Unidad inalámbrica de programación para robots educativos con dispositivos móviles

[ES]El objetivo de este Proyecto Fin de Carrera es diseñar una herramienta software que nos permita controlar de forma inalámbrica un brazo robótico. ésto se ha desarrollado para poder acercar el mundo de la robótica a aquellas personas ajenas a ello, además de dotar de un sistema de control para el día de mañana, evitando problemas de software caduco y antiguo. Para la realización de este proyecto se ha implementado una aplicación Android que permitirá al usuario realizar las acciones de las que dota una paleta estándar de brazo robótico. Además se ha desarrollado una rutina de control de flujo para Arduino, que enlace la tableta con el robot.

Diseño, implementación y verificación de un controlador para robots educativos

[EN] This project briefly analyzes the scope and applications of Industrial Robotics, as well as the importance that this technical discipline has gained in the past decades. In addition, it proposes a modern platform to assist in teaching this discipline in colleges and universities. This new educational platform for the teaching of Industrial Robotics is based on the robotic systems from Rhino Robotics Ltd., using the existing robotic arms and replacing the control electronics by a newer, modern and yet backwards-compatible controller. In addition to the controller, this platform also provides new, up-to-date software utilities that are more intuitive than those provided with the old system. The work to be done consists essentially in receiving commands from a personal computer which the controller must interpret in order to control the motors of the robotic arm. The controller itself will be implemented as an embedded system based on microcontrollers. This requires the implementation of a communication protocol between the personal computer and the microcontroller, the design of a command interpreter, the design of the electronics for motor control using PWM and H-bridges, and the implementation of control techniques (more precisely, PID control). Hence, this project combines software and hardware design and integration techniques with motor control techniques and feedback control methods from Control Engineering, along with the kinematic analysis of the Rhino XR-4 robotic arm. 

Project-based learning using robots with open-source hardware and software

[EN]One of the main issues of the current education system is the lack of student motivation. This aspect together with the permanent change that the Information and Communications Technologies involve represents a major challenge for the teacher: to continuously update contents and to keep awake the student’s interest. A tremendously useful tool in classrooms consists on the integration of projects with participative and collaborative dynamics, where the teacher acts mainly as a guidance to the student activity instead of being a mere knowledge and evaluation transmitter. As a specific example of project based learning, the EDUROVs project consists on building an economic underwater robot using low cost materials, but allowing the integration and programming of many accessories and sensors with minimum budget using opensource hardware and software.

Taller del proyecto AVORA, robot submarino de la ULPGC-PLOCAN dentro de Ciberlandia 2013

Celebrado el 24 de mayo en el Edificio de Informática y Matemáticas de la ULPGC

A-TIRMA: A small autonomous sailboat

Máster Universitario en Sistemas Inteligentes y Aplicaciones Numéricas en Ingeniería (SIANI)

On the use of a low-cost thermal sensor to improve kinect people detection in a mobile robot

[EN]Detecting people is a key capability for robots that operate in populated environments. In this paper, we have adopted a hierarchical approach that combines classifiers created using supervised learning in order to identify whether a person is in the view-scope of the robot or not. Our approach makes use of vision, depth and thermal sensors mounted on top of a mobile platform.

Automatic initialization for facial analysis in interactive robotics

[EN]This paper focuses on four different initialization methods for determining the initial shape for the AAM algorithm and their particular performance in two different classification tasks with respect to either the facial expression DaFEx database and to the real world data obtained from a robot’s point of view.

Multimodal attention system for an interactive robot

[EN]Social robots are receiving much interest in the robotics community. The most important goal for such robots lies in their interaction capabilities. An attention system is crucial, both as a filter to center the robot’s perceptual resources and as a mean of letting the observer know that the robot has intentionality. In this paper a simple but flexible and functional attentional model is described. The model, which has been implemented in an interactive robot currently under development, fuses both visual and auditive information extracted from the robot’s environment, and can incorporate knowledge-based influences on attention.

Eldi: an agent based museum robot

[EN]In this paper we will present Eldi, a mobile robot that has been in daily operation at the Elder Museum of Science and Technology at Las Palmas de Gran Canaria since December 1999. This is an ongoing project that was organized in three di erent stages, describing here the one that has been accomplished. The initial phase, termed \The Player", the second stage, actually under development, has been called "The Cicerone" and in a nal phase, termed \The Vagabond", Eldi will be allowed to move erratically across the Museum. This paper will focus on the accomplished rst stage to succinctly describe the physical robot and the environment and demos developed. Finally we will summarize some important lessons learnt.

Experiences with a museum robot

In this paper we will present Eldi, a mobile robot that has been in daily operation at the Elder Museum of S ien e and Te hnology at Las Palmas de Gran Canaria sin e last De ember. This is an ongoing pro je t that was organized in three di erent stages of whi h only the rst one has been a omplished. The initial phase, termed \The Player", the se ond stage, a tually under development, has been alled "The Ci erone" and in a nal phase, termed \The Vagabond", Eldi will be allowed to move errati ally a ross the Museum...

An active vision system integrating fast and slow processes

[EN]This paper describes an Active Vision System whose design assumes a distinction between fast or reactive and slow or background processes. Fast processes need to operate in cycles with critical timeouts that may affect system stability. While slow processes, though necessary, do not compromise system stability if its execution is delayed. Based on this simple taxonomy, a control architecture has been proposed and a prototype implemented that is able to track people in real-time with a robotic head while trying to identify the target. In this system, the tracking module is considered as the reactive part of the system while person identification is considered a background task.

II Taller de Innovación Educativa de la Escuela de Ingenierías Industriales y Civiles

Videos de las presentaciones efectuadas en el II Taller de Innovación Educativa de la EIIC. Donde se pretende conocer las experiencias docentes innovadoras llevadas a cabo por profesores tanto de la Escuela como de la Universidad. Ponencias: Experiencias en el desarrollo de materiales didáctivos... / P.M. Hernández Castellano; Aprendizaje por proyectos utilizando tecnologías y robots.../ Daura Vega Moreno; El repositorio institucional Acceda... / Avelina Fernández; Experiencias en el uso de OpenULPGC en la formación on-line/ Luis Álvarez; UBILINGUA para un aprendizaje IFE de la ULPGC/ Soraya García Sänchez y Carmen Luján; Análisis de la opinión de los estudiantes sobre la aplicación de trabajo colaborativo.../ J.M. Herrera Melián.