Robot Project Research Articles

DETERMINATION OF RELATIVE LENGTHS OF BONE SEGMENTS OF THE DOMESTIC CAT'S LIMBS BASED ON THE DIGITAL IMAGE ANALYSIS

This paper is an introduction to the issues related to obtaining information on the metric dimensions of selected bone segments of a domestic cat based on the analysis of digital images. The main objective is to acquire this data using only image processing methods. Particular emphasis was placed on obtaining data on the proportions between specific bones within the limbs. This data will be used in the process of creating a project of a four-legged walking robot whose structure will be inspired by solutions characteristic of the analyzed species.

ROBOTICS PROJECTS IN SCHOOL INFORMATICS COURSE

The article describes the prerequisites for the use of educational robotics in the school course of informatics, the history of the development of its directions and the normative basis for its use in modern school education. A typical model of an educational robotic project for the organization of research and project activities of students has been proposed. The technological chart of the lesson as an example of the implementation of a robotic project in the framework of the research activities on informatics is considered. Approaches to the organization of educational activities, teaching tools and ways of evaluation in informatics class on the theme “Information processes. Information transmission” when using the project approach are described.

Setting up and Using ROS-Kinetic and Gazebo for Educational Robotic Projects and Learning

This paper is to introduce readers to the Robot Operating System (ROS) and Gazebo, a robot simulator, for educational use. The paper covers setting up a proper environment for ROS Kinetic and the steps needed to properly install ROS into the setup environment. It includes an explanation of ROS and its inner workings, notably nodes and packages. This includes, but is not limited to, information on messages, topics, subscribers, and publishers. After a foundation of ROS understanding is established, Gazebo is introduced for the reader to test nodes without need of a physical robot. The Gazebo sections include an understanding of Gazebo, using a model, building a map/environment, running nodes, and sensors. Furthermore, this paper introduces the current project along with our team’s current progress. The use of teleop and lidar within a project. Lastly, the paper covers future works and direction of the current project.

Robust Computer Vision Chess Analysis and Interaction with a Humanoid Robot

As we move towards improving the skill of computers to play games like chess against humans, the ability to accurately perceive real-world game boards and game states remains a challenge in many cases, hindering the development of game-playing robots. In this paper, we present a computer vision algorithm developed as part of a chess robot project that detects the chess board, squares, and piece positions in relatively unconstrained environments. Dynamically responding to lighting changes in the environment, accounting for perspective distortion, and using accurate detection methodologies results in a simple but robust algorithm that succeeds 100% of the time in standard environments, and 80% of the time in extreme environments with external lighting. The key contributions of this paper are a dynamic approach to the Hough line transform, and a hybrid edge and morphology-based approach for object/occupancy detection, that enable the development of a robot chess player that relies solely on the camera for sensory input.

The Measure of: InSight Mars lander

Nasa's latest robotics project will study the interior structure of the Red Planet to answer questions about the early formation of the inner planets within our solar system.

Toward a pragmatic and social engineering ethics

Abstract This paper centers on a five-month ethnographic field study among engineers in a Danish collaborative industrial robotics project, to examine how the everyday work of engineers intersects with existing, formally-adopted engineering ethics approaches.Methods included a literature review of engineering ethics, participant observation in a technical research institute and in machine workshops, document and visual media analysis, object elicitation, and qualitative interviews. Empirical findings from this investigation are used to evaluate existing formalized engineering ethics in relation to engineering praxis. Juxtaposed with engineers’ everyday ethical decision-making practices, professional ethics approaches are shown to be based in deontological and virtue ethics, narrowly focused on the individual engineer as a professional, and thus inappropriate and insufficient for the very practical field of engineering. The author argues for an alternative direction toward a situated pragmatic and social ethics in engineering that disrupts the current social arrangement around robot development through ethnographic intervention in the engineers’ negotiation of values in the design process.

A Safety Review of Medical Device Robots in JAPAN

In Japan, the robot evolution in the medical field has been remarkable, robots now often perform actions that are difficult for humans including assisting with elderly care and conducting medical operations that require specific techniques, and Japanese medical robot technology is among the best in the world. As the workforce population decreases in Japan's ageing society, the demand for robots will be ever-increasing, the use of robots will reduce the increasing medical costs. Unfortunately, there has been insufficient research by Japanese law researchers on medical robots. This paper examines whether the law in Japan is a barrier to the development of robot technology. In Japan, medical treatments that utilise robots are promoted by the government and by private organisations, including the Center of Assistive Robotics and Rehabilitation for Longevity and Good Health and the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development, which are similar to the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health in the U.S. In Europe, the SPARC robot project promotes the private development of robots. One side effect of robot technology is the challenge they present within legal systems because laws commonly lag behind the rapid technological developments. To address this, we may need to modify existing interpretations by the executive branch and revise statues in parliament; otherwise, judges must interpret the meaning of statutes that competing parties dispute. This paper focuses on the legal issues regarding medical robots, including how the government approves the use of medical devices for older people, and proposes a legal framework that encourages the safe implementation of robots in the medical field.

Grouping matters in computational robotic activities

This study examines the impact of grouping by gender and group roles on robotics performance, computational thinking skills, and learning motivation towards computer programming. One hundred ninety-one students in fourth and fifth grade completed the project. LEGO Mindstorms EV3 robotics were used to compose and program music in groups of three to four students. The robotics project was completed over the course of fourteen weeks for 1 h each week. Gender-structured groups of all female, all male and mixed female and male were randomly assigned in each class. All groups in participating six classrooms were assigned one of three group roles implementation, which were fixed, rotating and no role. This study is significant towards identifying group scaffolds and supports that can produce benefits for all students in robotic activities. Results indicated that group roles matter when students are working on collaborative robotics projects. Three different implementations of group roles in robotics activities demonstrated an impact on robotics performance scores. Gender composition of the group did not impact groups' robotics performance. Group roles also impacted student computational thinking skills, while gender composition of the group still demonstrated no significant difference. Finally, while group roles demonstrated a difference in learning motivation towards computer programming, gender composition demonstrated no difference in learning motivation towards computer programming.

Era of Robotics

This paper was originally presented as an invited presentation in the 6th International Conference and Exhibition of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. The purpose of this talk is to inform audience that this is the era of robotics and what we need to do in this era. However, it is much modified in this paper. Many anthropomorphic robots are proposed, such as robots for test pilots, for firemen, for police, for soldiers and for health services. Current statuses of robots are reviewed. Further products are discussed. Much information and references are added, that means my original statements are verified. And if readers like to get more details they can find from references. To lend the audience perspective regarding my background, my recent project in robotics is mentioned briefly. As robotic products are invented, many engineering jobs will be developed, so this is an exciting field.

Robotics education in public schools using recycled materials and principles of Project-based Learning

The proposed project aims to implement an educational robotic teaching project in public schools. The developed robot uses the concepts of meta-recycling, which aims to encourage the sustainability and the reuse of electronic components to minimize garbage generation. The teaching technique used is the methodology of Project-based Learning (PBL), defined by developing projects based on a question, problem or task, which motivate students to create solutions applying theory to practice. PBL uses collaborative problem solving to significantly increase student interest and involves analyzing each student learning evolution independently. The project also promotes interdisciplinarity among the common areas taught in schools, making the learning process more dynamic and interactive.

Four-Fingered Robot Hand with Mechanism to Change the Direction of Movement – Mechanical Design and Basic Experiments –

This paper presents the mechanical design for a new, four-fingered robot hand. The hand was developed in the context of a service robot project that aims to produce a robot that can handle tableware of various shapes to set and clear a table. This project required the development of a new hand that has a small number of motors but still a high level of adaptability so that it can handle the various shapes of tableware found in a place setting. We therefore developed a four-fingered robot hand which consists of four finger mechanisms and a mechanism capable of changing its direction of movement. The movement orientation of the four fingers can change, in a synchronized state, from a posture in which they are directly opposed to one in which they are diagonally opposed. This state transformation can be achieved with only one motor. Also, four fingers can perform synchronous opening and closing motions, and these motions can be achieved by only one motor. Only two motors are needed to drive the robot hand, and both are installed in the base of the hand. Consequently, the hand is a simple but very effective mechanism for stably handling tableware. Tests have shown that it can successfully grasp various kinds of tableware, and that the new mechanism operates effectively.

Motion Control of 6-DOF Manipulator Based on EtherCAT

We introduce a real-time motion control system that uses the EtherCAT protocol and apply it to a manipulator with six degrees of freedom. The complexity of a multi-joint manipulator leads to higher requirements for synchronous and real-time performance. EtherCAT technology can greatly improve the performance in terms of accuracy, speed, capability, and band width in industrial control, which is crucial in our robot projects. In this paper, we discuss a servo motion control system based on EtherCAT using IgH as the open-source master station. A Linux operating system is adopted because of the advantages of open-source, high-efficiency, and high-stability operation as well as multi-platform support, which provide more flexibility, freedom, and extendability to developers. Considerable research has been conducted to explore EtherCAT technologies, completely implementing home-made codes with the aid of open-source libraries, debugging the master-slave communication process, and testing the resulting motion controller running on Linux or POSIX-compatible operating systems. To improve the real-time response of servo control, a real-time Xenomai kernel has been compiled, adopted, and tested, and it showed significant enhancement of the real time of a servo motion control system. Furthermore, we explore trajectory planning and inverse kinematic solutions. A trajectory planning method based on B-spline interpolation of three degrees, which makes each part of the trajectory planning curve have relative independence and continuity, is proposed for the kinematic trajectory planning problem in Cartesian space. A coordinate system is established using the modified D-H parameters method to obtain the inverse kinematics of the manipulator. The simulation and experimental results show that the calculation speed of inverse solutions is excellent and the motion of the manipulator is continuous and smooth.

Equilibrium area analysis for nonprehensile manipulation of a three-link object by two cooperative arms in a plane

Equilibrium points exploration is crucial for successful nonprehensile manipulation of multi-link objects by cooperative arms which is promising for a class of future robotics applications. This paper presents the equilibrium area numerical analysis, with experimental verification, for nonprehensile manipulation of a three-rigid link object by two cooperative arms in a plane. Inspired by an assistive nursing robot project for manipulating a patient, the interaction between the object and the arms is performed in a way that one of the arms contacts two links of the object while the other arm contacts the object third link. It would be a useful step for the most complicated process of a patient manipulation. The purpose of the equilibrium area analysis is to obtain the equilibrium contact area, associated with different interaction forces, for statically holding the object at all its possible configurations. The dynamic model of the system is presented from which the static equations are deduced. Static equations are analyzed in the presence of friction forces and motion constraints leading to equilibrium contact lengths for a range of angles leading to equilibrium area for every object's configuration. Numerical simulation results for the equilibrium area analysis are presented. Experimental results, for validating the presented numerical results, are also introduced.

Robot Path Planning with Avoiding Obstacles in Known Environment Using Free Segments and Turning Points Algorithm

Currently, the path planning problem is one of the most researched topics in autonomous robotics. That is why finding a safe path in a cluttered environment for a mobile robot is an important requirement for the success of any such mobile robot project. In this work, a developed algorithm based on free segments and a turning point strategy for solving the problem of robot path planning in a static environment is presented. The aim of the turning point approach is to search a safe path for the mobile robot, to make the robot moving from a starting position to a destination position without hitting obstacles. This proposed algorithm handles two different objectives which are the path safety and the path length. In addition, a robust control law which is called sliding mode control is proposed to control the stabilization of an autonomous mobile robot to track a desired trajectory. Finally, simulation results show that the developed approach is a good alternative to obtain the adequate path and demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed control law for robust tracking of the mobile robot.

Testing the nonlinearity of the Moravian Instruments G4‐16000 CCD camera

In this paper, we present the results of characterizing the properties of the Moravian Instruments G4‐16000 CCD cameras, based on the Kodak KAF‐16803 chip. Such cameras are widely used in several robotic telescope projects, as well as by amateurs. We demonstrate both large light response nonlinearity (up to tens of percents) and significant bias level instability of these cameras, and outline possible ways of overcoming these problems.

结合机器人项目的嵌入式系统课程创新教学改革的探讨

结合机器人项目的嵌入式系统课程创新教学改革的探讨

Applying PBL to teaching robotics

More than 30 years ago, new ventures in the field of robotics began to appear in the educational systems all over the world. Robotics projects can serve as a good platform for the implementation of meaningful learning characteristics, such as finding interest and challenge, sense of control in the learning process and personal empowerment. In addition, this practice contributes to the fostering of high-order skills, such as metacognitive thinking, problem solving, creativity and teamwork. In recent years, the Israeli Ministry of Education adopted the participation of students in robotics competitions, which exposes students to the world of engineering challenges by building an autonomous robot which performs a number of tasks on the job board, under the guidance of teachers and instructors. This article describes a case study that addressed two main issues related to the project-based learning method. It examined the relationship between project-based learning, robotics and project management fundamentals, and the teacher's preference for adopting a possible solution for implementing this method optimally.

Design, Death, and Energy

The article examines two works by the design partnership, Augur–Loizeau: the Afterlife project and the Carnivorous Domestic Entertainment Robots project. Understood as critical and speculative designs, these artifacts are used to reveal some of the prevailing differences in western conceptions of human and nonhuman death. Each of these designs raises “interesting questions” about, for example, the relationship between energy scarcity and entertainment, or the difference between human organ donation and human energy donation. In addition, the article examines how, taken together, these designs reproduce and reinforce western understandings of the differences between human subjects and animal objects. The article argues that the comparison between—and especially the “crossing over” of elements of—the Afterlife project and Carnivorous Domestic Entertainment Robots heuristically can facilitate speculation on the blurring and transformation of human/animal divides. In the process, it offers a number of speculations that draw on, link into, and affect social scientific accounts of post-humanism and neoliberalism.

Implementation of Robotics as a Modern Trend in STEM Education

The article is devoted to the issues of implementation of STEM-education in the learning process of educational institutions. The authors analyze the development of STEM-education in Ukraine, determine the level of readiness of educators for understanding of the principles of STEM-education, substantiate the need in the introduction of robotics into the educational process as the modern and important trend in STEM education. The concept of educational robotics is analyzed. This makes possible identification of the technical inclinations of students (at an early stage) and development of these inclinations as well as formation of STEM competency in general. The study focuses on the interdisciplinary aspect of STEM education, in particular the implementation of interdisciplinary links between STEM subjects and robotics in the conduction process of research and training projects. The authors provide examples of the implementation of robotics in the educational process based on the use of project method. There is a description of the project for the creation of the Juno Rover robot based on the Arduino robotic platform and an example of the Poppy Project robotics project in school education that is implemented on an open platform with freely distributed materials for creating and using 3D printed robots. All this is for implementation of research projects on robotics in university education

DESIGN OF PUCK COLLECTING ROBOT

Urgency of the research. There is a need for service robots for cleaning, cutting the grass, vacuum cleaners, waste collectors etc. Service robots also can help with dangerous application like mine removing or inspection of dangerous places. Target setting. Puck collecting robot is designed for collecting of wood pucks in arena and bringing to home position. Actual scientific researches and issues analysis. Other similar task is collecting of products on production line in factory. Next possible application is collecting of any fruits or vegetable on plantation. Uninvestigated parts of general matters defining. The questions of the design of waste collecting robots are uninvestigated, because the next research will be focused to this. The research objective. Puck collecting competition is based on collecting of pucks of selected colour and bringing to home position of the same colour. Two wheeled concept of the robot with differentially driven wheels has been selected for high manoeuvrability on small place. The statement of basic materials. Locomotion System structure consist of undercarriage with two geared DC motors with rubber wheels with diameter 110 mm controlled via using of locomotion microcontroller. Puck collecting system includes mechanical collector with puck color sensor, home base color sensor, puck sorter and puck handling microcontroller. Conclusions. Key role of the solved robotic project is obtaining of practical experiences from the robot design and building. Robot developing is as perfect example of practical exercises. The robot is also designed as didactic tool for students training. The task of this mobile robot is similar to application in industry.