Multimodal sensing and active continuous closed‐loop feedback for achieving reliable manipulation in the outdoor physical world

The use of field robots can greatly decrease the amount of time, effort, and associated risk compared to if human workers were to carryout certain tasks such as disaster response. However, transportability and reliability remain two main issues for most current robot systems. To address the issue of transportability, we have developed a lightweight modularizable platform named AeroArm. To address the issue of reliability, we utilize a multimodal sensing approach, combining the use of multiple sensors and sensor types, and the use of different detection algorithms, as well as active continuous closed‐loop feedback to accurately estimate the state of the robot with respect to the environment. We used Challenge 2 of the 2017 Mohammed Bin Zayed International Robotics Competition as an example outdoor manipulation task, demonstrating the capabilities of our robot system and approach in achieving reliable performance in the fields, and ranked fifth place internationally in the competition.     

一种大型复杂构件加工新模式及新装备探讨

大型复杂构件是航空航天、能源、船舶等领域装备的核心结构件，此类构件通常具有尺寸大、形状复杂、刚性弱等特点。传统“分体离线加工-在线检测”模式存在工艺不稳定、过程复杂、柔性差、周期长等问题，以龙门式多轴数控机床加工为代表的“包容式”加工模式，难以适应大型复杂构件的高效高质量加工制造需求。提出一种基于移动式和吸附式机器人的多机协同原位加工新模式，通过多机器人系统自主寻位、精确定位加工与加工质量原位检测，实现大型复杂构件多安装面并行铣削、制孔与打磨等作业。多机器人系统包括移动式混联机器人、吸附式并联机器人、移动式串联铣削机器人、移动式双臂加工机器人和移动式打磨机器人。构建多机协同原位加工模式，需要揭示多机器人协同原位加工行为与大型弱刚性结构件质量控制的交互机理，面临着本体、测量、工艺和集成四个方面的挑战，需要设计高灵活、高刚度的移动式和吸附式加工机器人，解决移动机器人自主准确寻位和超大结构件原位高精检测难题，攻克加工变形误差在线补偿和振动抑制技术，通过集成实现多机协同高效高精加工，为大型复杂构件的高效高质量制造提供创新技术及装备，并实现此类构件制造核心技术及装备自主可控。     

小型蠕动机器人原理与实现

本文阐述了蠕动的原理，在此基础上研制了一套小型蠕动机器人系统，其主要部分由三个Ｌａ：ＰＺＴ电致伸缩微位移器和一套独特的柔性链机构所组成。机器人的外形尺寸为１５０＊６１＊４６ｍｍ，重２ｋｇ，最大步距１０μｍ，行程４０ｍｍ，运动精度０．２μｍ。     

MOBSY: Integration of vision and dialogue in service robots

Abstract. This contribution introduces MOBSY, a fully integrated, autonomous mobile service robot system. It acts as an automatic dialogue-based receptionist for visitors to our institute. MOBSY incorporates many techniques from different research areas into one working stand-alone system. The techniques involved range from computer vision over speech understanding to classical robotics. Along with the two main aspects of vision and speech, we also focus on the integration aspect, both on the methodological and on the technical level. We describe the task and the techniques involved. Finally, we discuss the experiences that we gained with MOBSY during a live performance at our institute.     

Decentralized adaptive coordinated control of multiple robot arms without using a force sensor

This paper presents a distributed adaptive coordinated control method for multiple robot arms grasping a common object. The cases of rigid contact and rolling contact are analyzed. In the proposed controller, the dynamic parameters of both object and robot arms are estimated adaptively. The desired motions of the robot arms are generated by an estimated object reference model. The control method requires only the measurements of the positions and velocities of the object and robot arms, but not the measurements of forces and moments at contact points. The asymptotic convergence of trajectory is proven by the Lyapunov-like Lemma. Experiments involving two robot arms handling a common object are shown.     

General Solution for the Dynamic Modeling of Parallel Robots

In this paper, we present a general method to calculate the inverse and direct dynamic models of parallel robots. The models are expressed in a closed form by a single equation in which all the elements needed are expressed. The solution is given in terms of the dynamic models of the legs, the dynamics of the platform and some Jacobian matrices. The proposed method is applied in this paper on two parallel robots with different structures. Categories (2), (3).     

Accurate estimation of environment parameters from ultrasonic data

This paper describes a robust and accurate ultrasonic sensing system for a mobile robot. The system continuously updates a local map of the environment in which obstacles are represented by straight lines or points in a robot centered coordinate frame. The presented algorithms use a Kalman filter for the reduction of the noise in the ultrasonic data and use a systematical error correction (‘bundle correction’) to reduce the uncertainty in obstacle direction. Experiments are carried out in simulation and with a real mobile robot system. Results show that the accuracy with which line parameters can be estimated is in the order of 1 degree for the orientation and about 2 cm for the position. The effect of the bundle correction is significant and maximal when the robot approaches walls under a small angle.     

Cleanbot-Ⅰ擦窗机器人的智能化技术

本文简述了擦窗机器人智能化的主要概念．介绍了Ｃｌｅａｎｂｏｔ－Ｉ擦窗机器人系统的结构特点、主要组成部分、工作原理，操作方式，未知局部环境的模型建立，各类内、外传感器的结构、原理和信息融合技术，以及路径规划的方法．     

High accuracy path tracking for vehicles in presence of sliding: Application to farm vehicle automatic guidance for agricultural tasks

When designing an accurate automated guidance system for vehicles, a major problem is sliding and pseudo-sliding effects. This is especially the case in agricultural applications, where five-centimetre accuracy with respect to the desired trajectory is required, although the vehicles are moving on slippery ground. It has been established that RTK GPS was a very suitable sensor to achieve automated guidance with such high precision: several control laws have been designed for vehicles equipped with this sensor, and provide the expected guidance accuracy as long as the vehicles do not slide. In previous work, further control developments have been proposed to take sliding into account: guidance accuracy in slippery environments has been shown to be preserved, except transiently at the beginning/end of curves. In this paper, the design of this control law is first recalled and discussed. A Model Predictive Control method is then applied in order to preserve accuracy of guidance even during these curvature transitions. Finally, the overall control scheme is implemented, and improvements with respect to previous guidance laws are demonstrated through full-scale experiments.     

Real-time accurate hand path tracking and joint trajectory planning for industrial robots (I)

Previously, researchers raised the accuracy for a robot’s hand to track a specified path in Cartesian space mainly through increasing the number of knots on the path and the number of the path’s segments, which results in the heavier online computational burden for the robot controller. Aiming at overcoming this drawback, the authors propose a new kind of real-time accurate hand path tracking and joint trajectory planning method. Through selecting some extra knots on the specified hand path by a certain rule and introducing a sinusoidal function to the joint displacement equation of each segment, this method can greatly raise the path tracking accuracy of robot’s hand and does not change the number of the path’s segments. It also does not increase markedly the computational burden of robot controller. The result of simulation indicates that this method is very effective, and has important value in increasing the application of industrial robots. Foundation item: Foundation of the Robotics Laboratory, Chinese Academy of Sciences (No. RL200002) Biography of the first author: TAN Guan-zheng, Dr., professor, born in Oct. 1962, majoring in artificial intelligence, robotics and automation.