Motion Planning Module Research Articles

Performance Optimisation of Mobile Robots for Search-and-Rescue

This paper presents a team performance optimisation system for multiple mobile robots in search-and-rescue operations, in which refugees are first discovered and subsequently robots are dispatched to transport themto shelters. Coordination of mobile robots involves two fundamental issues, namely task allocation and motion planning. While task allocation assigns jobs to robots, motion planning generates routes for robots to execute the assigned jobs. Task allocation and motion planning together play a pivotal role in optimisation of the robot team performance. These two issues become more challenging in dynamic search-and-rescue environments, where the refugees are unpredictably discovered at different locations and the traffic conditions of rescue zones keep changing. Weaddress these two issues by proposing an auction-based closed-loop module for task allocation and a bio-inspired intelligent module for motion planning. The task allocation module is characterised with a closed-loop bid adjustment mechanism to improve the bid accuracy even in light of stochastic rescue requests. The motion planning module is bio-inspired intelligent in that it features detection of imminent neighbours and responsiveness of virtual force navigation in dynamic traffic conditions. Simulations show that the proposed system is a practical tool to optimise the dynamic operations of search-and-rescue by a team of mobilerobots.

GENERATING A JOB DESCRIPTION FOR MOTION PLANNING

This paper describes the system and methods that are used by the offline programming system, TAS, to generate job descriptions for the motion planners used at Odense Steel Shipyard. TAS uses attributes locally defined at each seam end to attach scripts. These scripts specify how the welding torch must behave at the seam ends. This information is collected into job descriptions which is again transferred to a motion planning module. This module calculates how the robot must move in order to fulfill welding specifications without colliding with the environment.

Next generation manufacturing task planner for robotic arc welding

The trend toward manufacturing in small lot sizes continues, imposing ever new demands on the responsiveness of companies to consumer demands. To be cost competitive, this requires the designer to perform part of the manufacturing planning early in the design phase. Towards this end a number of decision support tools have been developed, providing designers with vital information regarding the manufacturability of a part or a product. Part of any manufacturability study includes the simulation of the processes involved. It is important that the designer can investigate different manufacturing scenarios and successfully choose one within the constraints of his organization or the ones he can easily access. In this paper we describe the requirements of an environment in which a part can be designed incorporating both the geometric and nongeometric information required for a complete product/manufacturing process description. This paper also describes the nonprocedural Programmable Automated Welding System (PAWS) package. This system has three major components, namely, a non-manifold solid modeler for part, equipment, and environment definition, an SQL (standard query language)-compatible database for process definition, and a robotic motion planning module capable of motion optimization, interference detection and graphic simulation. Although this system focuses on the welding process, the key components of the system are equally relevant to other manufacturing strategies such as grinding, spraying, deburring, and cutting.