Innovative Robot Research Articles

Digital innovation hubs for robotics – TRINITY approach for distributing knowledge via modular use case demonstrations

Robots are no longer stand-alone systems on the factory floor. The demand for industrial robots (market) is anticipated to be growing to 65 billion euros by the year 2023. Within all areas of robotics, the demand for collaborative and more flexible systems is rising as well. The level of desired collaboration and increased flexibility will only be reached if the systems are developed as a whole, e.g. perception, reasoning and physical manipulation. The rising need for collaborative robots in the automation industry is acting as a driver for this market and is expected to serve as a market opportunity for future growth. However, at the same time especially smaller companies have difficulties to formulate a concrete vision and strategies for the uptake of robotics, finding skilled workforce to develop and deploy the robot systems and/or work in the manufacturing industry. A number of Digital Innovation Hubs (DIHs) have been developed to enhance the knowledge and technology transfer from laboratories to factory floors, mitigating the skills gap and supporting the formulation of innovation ecosystems with the specific focus on small and medium-sized companies around Europe. The main aim of this paper is to introduce the concept and approach taken in H2020 TRINITY-project that aims to develop a Robotics Innovation Hub focused on Agile Production. The paper will introduce the concept and technical approach of the project, and discusses the preliminary results, challenges and opportunities of these kind of DIHs.

How Should Mydbots Manage Innovations in Consumer Robotics?

A Malaysia-based firm Mydbots entered the high-technology market with its digital innovations in consumer robotics space. The impending challenges the firm faced included making the technology ready for the market, developing consumers’ mindset to adopt the technology, and planning the vision and diffusion of future product innovation. By meeting these challenges, it planned to emerge as a leader in consumer robotics. The case expects students to critically analyze the firm’s background and the prevailing market conditions to propose a comprehensive approach that can help the firm convert its innovation vision to innovation diffusion in the high-technology space. The case study intends to initiate a meaningful discussion among students about how to manage robotic innovations in consumer markets by overcoming the associated technological and marketing challenges.

New Tasks for Medical Robotics in Rehabilitation and Hospital Services in a Pandemic Time – New Solutions: a Concept Model of an Autonomous Multifunctional Robot «Helper»

The article is devoted to an overview of modern medical robots used in everyday rehabilitation practice and hospital services. At thesame time, the emerging problems and new challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic are analyzed. Logically structured medical and technical solutions using innovative robotics are proposed. The concept model of the multifunctional autonomous robot “Helper” which is presented in the article has 7 functions that are critical in the face of a pandemic: movement along the specified routes; disinfection of premises and robot self disinfection; biometric identification; delivery of medicines; interpersonally communication;possibilities of telepresence and telemedicine; interactive musical-acoustic and virtual psychotherapy. It is an attempt to find effective practical response to the most serious challenges of our time associated with the pandemic aimed at reducing the risks of nosocomial spread of infection, unloading medical staff, providing psychological and service assistance to patients with COVID-19 who are undergoing rehabilitation treatment. The conclusive idea of the article is that medical robotics plays an increasingly significant role in the process of modern rehabilitation treatment and hospital services, which become especially important during a pandemic control and liquidation of its consequences. The relevant robotization of Healthcare Service has strategic importance with high medical,social and economic potential.

UVC disinfection robot.

The aim of the present work is to contribute in the fight against the spread of Covid-19, a novel human coronavirus, in hospitals, public transport, airlines, and any enclosed areas. In this study, we have adopted the physical disinfection method by using UVC light as agent. The UVC devices are studied and classified according their disinfectant units, complementary devices, combined disinfection agents, mobilities, and order types. Our finding shows that a mobile robot is the most efficient device to inactivate microorganisms, so we have developed a robot called i-Robot UVC. The robot is equipped with eight UVC lamps around a central column and two lamps on the top. The column is fixed on a mobile base where several sensors are integrated to measure temperature and humidity on the one hand, and on the other, to detect motion plus position and to avoid obstacles. The robot can estimate automatically the disinfection time while monitored by Wi-Fi connection from a phone or a tablet. I-Robot UVC disinfects rooms and equipment with ultraviolet light, and shuts down when humans are around to keep them safe. The robot can kill 99,999% bacteria and various through UVC lamps led. The innovative robot UVC was patented under the number TN2020/0063.

Special Issue on Innovative Robotics and Mechatronics Technology of Modern Passenger Cars for Zeroing Traffic Accidents

The Science Council of Japan’s 2008 Report, “Aiming for a Zero Traffic Accidents Society,” states that “it is necessary to establish various driver assistance technologies based on the fact that most drivers make mistakes”; “for advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) technologies, cooperation between human operation and machine assistance, and social acceptability need to be evaluated”; and “new driver assistance by introduction of robotics technology and application of automated driving in specific operating domain should be considered in the near future.” A wide array of robotic technologies is expected to contribute to developing intelligent and advanced technologies for passenger and transport vehicles, as well as creating a rich future for the transportation of people and logistics. Over the past decade, researchers and engineers have attempted to achieve these goals. In 2015, the government announced a policy to make practical use and deployment of automated driving technologies by the year of Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics. Now, looking toward the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, we organized a special issue of the JRM: “Innovative Robotics and Mechatronics Technology of Modern Passenger Cars for Zeroing Traffic Accidents.” This special issue features 16 papers carefully written and reviewed by field specialists. We express our heartfelt appreciation to the authors and reviewers who have contributed their expertise to this issue. We would also like to thank the members of the Journal of Robotics and Mechatronics board for giving us the unique opportunity to coordinate this issue.

Innovative Experimental Design of Modular Robot Platform

In the current process of innovation education and practical teaching in universities, robot teaching and innovation experiments are important research topics. And with the continuous development and improvement of artificial intelligence, in the current process of innovative research on robots, more attention has been paid to the design of robotic automation and intelligent systems. It has significant meaning to the design and analysis of robot motion control and the improvement of robot research. The introduction of the modular robot platform into the teaching and research process can improve students ‘ability to independently design and develop robots, and it also can expand students’ knowledge of robot-related knowledge. In addition, the use of modular robot platforms can introduce task schemes as teaching cases and carry out hierarchical teaching modes, which is of great help in guiding students to carry out robot innovation research. When using the modular robot platform to carry out innovative research and design, it is necessary to pay attention to constructing an innovation experiment group. In this research, the writing robot developed by students is used as an object to design and study an automated system for robots to control writing brushes. The use of this experimental innovative design method can greatly enhance students’ enthusiasm for innovation, stimulate students’ interest in robots, and is of great help in cultivating students’ creative thinking and ability.

Innovative Robot - Robot/AI for Factory Automation-

Innovative Robot - Robot/AI for Factory Automation-

Harmonizing Law and Innovations in Nanomedicine, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Biomedical Robotics: A Central Asian Perspective

The recent progression in AI, nanomedicine and robotics have increased concerns about ethics, policy and law. The increasing complexity and hybrid nature of AI and nanotechnologies impact the functionality of “law in action” which can lead to legal uncertainty and ultimately to a public distrust. There is an immediate need of collaboration between Central Asian biomedical scientists, AI engineers and academic lawyers for the harmonization of AI, nanomedicines and robotics in Central Asian legal system.

Empowering Early Childhood Pre-Service Teachers with Tech Fluency

Many early childhood pre-service teachers will bring some experience with technology into college which may include word processing, gaming, and social media. Some will have a knowledge of block or html programming.Working adult students often bring less experience. Technology in a 21st century elementary classroom integrates technology tools intentionally and ethically. Teachers need to be able to adapt to new technologies and coding languages quickly. Teachers need to embrace the interdisciplinary nature of Science- Technology-Engineering-Mathematics (STEM). A complex myriad of tools and strategies exist. This can seem overwhelming and disconnected from the individual disciplinary goals in the classroom. Pre-service teacher preparation programs must empower pre-service teachers with technology fluency in order to respond to fluid and diverse challenges of the 21st century classroom. This exploratory research project synthesizes pedagogy, international technology standards, peer groups, technology trainings, student evaluations, growth mindset theory, and common readers to reform a small liberal arts college’s approach to early childhood pre-service teacher preparation. The curriculum revision was guided by these questions: 1) How do our pre-service teachers relate to the present and future worlds of themselves and of their students? 2) How can pre-services programs empower early childhood teachers with tech fluency? The exploration involved undergraduate pre-service teachers over a 6-year period. The research resulted in a five-phase approach to educational technology that consists of Play, Learn, Create, Plan, and Share. Pre-service teachers explore technology tools, learn how they work, create innovative robots and projects from the tools, plan curricula that integrate those tools, and develop agency through sharing their thinking, curricula, and projects with the broader educational community. This approach can offer innovative systemic changes in education technology pedagogy.

Robotics in Finnish welfare services: dynamics in an emerging innovation ecosystem

ABSTRACT This paper considers the dynamics of the emerging care robotics innovation ecosystem in the Finnish welfare services. Innovation ecosystems have both evolutionary nature as well as aspects of purposeful design, and we study the relevant actors, their roles, the accelerators and the barriers, by conducting a survey among relevant stakeholders in the innovation ecosystem. An online survey was conducted with a range of Finnish stakeholders (N = 250): service actors (n = 148) and research and development actors (n = 102). The responses of the two groups were analyzed with a pairwise t-test. The results show that a variety of stakeholders are needed in ecosystem. The role of micro-level actors, such as workmates and professional and private robot users, were considered as important. Service actors should also play a stronger role in the ecosystem. In particular, research and development actors seemed to be open to new stakeholders entering the ecosystem and highlighted the importance of collaboration between actors. The culture of piloting in Finland is accelerating the ecosystem, but attitudinal factors, such as fears and resistance to change are hindering its development. The ecosystem is dynamic, and the dynamics in the ecosystem seem to be largely based on social and cultural issues.

2392 ROBUST (Robotic Uterine Standardized Techniqueor): A Novel System for Uterine Biopsy

Study Objective The differential diagnosis of fibroids could be challenging with other uterine masses including adenomyomas or uterine cancers and sarcomas. Minimally Invasive procedures including morcellation mandates a thorough imaging and if possible histologic analyses. To date such a pathologic approach has a very poor accuracy, even conducted under ultrasound, MRI or hysteroscopic guidance. A targeted biopsy requires the development of state of the art imaging and robotics to enable a secure, reproducible, and accurate sampling. The aim of our study is to develop such a device based on the latest innovations in 3D imaging and robotics. Design ROBUST includes a robotic system called APOLLO® to position an ultrasound probe and an needle attached to it. A «co-manipulation mode » is used to control a robotized probe holder with Trinity, a 3D Ultrasound System performing image fusions. Setting University Hospital and University Research Laboratory in Robotics Patients or Participants Phantom Model Interventions Numerical approach on a phantom to estimate the interaction between the probe tip and the insertion environment. It is implemented on a robotic control law in order to accurately position the probe tip on uterine target Measurements and Main Results Biomechanical study of the uterus were performed to ensure the robustness and the efficacy of the image fusion. The fusion between intraoperative US images will allow the tracking of the organ displacement and deformation. A graphical interface dedicated to uterus diagnosis and puncture accessories will be developed. The guidance of the clinician gesture through a co-manipulated mode will allow an optimized targeting, exploiting the MRI targets of the imaging system, and taking account of the anatomical limits with a force feedback system Conclusion Two experiments manipulating Freely an ultrasound probe along two perpendicular translation and after insertion in an anatomical phantom helped us to assess a mathematical model to improve a robotic device to direct ultrasound guided biopsies.

A Robotic Platform to Identify Gas Pipe Leakage Using IOT

Gas pipes play a very vital role in cities as well as industries thus directly related to the growing economy of our country. Gas leakages in our present day world lead to many fire accidents and pose a greater threat. To place sensors at each section of the pipe is difficult as well as time taking and costly. So, we are proposing an innovative robot that clings to the outer surface of a gas pipe and moves along the pipe to detect gas leakages. The robot keeps on moving along the pipe surface and will monitor any gas leakage, when it detects it will send the transmit location using an interface GPS sensor to the IOT login system, we use a software called UBIDOTS to display the gas leakage position and it also sends alert messages over IOT. At last, we design a robot which is automated and has an insect like structure that moves along the gas pipe and it detects the gas leakages at a very low cost.

Make Way for the Robots! Human- and Machine-Centricity in Constituting a European Public\u2013Private Partnership

This article is an analytic register of recent European efforts in the making of ‘autonomous’ robots to address what is imagined as Europe’s societal challenges. The paper describes how an emerging techno-epistemic network stretches across industry, science, policy and law to legitimize and enact a robotics innovation agenda. Roadmap is the main metaphor and organizing tool in working across the disciplines and sectors, and in aligning these heterogeneous actors with a machine-centric vision along a path to make way for ‘new kinds’ of robots. We describe what happens as this industry-dominated project docks in a public–private partnership with pan-European institutions and a legislative initiative on robolaw. Emphasizing the co-production of robotics and European innovation politics, we observe how well-known uncertainties and scholarly debates about machine capabilities and human–machine configurations, are unexpectedly played out in legal scholarship and institutions as a controversy and a significant problem for human-centered legal frameworks. European robotics are indeed driving an increase in speculative ethics and a new-found weight of possible futures in legislative practice.

Design of an Inertial Measuring Unit for Control of Robotic Devices

Industrial robots are increasingly used to automate technological processes, such as machining, welding, paint coating, assembly, etc. Automation rationalizes material flows, integrates production facilities and reduces the need for manufacturing inventory, provides cost savings for human maintenance. Technology development and growing competition have an influence on production growth and increase of product quality, and thus the new possibilities in innovation of industrial robot are searched for. One of the possibilities is applying of an inertial navigation system into robot control. This article focuses on new trends in manufacturing technology: design of Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) for a robotic application control. The Arduino platform is used for the IMU as a hardware solution. The advantage of this platform is low cost and wide range of sensors and devices that are compatible with this platform. For scanning, the MEMS sensor MPU6050 is used, which includes a 3-axis gyroscope and an accelerometer in one chip. New trends in manufacturing facilities, especially robotics innovation and automation, will enable the productivity to grow in production processes.

Editorial and News

Editorial and News

Various perspectives of labor and human resources challenges and changes due to automation and artificial intelligence.

The constant technological changes and its impact in the labor force are causing a domino effect that can change corporate culture, laws and workers in upcoming years. The importance of Artificial Intelligence for companies is also a mayor subject that may cause conflicts among cities around the world. Seasonal workers, 24 hours contracts, and informal methods of employments are reducing the possibilities of collective agreements and job satisfaction. Consequently, the so-called “Information Society”, labor modifications and role transformations have played a key role and have had an ascending evolution. There are different jobs that have been relegated to a substantial change in different industries due to all the information technology advances and robotics innovations. This process will increase in upcoming decades by establishing new types of jobs to sustain this changing economy. The controversy starts when this “macro” and “micro” vision collide with those people who have been dismissed due to the automation process. Because of the facts mentioned and current market trends, we can confirm that digital changes and transformations will continue to increase.

Killer Robots and Their Compliance with the Principles of Law of War

Robots are no longer fictional as they used to be years ago. Technological advancements and developments in artificial intelligence (AI) development have allowed innovation of robots that carry out diverse functions. Among these are robot innovations aimed at replacing soldiers in battle fields. These robots have been argued to be more ethical and clinical than human soldiers by some scholars. Others have argued that the increasing level of autonomy in these robots leading to innovation of fully autonomous weapons should be banned. They argue that the ability of these weapons to differentiate between civilians and combatants and thus may cause unnecessary death of civilians. This paper discusses how difficult it is for the law of war (international humanitarian law ) to be applied by the algorithm by discussing how killer robots (also known as autonomous weapons system) cannot comply to the basic law of war principles like distinction, proportionality and precaution. These principles call for unquantifiable decisions which need human-like characters which killer robots do not possess. The paper also argues how humanitarian law accepts responsibility for a human agency, making it difficult to determine responsibility in cases involving killer robots. Qualitative research methodology has been applied to the following article.

Special Issue on Integrated Knowledge on Innovative Robot Mechanisms

A robot is a system integrated with many elements such as actuators, sensors, computers, and mechanical components. Currently, progress in the field of artificial intelligence induced by tremendous improvements in computer processing capabilities has enabled robots to behave in a more sophisticated manner, which is drawing considerable attention. On the other hand, the mechanism that directly produces robot movements and mechanical work sometimes brings out some competencies that cannot be provided solely by computer control that relies on sensor feedback. This special issue on “Integrated Knowledge on Innovative Robot Mechanisms” aims to introduce a knowledge system for robot mechanisms that bring forth useful and innovative functions and values. The editors hope that the studies discussed in this special issue will help in the realization and further improvement of the mechanical functions of robots in the real world.

<b>Responsible innovation in molecular robotics in Japan </b>

Over the last decade Japanese researchers have taken the lead in the emerging discipline of molecular robotics. This new technology aims to produce artificial molecular systems that can adapt to changes in the environment, self-organize and evolve. This paper explores the question of how to stimulate responsible research and innovation in the field of molecular robotics technologies. For this, we first draw lessons from earlier societal responses in Japan to emerging technologies, such as genetic engineering, nanotechnology, synthetic biology and genomic research. Next we describe various real-time technology assessment (TA) activities on molecular robotics in Japan to depict the state-of-the-art of the academic and public debate on the social aspects of molecular robotics. Lessons from earlier societal responses to emerging technologies demonstrated three potential challenges: finding and involving the ‘right’ experts and stakeholders, keeping regulations up to date, and getting scientists and citizens involved in science communication. A literature review, ‘future workshop’ and scenario workshop raised a number of ethical, social, political and cultural issues, and addressed desirable and undesirable scenarios for the next few decades. Twitter text mining analysis indicates that the level of attention, knowledge and awareness about molecular robots among a broader audience is still very limited. In conclusion, we identify four activities crucial to enable responsible innovation in molecular robotics—getting to grips with the speed of the development of molecular robotics, monitoring related technical trends, the establishment of a more stable TA knowledge base, and a sustained interaction between molecular roboticists and social scientists.

Gendered Innovations in Medicine, Machine Learning, and Robotics

Gendered Innovations in Medicine, Machine Learning, and Robotics