeking to arrive at an optimized plant configuration, using value engineering techniques in January 2006.

• Vision-based robot serving and automated plant safety monitoring is currently in progress.

Combinatorial Fusion Criteria For Real-Time Tracking, D. Frank Hsu, Damian M. Lyons, Jizhou Ai

Faculty Publications

We address the problem of automated video tracking of targets when targets undergo multiple mutual occlusions. Our approach is based on the idea that as targets are occluded, selection of feature subsets and combinations of those features are effective in identifying the target and improving tracking performance. We use Combinatorial Fusion Analysis to develop a metric to select which subset of features will produce the most accurate tracking. In particular we show that the combination of a pair of features A and B will improve the accuracy only if (a) A and B have relative high performance, and (b) A …

Feature Selection For Real-Time Tracking, D. Frank Hsu, Damian M. Lyons, Jizhou Ai

Faculty Publications

We address the problem of selecting features to improve automated video tracking of targets that undergo multiple mutual occlusions. As targets are occluded, different feature subsets and combinations of those features are effective in identifying the target and improving tracking performance. We use Combinatorial Fusion Analysis to develop a metric to dynamically select which subset of features will produce the most accurate tracking. In particular we show that the combination of a pair of features A and B will improve the accuracy only if (a) A and B have relative high performance, and (b) A and B are diverse. We …