Mobile Robotics:2. Robotics Fundamentals
Dr. B
rian Mac N
amee (w
ww
.comp.dit.ie/bm
acnamee)
2of25
2of26 Acknowledgments
These notes are based (heavily) on those provided by the authors to accompany “Introduction to Autonomous Mobile Robots” by Roland Siegwart and Illah R. Nourbakhsh
More information about the book is available at:http://autonomousmobilerobots.epfl.ch/
The book can be bought at:The MIT Press and Amazon.com
3of25
3of26 ContentsToday we’ll look in more detail at what we mean when we talk about robots
– Definition– Taxonomy– Applications– Advantages & disadvantages– Components– Autonomous robot control
4of25
4of26 What Is A Robot?The term robot was first introduced by the Czech playwright Karel Čapek in his 1921 play Rossum’s Universal Robots (the word robota being the Czech word for worker)
We will use the following definition:
Karel Čapek was one of the most influential Czech writers of the 20th century. At one
time the Gestapo had ranked him as "public enemy number 2" in
Czechoslovakia!
“a robot is an artificial physical agent that performs tasks by
manipulating the physical world”
5of25
5of26 Robot TaxonomyThe Japanese Industrial Robot Association gives the following classification of robots:
– Class 1: Manual Handling Device– Class 2: Fixed Sequence Robot– Class 3: Variable Sequence Robot– Class 4: Playback Robot– Class 5: Numerical Control Robot– Class 6: Intelligent Robot
6of25
6of26 Robot TaxonomyWe are primarily interested in intelligent robots and can break these down simply as follows:
– Manipulator robots– Mobile robots– Humanoid robots
7of25
7of26 Manipulator RobotsPhysically anchored to their workplace
Manipulator motion usually involves an entire chain of controllable joints, enabling such robots to place their effectors in any position within the workplace
Manipulators are by far the most common type of industrial robots - a 2 billion dollar industry!
8of25
8of26 Mobile RobotsWe can divide mobile robots into the following categories:
– Wheeled robots– Legged robots– Aerial robots (UAVs)– Others
9of25
9of26 Wheeled Robots
For more on the DARPA Grand Challenge go to:www.darpa.mil/grandchallenge/index.asp
10of25
10of26 Legged Robots
For more on Boston Dynamics go to: www.bostondynamics.com
11of25
11of26 Aerial Robots
More information on these projects can be found at:lis.epfl.ch/index.html?content=research/projects/BioinspiredFlyingRobots/index.php
12of25
12of26 Aerial Robots
More information on these projects can be found at:lis.epfl.ch/index.html?content=research/projects/BioinspiredFlyingRobots/index.php
13of25
13of26 Other Mobile Robots
A video of a slightly scary robotic amphibious snakehttp://www.techeblog.com/index.php/tech-gadget/acm-r5-amphibious-snake-like-robot
14of25
14of26 Humanoid RobotsHybrid robot: a mobile robot equipped with manipulators
Hybrids can apply their effectors further a-field then anchored manipulators
However, their task is made harder because they don’t have the rigidity that the anchor provides
15of25
15of26 ASIMO
ASIMO slalom video available at:world.honda.com/HDTV/ASIMO/New-ASIMO-slaloming/index.html
Loads of ASIMO videos are available from HONDA at:world.honda.com/HDTV/ASIMO/
16of25
16of26 Robot ApplicationsIndoor Structured Environments
– Transportation– Customer support in museums, shops, etc.– Cleaning large buildings– Building surveillance– Research– Entertainment
17of25
17of26 Robot Applications (cont…)Outdoor Unstructured Environments
– Space– Mining– Sewage tubes– Forest– Agriculture
– Construction– Fire fighting– Military– Underwater– Aerial
18of25
18of26 AdvantagesThe major advantages of robots are:
– Decreased labor costs– Increased precision and productivity– Increased flexibility compared with specialised
machines– Robots can perform dull, repetitive jobs– Robots can operate in hazardous environments
19of25
19of26 ComponentsThe major components of a mobile robot are:
– Power supply– Sensors– Control– Actuators
Actuators
Power
Sensors
Control
Environment
20of25
20of26 Components (cont…)Power Supply: the power plant and associated power transmission system, such as a battery with associated equipment, or a power supply unit which converts electricity from the mains to appropriate power requirements
Sensors: Including lasers, cameras, sonar and microphones, sensors enable robots to collect information about their own state and the state of their environment
21of25
21of26 Components (cont…)Actuators: devices which transduce power into kinetic energy or movement
Types of actuators include: – Electric motors– Pneumatic actuation (using compressed gas) – Hydraulic actuation (using pressurized fluids)– Robotic end effectors (e.g. grippers)
Control Subsystem: responsible for evaluating the information collected and processed by sensors and for planning actions
22of25
22of26 Robot Control MechanismsRobots may be controlled:
– Directly by a human, such as remotely-controlled bomb-disposal robots, robotic arms, or shuttles
– Autonomously according to their own decision making ability, provided by artificial intelligence
Many robots fall in-between these extremes, being controlled by pre-programmed computers
23of25
23of26 Mobile Robot Control
Tele-operated– Pioneer, robot that
was designed to explore the Sarcophagus at Chernobyl
24of25
24of26 Mobile Robot Control (cont…)Autonoumous
– EPFL Guide Robot
We are primarily interested in autonomous robots
25of25
25of26 Autonomous Robot Control
ActuatorsSensors
Control
Deliberative Behaviour
Reactive Behaviour
Environment
26of25
26of26 SummaryToday we:
– Defined what we mean by a robot– Investigated some of the areas in which robots
are used– Defined the key components of a robot– Started to think about robot control mechanisms
Next time we start the real work
27of25
27of26 Questions
?