Transcript robot - TAMU Computer Science People Pages

An Overview of Robotics
Jinxiang Chai
Reminder
• 11/22: Final Report draft: You are to turn in an initial draft of
your paper. Feedback will be given. If this draft is satisfactory,
then you do not need to do a revision
• We have graded all of the first eight short reports. You can
check your grades on elearning.
• Two more presentations:
- An overview of Robotics (today)
- Guest lecture from Schlumberger (This Thursday)
What is A Robot?
What is A Robot?
• “A reprogrammable, multifunctional manipulator designed to move
material, parts, tools, or specialized devices through various programmed
motions for the performance of a variety of tasks.“
Robot Institute of America, 1979
• “A physical agent that generates “intelligent” connection between
perception and action”
• “Where AI (Artificial Intelligence) meet the real world.”
• “An automatic device that performs functions normally ascribed to
humans or a machine in the form of a human.”
Webster’s Dictionary
History of Robotics
• 1921: The first reference to the word robot is made in a play
by Czech writer Karel Capek (1890 - 1938) - R.U.R (Rossum's
Universal Robots). The word comes from the Czech “robota”
which means serf or one in subservient labour.
• In the play, the Czech
robot is defined as "a
worker of forced labour".
After this
play, electromechanical
automatons were
referred to as robots
History of Robotics
• 1940: Westinghouse Electric Corp. creates two of the first
robots that use the electric motor for entire body motion.
Elektra could dance, count to ten and smoke, while his dog
companion Sparko, could walk, stand on its hind legs and
bark.
• 1941: Isaac Asimov
first uses the
term 'robotics' to
describe the
technology of robots.
He predicted
the rise of the robot
industry.
History of Robotics
• Dr. W. Grey Walter, one of the great pioneers in the field
of robotics, develops the first autonomous tortoise-type
robots, Elsie and Elmer (Electro MEchanical Robot,
Light-Sensitive), designed with wheel motors controlled
by very basic electronic circuitry and two vacuum tubes.
• 1951: Raymond Goertz designs the first 'teleoperator' a device allowing actions to be performed at a distance.
Goertz's device was an articulated arm, used to handle
radioactive material.
• 1962: General Motors installs the first industrial robot
on a production line. It is a Unimate robot and is used in
a car factory run by General Motors in Trenton, New
Jersey. The robot lifted hot pieces of metal from a diecasting machine and stacked them.
History of Robotics
• 1968: SRI International, formerly known
as the Stanford Research Institute, builds
and tests the first mobile robot with
vision capability.
• Shakey was equipped with a television
camera, a range finder and sensors.
• Shakey was the first mobile robot that
could think and respond to the world
around it.
History of Robotics
• 1968: The General
Electric Walking
Truck was the first
manual controlled
walking truck.
History of Robotics
• 1969: Stanford University develop the first electrically
powered computer controlled robotic arm. This becomes
standard for research projects
• 1974: Professor Sheinman, of
Stanford Arm fame, forms Vicarm
Inc. to market a version of the
arm controlled by
microcomputer for industrial
applications. This robotic arm,
known as the Silver Arm
performs small-parts assembly
using touch sensitive sensors.
What is in A Robot?
What is in A Robot?
sensors
?
environment
agent
effectors
Robots  Physical sensors and effectors
What is in A Robot?
Sensors
• Sensors that tell the robot position/change of
joints: odometers, speedometers, etc.
• Force sensing. Enables compliant motion-robot just maintains contact with object
• Sonar. Send out sound waves and measure
how long it takes for it to be reflected back.
Good for obstacle avoidance.
• Vision systems
• Tactile touch sensors
• Etc.
Actuators/Effectors
• Converts software commands into physical motion
• Actuators are like the "muscles" of a robot, the parts
which convert stored energy into movement.
- By far the most popular actuators are electric motors that spin a wheel
or gear, and linear actuators that control industrial robots in factories.
- But there are some recent advances in alternative types of actuators,
powered by electricity, chemicals, or compressed air.
• Two main types of effectors:
– locomotion
– manipulation
Locomotion
• Legs!
– traditional such as Honda Asimo
• Still, wheeled or tread locomotion like
Shakey is still most practical for typical
environments
• Other methods: reconfigurable robots, fish
robots, snake-like robots, UAVs, etc
Manipulation
• Manipulation of objects
• Typical manipulators allow for:
– Prismatic motion (linear movement)
– Rotary motion (around a fixed hub)
• Robot hands go from complex anthropomorphic
models to simpler ones that are just graspers
– (video: surgery on grape, Robotic heart surgery)
What Are Basic Robot Software Issues?
Perception
•
What to perceive:
- Where am I? (Localization and Mapping, video)
- Where are targets? (e.g., object recognition)
- Who/what are you, where are you, what are you doing, etc.?...
•
Science fiction authors also typically assume that robots will
eventually be capable of communicating with humans
through speech, gestures, and facial expressions, rather
than a command-line interface.
Motion Planning
• Simplest task that a robot needs to accomplish
• Goal: move robot from one configuration to another
under certain constraints (e.g., without colliding an
obstacle).
Control
•
How to design a controller for generating
appropriate forces/torques to achieve
particular tasks, e.g., move from one point to
another?
•
How can a humanoid robot walk with
particular speeds, step sizes or turn angles?
How to ride a bicycle?
•
How to balance your body when some one is
pushing you?
•
How to cooperate a group of robots to
achieve a specific goal?
•
etc
Challenges
Uncertainty
Software For Robotics
Software For Robotics
BigDog
Statement of Robotics Applications
• Moving from manufacturing,
industrial manipulators to:
– Entertainment robotics
– Personal service robots
– Medical robots
– Industrial applications beyond factory
(e.g., mining, agriculture)
– Hazardous applications (e.g., military,
toxic cleanup, space)
Some Current Robots
Need for Humanoid Robots
• Industrial robots not flexible enough
for unmodified environments
• Separated from humans
• New applications: Service,
household helper, entertainment, ...
• Interaction with people needed
• Human-like body helps when acting
in environments designed for
humans
• Intuitive multimodal communication
• Programming by demonstration,
imitation learning
Humanoid Robots
Humanoid Robots
• Honda Asimo Robots
- youtube video (click here)
Other Humanoid Robots
video
More Robots
video
And Even More Robots
video
Robots: Alternative Terms
• UAV
- Unmanned aerial vehicles
• UGV (Rover)
- Unmanned ground vehicles
• UUV
- Unmanned undersea vehicles
CSE Faculty in Robotics
Prof. Nancy Amato
- Motion planning
Prof. Robin Murph
- Rescue robotics
Prof. Dylan Shell
- Distributed AI,
- Biologically-inspired
multi-robot systems,
- Coordinated system,
analysis of multi-agent
systems
Prof. Dezhen Song
- Distributed Sensing,
- Networked Robots,
- Vision and Surveillance
CSE Courses in Robotics
• CSCE 420: Artificial Intelligence
• CSCE 452: Robotics and Spatial Intelligence
• CSCE 489: Special Topics in Robotics