Generació d’un entorn virtual de treball per un robot Stäubli TX60

L’objectiu del treball és emular virtualment l’entorn de treball del robot Stäubli Tx60 quehi ha al laboratori de robòtica de la UdG (dins les possibilitats que ofereix el software adquirit).Aquest laboratori intenta reproduir un entorn industrial de treball en el qual es realitzal’assemblatge d’un conjunt de manera cent per cent automatitzada.En una primera fase, s’ha dissenyat en tres dimensions tot l’entorn de treball que hi hadisponible al laboratori a través del software CAD SolidWorks. Cada un dels conjuntsque conformen l’estació de treball s’ha dissenyat de manera independent.Posteriorment s’introdueixen tots els elements dissenyats dins el software StäubliRobotics Suite 2013. Amb tot l’anterior, cal remarcar que l’objectiu principal del treball consta de duesetapes. Inicialment es dissenya el model 3D de l’entorn de treball a través del software SolidWorks i s’introdueix dins el software Stäubli Robotics Suite 2013. Enuna segona etapa, es realitza un manual d’ús del nou software de robòtica

Silloitushitsauksen robotisointi

Tämän diplomityön tavoitteena oli tutkia ja selvittää kuormakoneen takarunkorakenteen silloitushitsauksen robotisointia. Työ päätettiin rajata koskemaan vain tiettyä moduulia takarungosta. Työssä kartoitettiin tarvittava laitteisto, selvitettiin runkomoduulin silloitusajat sekä arvioitiin investoinnin kannattavuutta. Silloituksen suorittavan järjestelmän vaatimuksena oli, että sen tulee asettaa osat paikoilleen hitsauskiinnittimeen ja tehdä tarvittavat silloitushitsaukset automaattisesti. Sopivaksi laitteistoksi osoittautui taloudellisuuden ja toiminnallisuuden näkökulmasta yhdestä kappaleenkäsittely- sekä hitsausrobotista muodostuva järjestelmä. Kappaleenkäsittelijän ohjauksessa käytetään konenäköä sekä osien paikannuksessa että laadunvarmistuksessa. Robotit liikkuvat yhteisellä lineaariradalla, jonka rinnalla on kappaleenkäsittelylaitteistoja hitsauskiinnittimineen. Robotisoinnin käyttöönotolla yhden takarungon moduulien kokoonpanoon ja silloitukseen käytettävä aika pienenee alle puoleen manuaaliseen työhön verrattuna. Näin saavutetaan merkittäviä kustannussäästöjä. Lisäksi hitsauskiinnittimet voivat olla verrattain yksinkertaisia manuaalityöhön verrattuna, jolloin myös säästetään työkaluinvestoinneissa. Robotisointiprojektin jatkotoimenpiteitä ovat laajamittaiset tuotantosimulaatiot layoutin, laitteiston sekä työkiertojen tarkaksi määrittämiseksi. Lisäksi itse tuotetta on muokattava paremmin robottisilloitukseen sopivaksi.

Disseny i construcció d’ un braç de robot de 5 graus de llibertat governat des de PC via USB.

El braç robot es va crear com a resposta a una necessitat de fabricació d’elements mitjançant la producció en cadena i en tasques que necessiten precisió. Hi ha, però, altres tipus de tasques les quals no són repetitives, ni poden ésser programades, que necessiten però ser controlades en tot moment per un ésser humà. Són activitats que han d’estar realitzades per un ésser humà, però que requereixen molta precisió, és per això que es creu necessari el disseny d’un prototipus de control d’un braç robot estàndard, que permeti a una persona el control total sobre aquest en temps real per a la realització d’una tasca no repetitiva i no programable prèviament. Pretenem, en el present projecte, dissenyar i construir un braç robot de 5 graus de llibertat, controlat des d’un PC mitjançant un microcontrolador PIC amb comunicació a través d’un bus USB. El robot serà governat des d’un PC a través d’un software de control específic

Programació del robot e-puck amb Microsoft Robotics Studio

Microsoft Robotics Studio (MRS) és un entorn per a crear aplicacions per a robots utilitzant una gran varietat de plataformes hardware. Conté un entorn de simulació en el que es pot modelar i simular el moviment del robot. Permet també programar el robot, i executar-lo en l’entorn simulat o bé en el real. MRS resol la comunicació entre els diferents processos asíncrons que solen estar presents en el software de control d’un robot: processos per atendre sensors, actuadors, sistemes de control, comunicacions amb l’exterior,... MRS es pot utilitzar per modelar nous robots utilitzant components que ja estiguin disponibles en les seves llibreries, o també permet crear component nous. Per tal de conèixer en detall aquesta eina, seria interessant utilitzar-la per programa els robots e-pucks, uns robots mòbils autònoms de petites dimensions que disposen de dos motors i un complet conjunt de sensors. El que es vol és simular-los, realitzar un programa de control, realitzar la interfície amb el robot i comprovar el funcionament amb el robot real

Vision-based localization of an underwater robot in a structured environment

This paper presents a vision-based localization approach for an underwater robot in a structured environment. The system is based on a coded pattern placed on the bottom of a water tank and an onboard down looking camera. Main features are, absolute and map-based localization, landmark detection and tracking, and real-time computation (12.5 Hz). The proposed system provides three-dimensional position and orientation of the vehicle along with its velocity. Accuracy of the drift-free estimates is very high, allowing them to be used as feedback measures of a velocity-based low-level controller. The paper details the localization algorithm, by showing some graphical results, and the accuracy of the system

Dam wall detection and tracking using a Mechanically Scanned Imaging Sonar

In dam inspection tasks, an underwater robot has to grab images while surveying the wall meanwhile maintaining a certain distance and relative orientation. This paper proposes the use of an MSIS (mechanically scanned imaging sonar) for relative positioning of a robot with respect to the wall. An imaging sonar gathers polar image scans from which depth images (range & bearing) are generated. Depth scans are first processed to extract a line corresponding to the wall (with the Hough transform), which is then tracked by means of an EKF (Extended Kalman Filter) using a static motion model and an implicit measurement equation associating the sensed points to the candidate line. The line estimate is referenced to the robot fixed frame and represented in polar coordinates (rho&thetas) which directly corresponds to the actual distance and relative orientation of the robot with respect to the wall. The proposed system has been tested in simulation as well as in water tank conditions

Using petri nets to specify and execute missions for autonomous underwater vehicles

This paper presents the design and implementation of a mission control system (MCS) for an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) based on Petri nets. In the proposed approach the Petri nets are used to specify as well as to execute the desired autonomous vehicle mission. The mission is easily described using an imperative programming language called mission control language (MCL) that formally describes the mission execution thread. A mission control language compiler (MCL-C) able to automatically translate the MCL into a Petri net is described and a real-time Petri net player that allows to execute the resulting Petri net onboard an AUV are also presented

ICTINEUAUV wins the First SAUC-E competition

A pioneer team of students of the University of Girona decided to design and develop an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) called ICTINEU-AUV to face the Student Autonomous Underwater Challenge-Europe (SAUC-E). The prototype has evolved from the initial computer aided design (CAD) model to become an operative AUV in the short period of seven months. The open frame and modular design principles together with the compatibility with other robots previously developed at the lab have provided the main design philosophy. Hence, at the robot's core, two networked computers give access to a wide set of sensors and actuators. The Gentoo/Linux distribution was chosen as the onboard operating system. A software architecture based on a set of distributed objects with soft real time capabilities was developed and a hybrid control architecture including mission control, a behavioural layer and a robust map-based localization algorithm made ICTINEU-AUV the winning entry

Navegação cooperativa de um robô humanóide e um robô com rodas usando informação visual

This work presents a cooperative navigation systemof a humanoid robot and a wheeled robot using visual information, aiming to navigate the non-instrumented humanoid robot using information obtained from the instrumented wheeled robot. Despite the humanoid not having sensors to its navigation, it can be remotely controlled by infra-red signals. Thus, the wheeled robot can control the humanoid positioning itself behind him and, through visual information, find it and navigate it. The location of the wheeled robot is obtained merging information from odometers and from landmarks detection, using the Extended Kalman Filter. The marks are visually detected, and their features are extracted by image processing. Parameters obtained by image processing are directly used in the Extended Kalman Filter. Thus, while the wheeled robot locates and navigates the humanoid, it also simultaneously calculates its own location and maps the environment (SLAM). The navigation is done through heuristic algorithms based on errors between the actual and desired pose for each robot. The main contribution of this work was the implementation of a cooperative navigation system for two robots based on visual information, which can be extended to other robotic applications, as the ability to control robots without interfering on its hardware, or attaching communication devices

Development of a support vector machine-based navigation system for driving a mobile robot through paths in plantations

The use of mobile robots turns out to be interesting in activities where the action of human specialist is difficult or dangerous. Mobile robots are often used for the exploration in areas of difficult access, such as rescue operations and space missions, to avoid human experts exposition to risky situations. Mobile robots are also used in agriculture for planting tasks as well as for keeping the application of pesticides within minimal amounts to mitigate environmental pollution. In this paper we present the development of a system to control the navigation of an autonomous mobile robot through tracks in plantations. Track images are used to control robot direction by preprocessing them to extract image features. Such features are then submitted to a support vector machine in order to find out the most appropriate route. The overall goal of the project to which this work is connected is to develop a real time robot control system to be embedded into a hardware platform. In this paper we report the software implementation of a support vector machine, which so far presented around 93% accuracy in predicting the appropriate route. © 2012 IEEE.

Controle discreto com modos deslizantes em sistemas incertos com atraso no sinal de controle

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Experimental results on the nonlinear H(infinity) control via quasi-LPV representation and game theory for wheeled mobile robots

In this paper, nonlinear dynamic equations of a wheeled mobile robot are described in the state-space form where the parameters are part of the state (angular velocities of the wheels). This representation, known as quasi-linear parameter varying, is useful for control designs based on nonlinear H(infinity) approaches. Two nonlinear H(infinity) controllers that guarantee induced L(2)-norm, between input (disturbances) and output signals, bounded by an attenuation level gamma, are used to control a wheeled mobile robot. These controllers are solved via linear matrix inequalities and algebraic Riccati equation. Experimental results are presented, with a comparative study among these robust control strategies and the standard computed torque, plus proportional-derivative, controller.

Using attractor dynamics to generate decentralized motion control of two mobile robots transporting a long object in coordination

Dynamical systems theory is used here as a theoretical language and tool to design a distributed control architecture for a team of two mobile robots that must transport a long object and simultaneously avoid obstacles. In this approach the level of modeling is at the level of behaviors. A “dynamics” of behavior is defined over a state space of behavioral variables (heading direction and path velocity). The environment is also modeled in these terms by representing task constraints as attractors (i.e. asymptotically stable states) or reppelers (i.e. unstable states) of behavioral dynamics. For each robot attractors and repellers are combined into a vector field that governs the behavior. The resulting dynamical systems that generate the behavior of the robots may be nonlinear. By design the systems are tuned so that the behavioral variables are always very close to one attractor. Thus the behavior of each robot is controled by a time series of asymptotically stable states. Computer simulations support the validity of our dynamic model architectures.

Fractional control of legged robots

Fractional calculus (FC) is being used in several distinct areas of science and engineering, being recognized its ability to yield a superior modelling and control in many dynamical systems. This article illustrates the application of FC in the area of robot control. A Fractional Order PDμ controller is proposed for the control of an hexapod robot with 3 dof legs. It is demonstrated the superior performance of the system by using the FC concepts.

AGNI: an API for the control of automomous service robots

With the continuum growth of Internet connected devices, the scalability of the protocols used for communication between them is facing a new set of challenges. In robotics these communications protocols are an essential element, and must be able to accomplish with the desired communication. In a context of a multi-­‐‑agent platform, the main types of Internet communication protocols used in robotics, mission planning and task allocation problems will be revised. It will be defined how to represent a message and how to cope with their transport between devices in a distributed environment, reviewing all the layers of the messaging process. A review of the ROS platform is also presented with the intent of integrating the already existing communication protocols with the ServRobot, a mobile autonomous robot, and the DVA, a distributed autonomous surveillance system. This is done with the objective of assigning missions to ServRobot in a security context.