Robot Technology Components Research Articles

Scalable Component-Based Manzai Robots as Automated Funny Content Generators

[abstFig src='/00280006/10.jpg' width='300' text='Tabletop component-based Manzai robots' ] This manuscript describes a scalable tabletop Manzai robot system that has been developed using distributed software components. Manzai is a style of traditional Japanese stand-up comedy that is typically performed by two comedians – a stooge and a straight man. Manzai script refers to the dialogues exchanged between the two comedians. Manzai robots automatically generate their Manzai scripts from web news articles based on keywords provided by audiences and search results on the Internet. Then, the robots perform according to these Manzai scripts. This study focuses on the flexibility and scalability of a robot system based on distributed Robot Technology (RT) components. The results of the implementation experiments demonstrate the flexibility of the Manzai performing robots and the scalability of the functions of the robot system.

Formally specifying the RT-Component framework standard's port connection process

The Robot Technology Component standard forms the basis on which several component-based software frameworks for robotics are built, including OpenRTM-aist. In order to have confidence that the software framework will function as expected, we require confidence that this standard is a correct description of the expected functionality. In this article, we present a formal verification of one part of the RT-Component standard's functionality. We use the TLA+ formal specification language to specify and model-check the algorithm used to connect ports. Our specification and model-checking results show that, as expected for this relatively simple algorithm, it correctly connects the specified ports only and does not interfere with other ports. Additionally, this formal specification can serve as a clearer specification of the expected RT-Component-based framework functionality than the informal and UML-based descriptions given in the original standard document.

An automatic switching approach of robotic components for improving robot localization reliability in complicated environment

Purpose – Robot localization technology has been widely studied for decades and a lot of remarkable approaches have been developed. However, in practice, this technology has hardly been applied to common day-to-day deployment scenarios. The purpose of this paper is to present a novel approach that focuses on improving the localization robustness in complicated environment. Design/methodology/approach – The localization robustness is improved by dynamically switching the localization components (such as the environmental camera, the laser range finder and the depth camera). As the components are highly heterogeneous, they are developed under the robotic technology component (RTC) framework. This simplifies the developing process by increasing the potential for reusability and future expansion. To realize this switching, the localization reliability for each component is modeled, and a configuration method for dynamically selecting dependable components at run-time is presented. Findings – The experimental results show that this approach significantly decreases robot lost situation in the complicated environment. The robustness is further enhanced through the cooperation of heterogeneous localization components. Originality/value – A multi-component automatic switching approach for robot localization system is developed and described in this paper. The reliability of this system is proved to be a substantial improvement over single-component localization techniques.

An Effective Method of Sharing Heterogeneous Components of OPRoS and RTM

Heterogeneous components have different component models, which prevents such components from sharing the functionalities of other components based on the different models. As one of methods for linking heterogeneous components, this paper suggests a proxy component to construct a bridge between heterogeneous components of OPRoS (Open Platform for Robotic Service) and RTM (Robot Technology Middleware). The proxy component consists of two types of components called Adaptor and Interceptor, via which the heterogeneous components can exchange data and services easily. The proposed method enables adaptor and interceptor components to directly invoke the services of the latter and the former, respectively, in order to exchange data and services on a real-time basis. The proxy component can be implemented for OPRoS and RT (Robot Technology) component models to connect with RT and OPRoS ones, respectively. It is shown through a simple experiment that the proposed method works well for real-time control.

Specification and Implementation of Open Source Software Suite for Realizing Communication Intelligence

We are presently developing a set of software called the Open Source Software Suite for Human Robot Interaction (OpenHRI). The OpenHRI has the following features: It is implemented on RT-Component, an Object Management Group (OMG) compliant robot technology component specification that can be easily integrated into any robot system. It can perform various functions, from audio signal processing to dialog management, in a uniform and reconfigurable manner. It not only implements each required function of components but also defines a meta-level specification to enable the developer to verify whether the structural design of components is correct. In this paper, we introduce the implementation of the OpenHRI, present the architectural design of the system, and provide examples of applications.

RTM (Robot Technology Middleware) Based Dynamic Interrupt System for Communication Between Humans and Robots

A dynamic fuzzy interrupt system is proposed to optimize responsiveness of robots in humans-robots communication. The system guarantees a continuous and efficient human-robot interaction by assigning priority to the given instruction and it remains immune to distractions caused by conflicting instructions. The system is embedded in the robot technology components that are able to implement by different programming languages, under the different operating system. Experiments to simulate actions of mascot robot system such as the eye robot, mobile robot, and information retrieval engine involving 10,000 instructions show a 14% improvement in the system responsiveness and a delay time of less than 2 seconds. The implementation of home party scenario between four humans (a host and three guests) and five eye robots shows the affective communication, and confirms to facilitate casual communication between humans and robots with limited interruption.

Software Deployment Infrastructure for Component Based RT-Systems

In component-based Robotic Technology (RT) systems, launching the system involves installing component binary files to the target computers, instantiation of components, and establishing connections between components. In order to operate RT systems with many CPU nodes effectively, the deployment features provided by the middleware are important. Deployment means system life-cycle management, including software installation, configuring components, and launching components. In this paper, we describe deployment tools for RT systems. The component deployment functionality is realized based on the OMG Robotic Technology Component (RTC) specification [1]. Description formats are defined, a service interface is designed and tools are implemented using the OpenRTM-aist that is the implementation of the OMG RTC specification. The implemented deployment infrastructure is evaluated and discussed, and issues and potential future work are considered.

The Joint Interface of RT Components for Mobile Robots: The Activity Report Inform the Mobile Robot Working Group of the NEDO Intelligent RT Software Project

RT-middleware enables an interface between RT components by means of interface description language IDL, but it does not prescribe any specific format. If a unique representation format is used, it leads to a reduction in the reusability of a Robotic Technology Component (RTC). A working group of three research bodies engaged in the research and development of mobile robots was organized in the NEDO Intelligent RT Software Project, and this working group is involved in activities aimed at the jointing of RTCs for mobile robots. This paper describes specific this working group’s attempts enhance the sustainability and reusability of common RT components for mobile robots by achieving the jointing of RTCs for mobile robots.

2A1-D08 インターフェースが変化しても再実装を必要としないRTコンポーネントとその自動生成法

An interface definition update of RT (Robot Technology) components often incurs time-consuming error-prone 'patching' of generated template codes due to the dependency between the template and application code. With the introduction of a new object adapter exploiting reflection API provided by Java language, a fully functional RT component could be obtained with no human interventions. Therefore, the RT component becomes robust to its interface update, which means the newer level of reusability is provided. We applied proposed idea to our application domain, service planning RT component, and verified that the full-fledged service planning RT component could be generated beyond the interface evolution.

Visual Mark for Robot Manipulation and Its RT-Middleware Component

In this paper, a visual marker called Coded Landmark for Ubiquitous Environment (CLUE) is proposed for easy robot manipulation using the RT-middleware component technology. Currently, home service robots are being expected to work in human living environments; however, such environments might be highly complex for robots. One of the solutions to solve such problems might be the development of structured environments for robots, such as visual marks in human living space, which could often be used in industrial fields, e.g., marked lines for mobile robots in industry. For application of structured environments from the factory to the human living environment, the affinity to humans might be important, such as marks invisible to humans, but visible to robots. In this paper, an invisible marker, CLUE, which is based on QR codes, is proposed; this will provide robots with information on the objects that are to be manipulated and visual guidance required for robot manipulation based on the RT-middleware platform. Finally, by means of actual robot applications, the method to use the proposed robot technology component is shown.