Humanoid Robot Platform Research Articles

DEVELOPMENT OF AN INTEGRATED PERCEPTUAL FOOT SYSTEM FOR HUMANOID ROBOTS

The realization of dynamic and stable walking anthropomorphically for humanoid robots to step on various kinds of uneven environments has long been considered as the research emphasis in the field of humanoid robot. The foot system constitutes the element which ensures the interaction between the humanoid robot and the environment. Apart from supporting the whole weight of robot and sensing the external forces exerted by the foot system on the ground during walk, perception of effective contact area (ECA) and foot postures are indispensably important information supports for various control schemes. This paper describes our research efforts aimed at an integrated perceptual foot (IPF) system which is designed by the conception derived from human foot motion mechanism. The IPF system possesses the capability to perceive the external forces/torques, ECA distribution, foot postures, zero moment point trajectory and topography conditions, etc. And the feasibility and validity of each sensor system in IPF system are experimentally tested on the humanoid robot platform BHR-2, which provide useful information support as possible to achieve some new and effective control schemes for humanoid robots.

Speech control of a teleoperated mobile humanoid robot

This paper presents a mobile humanoid robot platform which is able to understand humans' speech commands in teleoperation environments. For service in unstructured environments, the robot must operate efficiently under active auditory perception system to ensure a coordinated human-robot system. First, the speech-based teleoperation control is introduced, with the cameras mounting on the robots, transmitting the video to the user through the wireless network, while the user sends speech commands to drive the robot to fulfill the desired task through the same communication channel. In order to eliminate the time delay in the communication channel, the authors incorporate the event-based motion control into the robot control. It drives the system to achieve the best possible motion. Finally, the event-based speech teleoperation is experimentally implemented and verified using a human-like mobile robot. Key words: Human-like mobile robot, speech recognition, teleoperation, event-based control.

Real-Time 3D Stereo Tracking and Localizing of Spherical Objects with the iCub Robotic Platform

Visual pattern recognition is a basic capability of many species in nature. The skill of visually recognizing and distinguishing different objects in the surrounding environment gives rise to the development of sensory-motor maps in the brain, with the consequent capability of object reaching and manipulation. This paper presents the implementation of a real-time tracking algorithm for following and evaluating the 3D position of a generic spatial object. The key issue of our approach is the development of a new algorithm for pattern recognition in machine vision, the Least Constrained Square-Fitting of Ellipses (LCSE), which improves the state of the art ellipse fitting procedures. It is a robust and direct method for the least-square fitting of ellipses to scattered data. In this work we applied it to the iCub humanoid robotics platform simulator and real robot. We used it as a base for a circular object localization within the 3D surrounding space. We compared its performance with the Hough Transform and the state of the art ellipse fitting algorithms, in terms of robustness (succes/failure in the object detection) and fitting precision. Our experiments involve robustness against noise, occlusion, and computational complexities analyses.

MAHRU-M: A mobile humanoid robot platform based on a dual-network control system and coordinated task execution

This paper introduces a mobile humanoid robot platform able to execute various services for humans in their everyday environments. For service in more intelligent and varied environments, the control system of a robot must operate efficiently to ensure a coordinated robot system. We enhanced the efficiency of the control system by developing a dual-network control system. The network system consists of two communication protocols: high-speed IEEE 1394, and a highly stable Controller Area Network (CAN). A service framework is also introduced for the coordinated task execution by a humanoid robot. To execute given tasks, various sub-systems of the robot were coordinated effectively by this system. Performance assessments of the presented framework and the proposed control system are experimentally conducted. MAHRU-M, as a platform for a mobile humanoid robot, recognizes the designated object. The object’s pose is calculated by performing model-based object tracking using a particle filter with back projection-based sampling. A unique approach is used to solve the human-like arm inverse kinematics, allowing the control system to generate smooth trajectories for each joint of the humanoid robot. A mean-shift algorithm using bilateral filtering is also used for real-time and robust object tracking. The results of the experiment show that a robot can execute its services efficiently in human workspaces such as an office or a home.

The iCub humanoid robot: An open-systems platform for research in cognitive development

We describe a humanoid robot platform--the iCub--which was designed to support collaborative research in cognitive development through autonomous exploration and social interaction. The motivation for this effort is the conviction that significantly greater impact can be leveraged by adopting an open systems policy for software and hardware development. This creates the need for a robust humanoid robot that offers rich perceptuo-motor capabilities with many degrees of freedom, a cognitive capacity for learning and development, a software architecture that encourages reuse & easy integration, and a support infrastructure that fosters collaboration and sharing of resources. The iCub satisfies all of these needs in the guise of an open-system platform which is freely available and which has attracted a growing community of users and developers. To date, twenty iCubs each comprising approximately 5000 mechanical and electrical parts have been delivered to several research labs in Europe and to one in the USA.

Classification of Standing States for the Humanoid Robot SJTU-HR1

The humanoid robot platform, SJTU-HR1, is developed to function within the human-centered environment, which means that it is necessary to study the human-robot interaction, robot-robot interaction, robot-environment interaction, and robot self-interaction. To solve the issue of robot-environment interaction and robot self-interaction, this study presents the state classification from the topological point of view for the SJTU-HR1, particularly the standing states. The generalized function set (G F set for short) theory is exploited to achieve the characteristics of the end-effectors of interest of the SJTU-HR1 for each specific standing state, which can provide deeper insight into the capabilities of the SJTU-HR1. One application example is given to show that the proposed methodology can simplify and clarity the complicated state planning issue for humanoid robots. Moreover, the standing states, including robot-environment interaction and robot self-interaction, can be described using the meaningful notations sufficiently. Although we have focused on the application of the G F set theory on the humanoid robot platform SJTU-HR1, this methodology can also be applied to other biped robots and quadruped robots.

HRP-2W: A humanoid platform for research on support behavior in daily life environments

We introduce a concept of a real-world-oriented humanoid robot that can support humans’ activities in daily life. In such environments, robots have to watch humans, understand their behavior, and support their daily life tasks. In particular, these robots must be capable of such real-world behavior as handling tableware and delivering daily commodities by hand. We developed a humanoid robot, HRP-2W, which has an upper body of HRP-2 [K. Kaneko, F. Kanehiro, S. Kajita, H. Hirukawa, T. Kawasaki, M. Hirata, K. Akachi, T. Isozumi, Humanoid Robot HRP-2, in: Proceedings of the 2004 IEEE International Conference on Robotics & Automation, 2004, pp. 1083–1090] and a wheel module instead of legs, as a research platform to fulfill this aim. We also developed basic software configuration in order to integrate our platform with other research groups. Through experiments, we demonstrated the feasibility of the humanoid robot platform and the potential of the software architecture.

3D MODELS OF HUMANOID SOCCER ROBOT IN USARSim AND ROBOTICS STUDIO SIMULATORS

This paper describes our experience in the simulation of humanoid soccer robots using two general purposes 3D simulators, namely USARSim and Microsoft Robotics Studio. We address the problem of the simulation of a soccer match among two teams of small humanoid robots in the RoboCup Soccer Kid-Size Humanoid competitions. The paper reports the implementation of the virtual models of the Robovie-M humanoid robot platform in the two simulators. Robovie-M was the robot used by our team "Artisti" in the RoboCup 2006 competitions. This paper focuses on the procedures needed to implement the virtual models of the robot and in the details of the models. We describe experiments assessing the feasibility and the fidelity of the two simulators.

VERSATILE, HIGH-QUALITY MOTIONS AND BEHAVIOR CONTROL OF A HUMANOID SOCCER ROBOT

Autonomous soccer games represent an extraordinary challenge for autonomous humanoid robots which must act fast and stable while carrying all needed onboard computers, sensors and batteries. In this paper, the development and system integration of hardware and software modules of the 55-cm tall, autonomous humanoid soccer robot Bruno is described to cope with this challenge. Although based on a "minimalistic" design which only uses gyroscopes in the hip but not foot-ground contact sensors for control of balance, versatile and high-quality walking motions have been developed. Fast forward walking of about 1.5 km/h has been obtained using an efficient sequential surrogate optimization method and walking through uneven terrain with a newly designed passively compliant foot sole. Further modules of the software and control architecture which are needed for an adaptive selection of different motions and autonomous robot behavior are briefly described. Experimental results are reported, which have been obtained under the conditions of a live competition. The robot's hardware is mainly based on standard components which can therefore be easily adapted by new designers, as no comparable, standard humanoid robot platforms are available.

An Anthropomorphic Robotic Platform for Progressive and Adaptive Sensorimotor Learning

In recent years, advances and improvements in engineering and robotics have in part been due to strengthened interactions with the biological sciences. Robots that mimic the complexity and adaptability of biological systems have become a central goal in research and development in robotics. Usually, such a collaboration is addressed to a 2-fold perspective of (i) setting up anthropomorphic platforms as test beds for studies in neuroscience and (ii) promoting new mechatronic and robotic technologies for the development of bio-inspired or humanoid high-performance robotic platforms. This paper provides a brief overview of recent studies on sensorimotor coordination in human motor control and proposes a novel paradigm of adaptive learning for sensorimotor control, based on a multi-network high-level control architecture. The proposed neurobiologically inspired model has been applied to a robotic platform, purposely designed to provide anthropomorphic solutions to neuroscientific requirements. The goal of this work is to use the bio-inspired robotic platform as a test bed for validating the proposed model of high-level sensorimotor control, with the aim of demonstrating adaptive and modular control based on acquired competences, with a higher degree of flexibility and generality than conventional robotic controllers, while preserving their robustness. To this purpose, a set of object-dependent, visually guided reach-and-grasp tasks and the associated training phases were first implemented in a multi-network control architecture in simulation. Subsequently, the offline learning realized in simulation was used to produce the input command of reach-and-grasp to the low-level position control of the robotic platform. Experimental trials demonstrated that the adaptive and modular high-level control allowed reaching and grasping of objects located at different positions and objects of variable size, shape and orientation. A future goal would be to address autonomous and progressive learning based on growing competences.

Walking biped humanoids that perform manual labour

The Humanoid Robotics Project of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan realized that biped humanoid robots can perform manual labour. The project developed humanoid robot platforms, consisting of humanoid robot hardware and a package of fundamental software, and explored applications of humanoid robots on them. The applications include maintenance tasks of industrial plants, teleoperation of industrial vehicles, cooperative tasks with a human, guarding the home and office and the care of patients in beds.

HUMANOID ROBOT APPLICATIONS IN HRP

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) of Japan ran an R&D project on humanoid robotics, called HRP. In the project, a humanoid robotics platform was developed in the first phase, and contributors of the project followed up with research on the applications of humanoid robots to various industries. In this paper, we describe the five applications that we think are suitable for humanoid robots and expect to open a new industry.

Humanoid robotics platforms developed in HRP

This paper presents humanoid robotics platform that consists of a humanoid robot and an open architecture software platform developed in METI’s Humanoid Robotics Project (HRP). The final version of the robot, called HRP-2, has 1540 mm height, 58 kg weight and 30 degrees of the freedom. The software platform includes a dynamics simulator and motion controllers of the robot for biped locomotion, falling and getting up motions. The platform has been used to develop various applications and is expected to initiate more humanoid robotics research.

Realization of dynamic walking for the humanoid robot platform KHR-1

This paper presents three online controllers for maintaining dynamic stability of a humanoid robot and describes simplified walking patterns for easy tuning in real experiments. The legs of a humanoid robot are relatively long and serially connected with compliant force/torque sensor at the ankle. This architecture has the inherent characteristics of a lightly damped system. Most research on balance control overlook the deterministic vibration caused by structural compliance. In addition, the vibration was not positively considered to improve the characteristics of the system. Therefore, a simple inverted pendulum model with a complaint joint is proposed. The proposed model has an advantage in easy parameter identification by experiment. For this model, the damping controller that increases system damping is proposed as a balance controller. Furthermore, the performance of maintaining balance against external forces is experimentally shown. A landing orientation controller at the ankle joints is presented to manage fast and stable ground contact. A landing position controller is implemented in order to modify the prescribed trajectory of the swing foot and to reduce the landing impact during unexpected landing. The effectiveness of the proposed controllers is confirmed by walking experiments that have been applied on the KAIST humanoid robot platform KHR-1.

人間協調・共存型ロボットシステムプロジェクトのロボットプラットフォームの開発 脚モジュールの研究開発とその基礎実験

This paper presents an advanced leg module developed for HRP-2. HRP-2 is a new humanoid robotics platform, which we have been developing in phase two of HRP. HRP is a humanoid robotics project, which has been lunched by Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) of Japan from 1998FY to 2002FY for five years. The ability of the biped locomotion of HRP-2 is improved so that HRP-2 can cope with rough terrain in the open air and can prevent the possible damages to a humanoid robot's own self in the event of tipping over. In this paper, the mechanisms and specifications of leg module, electrical system, simulation results utilized for deciding specifications, and experimental results are also introduced.

ヒューマノイドロボットソフトウェアプラットフォーム ＯｐｅｎＨＲＰ

This paper introduces an open architecture humanoid robotics platform (OpenHRP for short) on which various building blocks of humanoid robotics can be investigated. OpenHRP is a virtual humanoid robot platform with a compatible humanoid robot, and consists of a simulator of humanoid robots and motion control library for them which can also be applied to a compatible humanoid robot as it is. OpenHRP is expected to initiate the exploration of humanoid robotics on an open architecture software and hardware, thanks to the unification of the controllers and the examined consistency between the simulator and a real humanoid robot.

Humanoid robot simulator for the METI HRP Project

A simulator of humanoid robots and a controller of their whole body motions in METI’s Humanoid Robotics Project are developed. The simulator can emulate the dynamics of the motions of the robots whose structure may vary, and generate a sequence of the fields of view from the eyes of the robot according to the motions. The structure-varying system is managed by introducing virtual links. The controller can handle a biped locomotion, a dynamic balance control at the standing position and collision avoidance motions for the robots. These software modules are integrated via CORBA, which enables the Internet clients to use the software. A humanoid robot testbed has also been developed to verify the accuracy of the simulation by experiments in the real world. We call the system Virtual Humanoid Robot Platform, which we expect is the virtual counterpart of the hardware robot platform for humanoid robotics.