TechTalks from event: Technical session talks from ICRA 2012

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Video Session

  • Robotic Finger Mechanism Equipped Omnidirectional Driving Roller with Two Active Rotational Axes Authors: Tadakuma, Kenjiro; Tadakuma, Riichiro; Higashimori, Mitsuru; Kaneko, Makoto
    This paper describes the finger mechanism with omnidirectional driving roller to realize the two active rotational axes on the surface of the grasped object. As the omnidirectional driving roller, we adopt the Omni-Crawler we developed: the crawler mechanism with circular cross section. This cylinderical tracked unit can be used as the roller and the fingers with this roller can manipulate the grasped object in the arbitrary axes. The basic concept of this finger is proposed.
  • Indoor and Outdoor Parametrized Gait Execution with Modular Snake Robots Authors: Melo, Kamilo; Paez, Laura; parra, carlos
    This video shows the mechanical structure, module length possibilities, skin options and some of the locomotion capabilities, including indoor and outdoor demonstrations of parametrized gaits for a modular snake robot, used to research at Pontificia Universidad Javeriana by the Systems, Intelligence, Robotics and Perception Research group (SIRP).
  • Quick Slip-Turn of HRP-4C on Its Toes Authors: Miura, Kanako; Kanehiro, Fumio; Kaneko, Kenji; Kajita, Shuuji; Yokoi, Kazuhito
    In this video, we present the realization of quick turning motion of a humanoid robot on its toes via slipping between its feet and the floor. A rotation model is described on the basis of our hypothesis that turning via slip occurs as a result of minimizing the power caused by floor friction. Using the model, the trajectory of the center of the foot can be generated to realize the desired rotational angle. Toe joints are used to realize quicker turning motion, while avoiding excessive motor load due to frictional torque. Quick slip-turn motion with toe support is successfully demonstrated using a humanoid robot HRP-4C.
  • Flight Stability in Aerial Redundant Manipulators Authors: Korpela, Christopher M.; Danko, Todd; McNeil, Clayton; Pisch, Robert; Oh, Paul Y.
    Ongoing efforts toward mobile manipulation from an aerial vehicle are presented. Recent tests and results from a prototype rotorcraft have shown that our hybrid structure increases stability during flight and manipulation. Since UAVs require significant setup time, suitable testing locations, and have tendencies to crash, we developed an aerial manipulation test and evaluation environment that provides controllable and repeatable experiments. By using force feedback techniques, we have designed multiple, dexterous, redundant manipulators that can grasp objects such as tools and small objects. These manipulators are controlled in concert with an emulated aerial platform to provide hovering stability. The manipulator and aircraft flight control are tightly coupled to facilitate grasping without large perturbations in the end-effector.
  • Study on the Omnidirectional Driving Gear Mechanism Authors: Tadakuma, Kenjiro; Tadakuma, Riichiro; Ioka, Kyohei; Kudo, Takeshi; Takagi, Minoru; Tsumaki, Yuichi; Higashimori, Mitsuru; Kaneko, Makoto
    As ordinary dual-axis driving mechanisms in X-Y directions, for example, commercially available X-Y stages with ball screws are familiar. However, such driving mechanisms have two stages, namely both upper and lower linear actuators, the latter of which must generate sufficient thrust to carry large weights, including that of the upper actuator mechanism, which has hampered efforts to achieve suitably fast and smooth driving motion due to the inertial force effect. It is also difficult to achieve a small and slimline driving mechanism with such overlapping two-stage structure. In these ordinary two-stage driving mechanisms, the motion of the X-Y stage can be disturbed by the cords of the upper actuator. In this research, we have considered the abovementioned problems, and propose a new omnidirectional driving gear mechanism that enhances its driving area from the normal X-Y plane to convex and concave curved surfaces respectively, and even various combinations of both. The smoothness of basic omnidirectional motion and effectiveness of the driving method of this proposed omnidirectional driving gear mechanism have been confirmed with several experiments involving our setups.
  • Over-Tube Apparatus for Increasing the Capabilities of an Articulated Robotic Probe Authors: Degani, Amir; Tully, Stephen; Zubiate, Brett; Choset, Howie
    This video elaborates on a new active and controllable over-tube addition to the highly articulated robotic probe; the HARP. This over-tube allows the current HARP mechanism to double its overall length and allows it to perform more complex tasks. We explain the design concept of the current HARP and the novel over-tube mechanism and show two proof-of-concept experiments demonstrating the use of the active over-tube.
  • Video Summary of D.R.O.P. the Durable Reconnaissance and Observation Platform Authors: McKenzie, Clifford; Parness, Aaron
    This video introduces a small, new reconnaissance robot that can climb concrete surfaces up to 85 degrees at a rate of 25cm/s, make rapid horizontal to vertical transitions, carry an audio/visual payload, and survive impacts from 3m. The robot can travel over 45 cm/s on flat ground, and turn in place. The Durable Reconnaissance and Observation Platform, D.R.O.P., is manufactured using a combination of selective laser sintering (SLS) and shape deposition manufacturing (SDM) techniques. The enabling feature of DROP is the use of microspines in a rotary configuration, increasing climbing and walking speed over previous microspine-based robots by more than 5x.
  • Worms, Waves and Robots Authors: Boxerbaum, Alexander; Horchler, Andrew; Shaw, Kendrick; Chiel, Hillel; Quinn, Roger, D.
    The Biologically Inspired Robotics group at Case Western Reserve University has developed several innovative designs for a new kind of robot that uses peristalsis, the method of locomotion used by earthworms. Unlike previous wormlike robots, our concept uses a continuously deformable outer mesh that interpolates the body position between discrete actuators. Here, we summarize our progress with this soft hyper-redundant robot.
  • Capture, Recognition and Imitation of Anthropomorphic Motion Authors: hak, sovannara; Mansard, Nicolas; Ramos, Oscar E.; Saab, Layale; Stasse, Olivier
    We present our works in generation, recognition and editing of anthropomorphic motion using the stack of tasks framework. It is based on the task function formalism classically used for motion generation. The task spaces are suitable to perform motion analysis and task recognition because the tasks are described in those spaces. The reference behaviors are originated from human trajectories. Specific tasks are then integrated to retarget and to edit the reference motion in order to respect the dynamic constraints, the limits of the robot and the general aspect.
  • Automated Biomanipulation of Single Cells Authors: Steager, Edward; Sakar, Mahmut Selman; Magee, Ceridwen; Kennedy III, Monroe; Cowley, Anthony; Kumar, Vijay
    Transport of individual cells or chemical payloads on a subcellular scale is an enabling tool for the study of cellular communication, cell migration, and other localized phenomena. We present a magnetically actuated robotic system for the fully automated manipulation of cells and microbeads. Our strategy uses autofluorescent robotic transporters and fluorescently labeled microbeads to aid tracking and control in optically obstructed environments. We demonstrate automated delivery of microbeads infused with chemicals to specified positions on neurons.
  • Correct High-Level Robot Control from Structured English Authors: Jing, Gangyuan; Finucane, Cameron; Raman, Vasumathi; Kress-Gazit, Hadas
    The Linear Temporal Logic MissiOn Planning (LTLMoP) toolkit is a software package designed to generate a controller that guarantees a robot satisfies a task specification written by the user in structured English. The controller can be implemented on either a simulated or physical robot. This video illustrates the use of LTLMoP to generate a correct-by-construction robot controller. Here, an Aldebaran Nao humanoid robot carries out tasks as a worker in a simplified grocery store scenario.
  • Learning to Place Objects: Organizing a Room Authors: Basu, Gaurab; Jiang, Yun; Saxena, Ashutosh
    In this video, we consider the task of a personal robot organizing a room by placing objects stably as well as in semantically preferred locations. While this includes many sub-tasks such as grasping the objects, moving to a placing position, localizing itself and placing the object in a proper location and orientation, it is the last problem-how and where to place objects-is our focus in this work and has not been widely studied yet. We formulate the placing task as a learning problem. By computing appearance and shape features from the input (point clouds) that can capture stability and semantics, our algorithm can identify good placements for multiple objects. In this video, we put together the placing algorithm with other sub-tasks to enable a robot organizing a room in several scenarios, such as loading a bookshelf, a fridge, a waste bin and blackboard with various objects.
  • Demonstrations of Gravity-Independent Mobility and Drilling on Natural Rock Using Microspines Authors: Parness, Aaron; Frost, Matthew; King, Jonathan; Thatte, Nitish
    The video presents microspine-based anchors being developed for gripping rocks on the surfaces of comets and asteroids, or for use on cliff faces and lava tubes on Mars. Two types of anchor prototypes are shown on supporting forces in all directions away from the rock; >160 N tangent, >150 N at 45, and >180 N normal to the surface of the rock. A compliant robotic ankle with two active degrees of freedom interfaces these anchors to the Lemur IIB robot for future climbing trials. Finally, a rotary percussive drill is shown coring into rock regardless of gravitational orientation. As a harder-than-zero-g proof of concept, inverted drilling was performed creating 20mm diameter boreholes 83 mm deep in vesicular basalt samples while retaining 12 mm diameter rock cores in 3-6 pieces.
  • Creating and Using RoboEarth Object Models Authors: Di Marco, Daniel; Koch, Andreas; Zweigle, Oliver; Häussermann, Kai; Schießle, Björn; Levi, Paul; Galvez Lopez, Dorian; Riazuelo, Luis; Civera, Javier; Montiel, J.M.M; Tenorth, Moritz; Perzylo, Alexander Clifford; Waibel, Markus
    This work introduces a way to build up and use an extensive sensor-independent object model database. In a first step, a cost-effective and computationally cheap way to create colored point cloud models from common household objects by using a Microsoft Kinect camera is presented. Those object models are stored in a world-wide accessible, distributed database called RoboEarth. Finally, the models are used for recognizing the corresponding objects with any kind of camera. In the presented implementation the demonstration was done with both a Kinect and common RGB cameras.
  • Dexterous Manipulation with Underactuated Fingers: Flip-And-Pinch Task Authors: Odhner, Lael; Ma, Raymond; Dollar, Aaron
    This video demonstrates the use of an underactuated robotic hand modified for the flip-and-pinch task to pick up thin objects from a table surface. Though well-suited for power-grasping, underactuated hands have difficulty with pinch-grasping and precision motions. We introduce a repeatable and robust method by which an underactuated hand flips thin objects off the table into a stable pinch grasp. We explain why this task is quasi-static and robust for a wide range of object dimensions.
  • Beyond Classical Teleoperation: Assistance, Cooperation, Data Reduction, and Spatial Audio Authors: Schauß, Thomas; Passenberg, Carolina; Stefanov, Nikolay; Feth, Daniela; Vittorias, Iason; Peer, Angelika; Hirche, Sandra; Buss, Martin; Rothbucher, Martin; Diepold, Klaus; Kammerl, Julius; Steinbach, Eckehard
    In this video we present a teleoperation system which is capable of solving complex tasks in human-sized wide area environments. The system consists of two mobile teleoperators controlled by two operators, and offers haptic, visual, and auditory feedback. The task examined here, consists of repairing a robot by removing a computer and replacing a defective hard-drive. To cope with the complexity of such a task, we go beyond classical teleoperation by integrating several advanced software algorithms into the system.
  • Geo-Referenced 3D Reconstruction: Fusing Public Geographic Data and Aerial Imagery Authors: Maurer, Michael; Rumpler, Markus; Wendel, Andreas; Hoppe, Christof; Irschara, Arnold; Bischof, Horst
    Abstract—We present an image-based 3D reconstruction pipeline for acquiring geo–referenced semi–dense 3D models. Multiple overlapping images captured from a micro aerial vehicle platform provide a highly redundant source for multiview reconstructions. Publicly available geo–spatial information sources are used to obtain an approximation to a digital surface model (DSM). Models obtained by the semi–dense reconstruction are automatically aligned to the DSM to allow the integration of highly detailed models into the original DSM and to provide geographic context.