1
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Al-Okby MFR, Junginger S, Roddelkopf T, Huang J, Thurow K. Ambient Monitoring Portable Sensor Node for Robot-Based Applications. Sensors (Basel) 2024; 24:1295. [PMID: 38400453 PMCID: PMC10892179 DOI: 10.3390/s24041295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2024] [Revised: 01/24/2024] [Accepted: 02/15/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024]
Abstract
The leakage of gases and chemical vapors is a common accident in laboratory processes that requires a rapid response to avoid harmful effects if humans and instruments are exposed to this leakage. In this paper, the performance of a portable sensor node designed for integration with mobile and stationary robots used to transport chemical samples in automated laboratories was tested and evaluated. The sensor node has four main layers for executing several functions, such as power management, control and data preprocessing, sensing gases and environmental parameters, and communication and data transmission. The responses of three metal oxide semiconductor sensors, BME680, ENS160, and SGP41, integrated into the sensing layer have been recorded for various volumes of selected chemicals and volatile organic compounds, including ammonia, pentane, tetrahydrofuran, butanol, phenol, xylene, benzene, ethanol, methanol, acetone, toluene, and isopropanol. For mobile applications, the sensor node was attached to a sample holder on a mobile robot (ASTI ProBOT L). In addition, the sensor nodes were positioned close to automation systems, including stationary robots. The experimental results revealed that the tested sensors have a different response to the tested volumes and can be used efficiently for hazardous gas leakage detection and monitoring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammed Faeik Ruzaij Al-Okby
- Center for Life Science Automation (Celisca), University of Rostock, 18119 Rostock, Germany; (M.F.R.A.-O.); (J.H.); (K.T.)
- Technical Institute of Babylon, Al-Furat Al-Awsat Technical University (ATU), Kufa 54003, Iraq
| | - Steffen Junginger
- Institute of Automation, University of Rostock, 18119 Rostock, Germany;
| | - Thomas Roddelkopf
- Institute of Automation, University of Rostock, 18119 Rostock, Germany;
| | - Jiahao Huang
- Center for Life Science Automation (Celisca), University of Rostock, 18119 Rostock, Germany; (M.F.R.A.-O.); (J.H.); (K.T.)
| | - Kerstin Thurow
- Center for Life Science Automation (Celisca), University of Rostock, 18119 Rostock, Germany; (M.F.R.A.-O.); (J.H.); (K.T.)
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2
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Sumanasena V, Fernando H, De Silva D, Thileepan B, Pasan A, Samarawickrama J, Osipov E, Alahakoon D. Hardware Efficient Direct Policy Imitation Learning for Robotic Navigation in Resource-Constrained Settings. Sensors (Basel) 2023; 24:185. [PMID: 38203047 PMCID: PMC10781257 DOI: 10.3390/s24010185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2023] [Revised: 12/19/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024]
Abstract
Direct policy learning (DPL) is a widely used approach in imitation learning for time-efficient and effective convergence when training mobile robots. However, using DPL in real-world applications is not sufficiently explored due to the inherent challenges of mobilizing direct human expertise and the difficulty of measuring comparative performance. Furthermore, autonomous systems are often resource-constrained, thereby limiting the potential application and implementation of highly effective deep learning models. In this work, we present a lightweight DPL-based approach to train mobile robots in navigational tasks. We integrated a safety policy alongside the navigational policy to safeguard the robot and the environment. The approach was evaluated in simulations and real-world settings and compared with recent work in this space. The results of these experiments and the efficient transfer from simulations to real-world settings demonstrate that our approach has improved performance compared to its hardware-intensive counterparts. We show that using the proposed methodology, the training agent achieves closer performance to the expert within the first 15 training iterations in simulation and real-world settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vidura Sumanasena
- Research Centre for Data Analytics and Cognition, La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC 3083, Australia
| | - Heshan Fernando
- Department of Computer Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, New York, NY 12180, USA
| | - Daswin De Silva
- Research Centre for Data Analytics and Cognition, La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC 3083, Australia
| | - Beniel Thileepan
- Department of Computer Science, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK;
| | - Amila Pasan
- Centre for Wireless Communications, University of Oulu, 90570 Oulu, Finland
| | - Jayathu Samarawickrama
- Department of Electronic and Telecom Engineering, University of Moratuwa, Moratuwa 10400, Sri Lanka
| | - Evgeny Osipov
- Department of Computer Science, Electrical and Space Engineering, Luleå University of Technology, 97187 Luleå, Sweden
| | - Damminda Alahakoon
- Research Centre for Data Analytics and Cognition, La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC 3083, Australia
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3
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Arce D, Solano J, Beltrán C. A Comparison Study between Traditional and Deep-Reinforcement-Learning-Based Algorithms for Indoor Autonomous Navigation in Dynamic Scenarios. Sensors (Basel) 2023; 23:9672. [PMID: 38139518 PMCID: PMC10748032 DOI: 10.3390/s23249672] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2023] [Revised: 11/12/2023] [Accepted: 12/04/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023]
Abstract
At the beginning of a project or research that involves the issue of autonomous navigation of mobile robots, a decision must be made about working with traditional control algorithms or algorithms based on artificial intelligence. This decision is not usually easy, as the computational capacity of the robot, the availability of information through its sensory systems and the characteristics of the environment must be taken into consideration. For this reason, this work focuses on a review of different autonomous-navigation algorithms applied to mobile robots, from which the most suitable ones have been identified for the cases in which the robot must navigate in dynamic environments. Based on the identified algorithms, a comparison of these traditional and DRL-based algorithms was made, using a robotic platform to evaluate their performance, identify their advantages and disadvantages and provide a recommendation for their use, according to the development requirements of the robot. The algorithms selected were DWA, TEB, CADRL and SAC, and the results show that-according to the application and the robot's characteristics-it is recommended to use each of them, based on different conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diego Arce
- Engineering Department, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, San Miguel, Lima 15088, Peru; (J.S.); (C.B.)
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4
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Joon A, Kowalczyk W. Leader-Follower Approach for Non-Holonomic Mobile Robots Based on Extended Kalman Filter Sensor Data Fusion and Extended On-Board Camera Perception Controlled with Behavior Tree. Sensors (Basel) 2023; 23:8886. [PMID: 37960585 PMCID: PMC10649395 DOI: 10.3390/s23218886] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2023] [Revised: 10/14/2023] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 11/15/2023]
Abstract
This paper presents a leader-follower mobile robot control approach using onboard sensors. The follower robot is equipped with an Intel RealSense camera mounted on a rotating platform. Camera observations and ArUco markers are used to localize the robots to each other and relative to the workspace. The rotating platform allows the expansion of the perception range. As a result, the robot can use observations that are not within the camera's field of view at the same time in the localization process. The decision-making process associated with the control of camera rotation is implemented using behavior trees. In addition, measurements from encoders and IMUs are used to improve the quality of localization. Data fusion is performed using the EKF filter and allows the user to determine the robot's poses. A 3D-printed cuboidal tower is added to the leader robot with four ArUco markers located on its sides. Fiducial landmarks are placed on vertical surfaces in the workspace to improve the localization process. The experiments were performed to verify the effectiveness of the presented control algorithm. The robot operating system (ROS) was installed on both robots.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arpit Joon
- Institute of Automatic Control and Robotics, Poznan University of Technology, Piotrowo 3A, 60-965 Poznan, Poland;
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5
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Wang Y, Zhang Y, Hu L, Wang W, Ge G, Tan S. A Semantic Topology Graph to Detect Re-Localization and Loop Closure of the Visual Simultaneous Localization and Mapping System in a Dynamic Environment. Sensors (Basel) 2023; 23:8445. [PMID: 37896538 PMCID: PMC10611121 DOI: 10.3390/s23208445] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2023] [Revised: 10/02/2023] [Accepted: 10/10/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023]
Abstract
Simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) plays a crucial role in the field of intelligent mobile robots. However, the traditional Visual SLAM (VSLAM) framework is based on strong assumptions about static environments, which are not applicable to dynamic real-world environments. The correctness of re-localization and recall of loop closure detection are both lower when the mobile robot loses frames in a dynamic environment. Thus, in this paper, the re-localization and loop closure detection method with a semantic topology graph based on ORB-SLAM2 is proposed. First, we use YOLOv5 for object detection and label the recognized dynamic and static objects. Secondly, the topology graph is constructed using the position information of static objects in space. Then, we propose a weight expression for the topology graph to calculate the similarity of topology in different keyframes. Finally, the re-localization and loop closure detection are determined based on the value of topology similarity. Experiments on public datasets show that the semantic topology graph is effective in improving the correct rate of re-localization and the accuracy of loop closure detection in a dynamic environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Wang
- School of Computer Science and Technology, Chongqing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Chongqing 400065, China; (Y.W.); (L.H.); (W.W.); (G.G.); (S.T.)
| | - Yi Zhang
- Advanced Manufacturing and Automatization Engineering Laboratory, Chongqing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Chongqing 400065, China
| | - Lihe Hu
- School of Computer Science and Technology, Chongqing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Chongqing 400065, China; (Y.W.); (L.H.); (W.W.); (G.G.); (S.T.)
| | - Wei Wang
- School of Computer Science and Technology, Chongqing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Chongqing 400065, China; (Y.W.); (L.H.); (W.W.); (G.G.); (S.T.)
| | - Gengyu Ge
- School of Computer Science and Technology, Chongqing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Chongqing 400065, China; (Y.W.); (L.H.); (W.W.); (G.G.); (S.T.)
| | - Shuyi Tan
- School of Computer Science and Technology, Chongqing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Chongqing 400065, China; (Y.W.); (L.H.); (W.W.); (G.G.); (S.T.)
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6
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Arapis D, Jami M, Nalpantidis L. Efficient human 3D localization and free space segmentation for human-aware mobile robots in warehouse facilities. Front Robot AI 2023; 10:1283322. [PMID: 37886227 PMCID: PMC10598748 DOI: 10.3389/frobt.2023.1283322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2023] [Accepted: 09/26/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Real-time prediction of human location combined with the capability to perceive obstacles is crucial for socially-aware navigation in robotics. Our work focuses on localizing humans in the world and predicting the free space around them by incorporating other static and dynamic obstacles. We propose a multi-task learning strategy to handle both tasks, achieving this goal with minimal computational demands. We use a dataset captured in a typical warehouse environment by mounting a perception module consisting of a Jetson Xavier AGX and an Intel L515 LiDAR camera on a MiR100 mobile robot. Our method, which is built upon prior works in the field of human detection and localization demonstrates improved results in difficult cases that are not tackled in other works, such as human instances at a close distance or at the limits of the field of view of the capturing sensor. We further extend this work by using a lightweight network structure and integrating a free space segmentation branch that can independently segment the floor space without any prior maps or 3D data, relying instead on the characteristics of the floor. In conclusion, our method presents a lightweight and efficient solution for predicting human 3D location and segmenting the floor space for low-energy consumption platforms, tested in an industrial environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dimitrios Arapis
- Robotics Innovation Lab, Department of Robotics and Operational Technologies, Novo Nordisk A/S, Bagsvaerd, Denmark
- Group of Automation and Control, Department of Electrical and Photonics Engineering, DTU—Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Milad Jami
- Robotics Innovation Lab, Department of Robotics and Operational Technologies, Novo Nordisk A/S, Bagsvaerd, Denmark
| | - Lazaros Nalpantidis
- Group of Automation and Control, Department of Electrical and Photonics Engineering, DTU—Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
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7
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Liao Y, Yu N, Yan J. A Navigation Path Search and Optimization Method for Mobile Robots Based on the Rat Brain's Cognitive Mechanism. Biomimetics (Basel) 2023; 8:427. [PMID: 37754178 PMCID: PMC10526878 DOI: 10.3390/biomimetics8050427] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2023] [Revised: 09/11/2023] [Accepted: 09/11/2023] [Indexed: 09/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Rats possess exceptional navigational abilities, allowing them to adaptively adjust their navigation paths based on the environmental structure. This remarkable ability is attributed to the interactions and regulatory mechanisms among various spatial cells within the rat's brain. Based on these, this paper proposes a navigation path search and optimization method for mobile robots based on the rat brain's cognitive mechanism. The aim is to enhance the navigation efficiency of mobile robots. The mechanism of this method is based on developing a navigation habit. Firstly, the robot explores the environment to search for the navigation goal. Then, with the assistance of boundary vector cells, the greedy strategy is used to guide the robot in generating a locally optimal path. Once the navigation path is generated, a dynamic self-organizing model based on the hippocampal CA1 place cells is constructed to further optimize the navigation path. To validate the effectiveness of the method, this paper designs several 2D simulation experiments and 3D robot simulation experiments, and compares the proposed method with various algorithms. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method not only surpasses other algorithms in terms of path planning efficiency but also yields the shortest navigation path. Moreover, the method exhibits good adaptability to dynamic navigation tasks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yishen Liao
- Faculty of Information Technology, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China; (Y.L.); (J.Y.)
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Computational Intelligence and Intelligent System, Beijing 100124, China
- Engineering Research Center of Digital Community, Ministry of Education, Beijing 100124, China
| | - Naigong Yu
- Faculty of Information Technology, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China; (Y.L.); (J.Y.)
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Computational Intelligence and Intelligent System, Beijing 100124, China
- Engineering Research Center of Digital Community, Ministry of Education, Beijing 100124, China
| | - Jinhan Yan
- Faculty of Information Technology, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China; (Y.L.); (J.Y.)
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Computational Intelligence and Intelligent System, Beijing 100124, China
- Engineering Research Center of Digital Community, Ministry of Education, Beijing 100124, China
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8
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Wang X, Sun Y, Xie Y, Bin J, Xiao J. Deep reinforcement learning-aided autonomous navigation with landmark generators. Front Neurorobot 2023; 17:1200214. [PMID: 37674856 PMCID: PMC10477440 DOI: 10.3389/fnbot.2023.1200214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2023] [Accepted: 08/08/2023] [Indexed: 09/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Mobile robots are playing an increasingly significant role in social life and industrial production, such as searching and rescuing robots, autonomous exploration of sweeping robots, and so on. Improving the accuracy of autonomous navigation of mobile robots is a hot issue to be solved. However, traditional navigation methods are unable to realize crash-free navigation in an environment with dynamic obstacles, more and more scholars are gradually using autonomous navigation based on deep reinforcement learning (DRL) to replace overly conservative traditional methods. But on the other hand, DRL's training time is too long, and the lack of long-term memory easily leads the robot to a dead end, which makes its application in the actual scene more difficult. To shorten training time and prevent mobile robots from getting stuck and spinning around, we design a new robot autonomous navigation framework which combines the traditional global planning and the local planning based on DRL. Therefore, the entire navigation process can be transformed into first using traditional navigation algorithms to find the global path, then searching for several high-value landmarks on the global path, and then using the DRL algorithm to move the mobile robot toward the designated landmarks to complete the final navigation, which makes the robot training difficulty greatly reduced. Furthermore, in order to improve the lack of long-term memory in deep reinforcement learning, we design a feature extraction network containing memory modules to preserve the long-term dependence of input features. Through comparing our methods with traditional navigation methods and reinforcement learning based on end-to-end depth navigation methods, it shows that while the number of dynamic obstacles is large and obstacles are rapidly moving, our proposed method is, on average, 20% better than the second ranked method in navigation efficiency (navigation time and navigation paths' length), 34% better than the second ranked method in safety (collision times), 26.6% higher than the second ranked method in success rate, and shows strong robustness.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Jian Xiao
- Department of Integrated Circuit Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Nanjing, China
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9
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Papagianopoulos I, De Mey G, Kos A, Wiecek B, Chatziathasiou V. Obstacle Detection in Infrared Navigation for Blind People and Mobile Robots. Sensors (Basel) 2023; 23:7198. [PMID: 37631734 PMCID: PMC10457989 DOI: 10.3390/s23167198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2023] [Revised: 08/03/2023] [Accepted: 08/14/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023]
Abstract
The paper is a continuation of the authors' work intended for infrared navigation for blind people and mobile robots. This concerns the detection of obstacles in the person's or mobile robot's trajectory, in particular, the detection of corners. The temperature distribution of a building's internal wall near a corner has been investigated. Due to geometry, more heat will be transferred by conduction so that inside the building, the temperature on the wall will be decreasing towards a corner. The problem will be investigated theoretically and numerically, and the results are confirmed by experimental measurements. The purpose of this research is to help blind people by equipping them with a small infrared camera that warns them when they are approaching a corner inside a building. The same aim is addressed to mobile robots.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ioannis Papagianopoulos
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineers, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece; (I.P.); (V.C.)
- Department of Electronics and Information Systems, Ghent University, Technologiepark 126, 9052 Ghent, Belgium;
| | - Gilbert De Mey
- Department of Electronics and Information Systems, Ghent University, Technologiepark 126, 9052 Ghent, Belgium;
| | - Andrzej Kos
- Institute of Electronics, AGH University of Science and Technology, al. Mickiewicza 30, 30-059 Krakow, Poland
| | - Boguslaw Wiecek
- Institute of Electronics, Lodz University of Technology, ul. Wólczańska 221, 90-924 Lodz, Poland;
| | - Vasilis Chatziathasiou
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineers, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece; (I.P.); (V.C.)
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10
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Gonçalves RS, De Oliveira M, Rocioli M, Souza F, Gallo C, Sudbrack D, Trautmann P, Clasen B, Homma R. Drone-Robot to Clean Power Line Insulators. Sensors (Basel) 2023; 23:5529. [PMID: 37420696 DOI: 10.3390/s23125529] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2023] [Revised: 06/04/2023] [Accepted: 06/07/2023] [Indexed: 07/09/2023]
Abstract
The inspection and maintenance of transmission systems are necessary for their proper functioning. In this way, among the line's critical points are the insulator chains, which are responsible for providing insulation between conductors and structures. The accumulation of pollutants on the insulator surface can cause failures in the power system, leading to power supply interruptions. Currently, the cleaning of insulator chains is performed manually by operators who climb towers and use cloths, high-pressure washers, or even helicopters. The use of robots and drones is also under study, presenting challenges to be overcome. This paper presents the development of a drone-robot for cleaning insulator chains. The drone-robot was designed to identify insulators by camera and perform cleaning through a robotic module. This module is attached to the drone and carries a battery-powered portable washer, a reservoir for demineralized water, a depth camera, and an electronic control system. This paper includes a literature review on the state of the art related to strategies used for cleaning insulator chains. Based on this review, the justification for the construction of the proposed system is presented. The methodology used in the development of the drone-robot is then described. The system was validated in a controlled environment and in field experimental tests, with the ensuing discussions and conclusions formulated, along with suggestions for future work.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rogério Sales Gonçalves
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Federal University of Uberlândia, Uberlândia 38.400-902, Brazil
| | - Murilo De Oliveira
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Federal University of Uberlândia, Uberlândia 38.400-902, Brazil
| | - Murilo Rocioli
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Federal University of Uberlândia, Uberlândia 38.400-902, Brazil
| | - Frederico Souza
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Federal University of Uberlândia, Uberlândia 38.400-902, Brazil
| | - Carlos Gallo
- School of Mechanical Engineering, Federal University of Uberlândia, Uberlândia 38.400-902, Brazil
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11
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Cui Q, Liu P, Du H, Wang H, Ma X. Improved multi-objective artificial bee colony algorithm-based path planning for mobile robots. Front Neurorobot 2023; 17:1196683. [PMID: 37324978 PMCID: PMC10267332 DOI: 10.3389/fnbot.2023.1196683] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2023] [Accepted: 05/15/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Mobile robots are widely used in various fields, including cosmic exploration, logistics delivery, and emergency rescue and so on. Path planning of mobile robots is essential for completing their tasks. Therefore, Path planning algorithms capable of finding their best path are needed. To address this challenge, we thus develop improved multi-objective artificial bee colony algorithm (IMOABC), a Bio-inspired algorithm-based approach for path planning. The IMOABC algorithm is based on multi-objective artificial bee colony algorithm (MOABC) with four strategies, including external archive pruning strategy, non-dominated ranking strategy, crowding distance strategy, and search strategy. IMOABC is tested on six standard test functions. Results show that IMOABC algorithm outperforms the other algorithms in solving complex multi-objective optimization problems. We then apply the IMOABC algorithm to path planning in the simulation experiment of mobile robots. IMOABC algorithm consistently outperforms existing algorithms (the MOABC algorithm and the ABC algorithm). IMOABC algorithm should be broadly useful for path planning of mobile robots.
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12
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Bavle H, Sanchez-Lopez JL, Cimarelli C, Tourani A, Voos H. From SLAM to Situational Awareness: Challenges and Survey. Sensors (Basel) 2023; 23:4849. [PMID: 37430762 DOI: 10.3390/s23104849] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2023] [Revised: 04/27/2023] [Accepted: 05/13/2023] [Indexed: 07/12/2023]
Abstract
The capability of a mobile robot to efficiently and safely perform complex missions is limited by its knowledge of the environment, namely the situation. Advanced reasoning, decision-making, and execution skills enable an intelligent agent to act autonomously in unknown environments. Situational Awareness (SA) is a fundamental capability of humans that has been deeply studied in various fields, such as psychology, military, aerospace, and education. Nevertheless, it has yet to be considered in robotics, which has focused on single compartmentalized concepts such as sensing, spatial perception, sensor fusion, state estimation, and Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM). Hence, the present research aims to connect the broad multidisciplinary existing knowledge to pave the way for a complete SA system for mobile robotics that we deem paramount for autonomy. To this aim, we define the principal components to structure a robotic SA and their area of competence. Accordingly, this paper investigates each aspect of SA, surveying the state-of-the-art robotics algorithms that cover them, and discusses their current limitations. Remarkably, essential aspects of SA are still immature since the current algorithmic development restricts their performance to only specific environments. Nevertheless, Artificial Intelligence (AI), particularly Deep Learning (DL), has brought new methods to bridge the gap that maintains these fields apart from the deployment to real-world scenarios. Furthermore, an opportunity has been discovered to interconnect the vastly fragmented space of robotic comprehension algorithms through the mechanism of Situational Graph (S-Graph), a generalization of the well-known scene graph. Therefore, we finally shape our vision for the future of robotic situational awareness by discussing interesting recent research directions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hriday Bavle
- Interdisciplinary Center for Security Reliability and Trust (SnT), University of Luxembourg, 1855 Luxembourg, Luxembourg
| | - Jose Luis Sanchez-Lopez
- Interdisciplinary Center for Security Reliability and Trust (SnT), University of Luxembourg, 1855 Luxembourg, Luxembourg
| | - Claudio Cimarelli
- Interdisciplinary Center for Security Reliability and Trust (SnT), University of Luxembourg, 1855 Luxembourg, Luxembourg
| | - Ali Tourani
- Interdisciplinary Center for Security Reliability and Trust (SnT), University of Luxembourg, 1855 Luxembourg, Luxembourg
| | - Holger Voos
- Interdisciplinary Center for Security Reliability and Trust (SnT), University of Luxembourg, 1855 Luxembourg, Luxembourg
- Department of Engineering, Faculty of Science, Technology, and Medicine (FSTM), University of Luxembourg, 1359 Luxembourg, Luxembourg
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13
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Leng J, Mou H, Tang J, Li Q, Zhang J. Design, Modeling, and Control of a New Multi-Motion Mobile Robot Based on Spoked Mecanum Wheels. Biomimetics (Basel) 2023; 8:biomimetics8020183. [PMID: 37218769 DOI: 10.3390/biomimetics8020183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2023] [Revised: 04/21/2023] [Accepted: 04/25/2023] [Indexed: 05/24/2023] Open
Abstract
This paper presents an exciting and meaningful design to make mobile robots capable of adapting to various terrains. We designed a relatively simple and novel composite motion mechanism called the flexible spoked mecanum (FSM) wheel and created a mobile robot, LZ-1, with multiple motion modes based on the FSM wheel. Based on the motion analysis of the FSM wheel, we designed an omnidirectional motion mode for this robot, allowing it to move flexibly in all directions and successfully traverse rugged terrains. In addition, we designed a crawl motion mode for this robot, which can climb stairs effectively. We used a multilayer control method to move the robot according to the designed motion modes. Multiple experiments showed that these two motion modes for the robot are effective on various terrains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Leng
- School of Optoelectronic Information and Computer Engineering, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai 200093, China
| | - Haiming Mou
- School of Optoelectronic Information and Computer Engineering, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai 200093, China
| | - Jun Tang
- School of Optoelectronic Information and Computer Engineering, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai 200093, China
| | - Qingdu Li
- School of Optoelectronic Information and Computer Engineering, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai 200093, China
| | - Jianwei Zhang
- Department of Informatics, University of Hamburg, 20146 Hamburg, Germany
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14
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Meng J, Xiao H, Jiang L, Hu Z, Jiang L, Jiang N. Adaptive Model Predictive Control for Mobile Robots with Localization Fluctuation Estimation. Sensors (Basel) 2023; 23:2501. [PMID: 36904708 PMCID: PMC10006979 DOI: 10.3390/s23052501] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2022] [Revised: 02/12/2023] [Accepted: 02/16/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Mobile robots are widely employed in various fields to perform autonomous tasks. In dynamic scenarios, localization fluctuations are unavoidable and obvious. However, common controllers do not consider the impact of localization fluctuations, resulting in violent jittering or poor trajectory tracking of the mobile robot. For this reason, this paper proposes an adaptive model predictive control (MPC) with an accurate localization fluctuation assessment for mobile robots, which balances the contradiction between precision and calculation efficiency of mobile robot control. The distinctive features of the proposed MPC are three-fold: (1) Integrating variance and entropy-a localization fluctuation estimation relying on fuzzy logic rules is proposed to enhance the accuracy of the fluctuation assessment. (2) By using the Taylor expansion-based linearization method-a modified kinematics model that considers that the external disturbance of localization fluctuation is established to satisfy the iterative solution of the MPC method and reduce the computational burden. (3) An improved MPC with an adaptive adjustment of predictive step size according to localization fluctuation is proposed, which alleviates the disadvantage of a large amount of the MPC calculation and improves the stability of the control system in dynamic scenes. Finally, verification experiments of the real-life mobile robot are offered to verify the effectiveness of the presented MPC method. Additionally, compared with PID, the tracking distance and angle error of the proposed method decrease by 74.3% and 95.3%, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Meng
- Intelligent Transportation Systems Research Center, Wuhan University of Technology, 1178 Heping Avenue, Wuhan 430000, China
- Chongqing Research Institute, Wuhan University of Technology, 598 Liangjiang Avenue, Chongqing 400000, China
| | - Hanbiao Xiao
- Intelligent Transportation Systems Research Center, Wuhan University of Technology, 1178 Heping Avenue, Wuhan 430000, China
- Chongqing Research Institute, Wuhan University of Technology, 598 Liangjiang Avenue, Chongqing 400000, China
| | - Liyu Jiang
- Hubei Institute of Measurement and Testing Technology, 2 Maodianshan Middle Road, Wuhan 430000, China
| | - Zhaozheng Hu
- Intelligent Transportation Systems Research Center, Wuhan University of Technology, 1178 Heping Avenue, Wuhan 430000, China
- Chongqing Research Institute, Wuhan University of Technology, 598 Liangjiang Avenue, Chongqing 400000, China
| | - Liquan Jiang
- The State Key Laboratory of New Textile Materials and Advanced Processing Technologies, Wuhan Textile University, 1 Yangguang Avenue, Wuhan 430000, China
| | - Ning Jiang
- School of Mechanical Science and Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1037 Luoyu Road, Wuhan 430000, China
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15
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Gentile C, Lunghi G, Buonocore LR, Cordella F, Di Castro M, Masi A, Zollo L. Manipulation Tasks in Hazardous Environments Using a Teleoperated Robot: A Case Study at CERN. Sensors (Basel) 2023; 23:1979. [PMID: 36850591 PMCID: PMC9963582 DOI: 10.3390/s23041979] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2022] [Revised: 01/25/2023] [Accepted: 02/08/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Remote robotic systems are employed in the CERN accelerator complex to perform different tasks, such as the safe handling of cables and their connectors. Without dedicated control, these kinds of actions are difficult and require the operators' intervention, which is subjected to dangerous external agents. In this paper, two novel modules of the CERNTAURO framework are presented to provide a safe and usable solution for managing optical fibres and their connectors. The first module is used to detect touch and slippage, while the second one is used to regulate the grasping force and contrast slippage. The force reference was obtained with a combination of object recognition and a look-up table method. The proposed strategy was validated with tests in the CERN laboratory, and the preliminary experimental results demonstrated statistically significant increases in time-based efficiency and in the overall relative efficiency of the tasks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cosimo Gentile
- Centro Protesi Inail, Vigorso di Budrio, 40054 Bologna, Italy
- Unit of Advanced Robotics and Human-Centred Technologies, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, 00128 Rome, Italy
| | - Giacomo Lunghi
- Survey, Measurement and Mechatronics (EN-SMM) Group, CERN, 1217 Geneva, Switzerland
| | | | - Francesca Cordella
- Unit of Advanced Robotics and Human-Centred Technologies, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, 00128 Rome, Italy
| | - Mario Di Castro
- Survey, Measurement and Mechatronics (EN-SMM) Group, CERN, 1217 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Alessandro Masi
- Survey, Measurement and Mechatronics (EN-SMM) Group, CERN, 1217 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Loredana Zollo
- Unit of Advanced Robotics and Human-Centred Technologies, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, 00128 Rome, Italy
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16
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Sarcevic P, Csik D, Odry A. Indoor 2D Positioning Method for Mobile Robots Based on the Fusion of RSSI and Magnetometer Fingerprints. Sensors (Basel) 2023; 23:s23041855. [PMID: 36850452 PMCID: PMC9959696 DOI: 10.3390/s23041855] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2022] [Revised: 01/31/2023] [Accepted: 02/02/2023] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
Received signal strength indicator (RSSI)-based fingerprinting is a widely used technique for indoor localization, but these methods suffer from high error rates due to various reflections, interferences, and noises. The use of disturbances in the magnetic field in indoor localization methods has gained increasing attention in recent years, since this technology provides stable measurements with low random fluctuations. In this paper, a novel fingerprinting-based indoor 2D positioning method, which utilizes the fusion of RSSI and magnetometer measurements, is proposed for mobile robots. The method applies multilayer perceptron (MLP) feedforward neural networks to determine the 2D position, based on both the magnetometer data and the RSSI values measured between the mobile unit and anchor nodes. The magnetic field strength is measured on the mobile node, and it provides information about the disturbance levels in the given position. The proposed method is validated using data collected in two realistic indoor scenarios with multiple static objects. The magnetic field measurements are examined in three different combinations, i.e., the measurements of the three sensor axes are tested together, the magnetic field magnitude is used alone, and the Z-axis-based measurements are used together with the magnitude in the X-Y plane. The obtained results show that significant improvement can be achieved by fusing the two data types in scenarios where the magnetic field has high variance. The achieved results show that the improvement can be above 35% compared to results obtained by utilizing only RSSI or magnetic sensor data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Sarcevic
- Department of Mechatronics and Automation, Faculty of Engineering, University of Szeged, Moszkvai krt. 9, 6725 Szeged, Hungary
- Correspondence:
| | - Dominik Csik
- Department of Mechatronics and Automation, Faculty of Engineering, University of Szeged, Moszkvai krt. 9, 6725 Szeged, Hungary
- Doctoral School of Applied Informatics and Applied Mathematics, Óbuda University, Bécsi str. 96/b, 1034 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Akos Odry
- Department of Mechatronics and Automation, Faculty of Engineering, University of Szeged, Moszkvai krt. 9, 6725 Szeged, Hungary
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17
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Xiang G, Dian S, Zhao N, Wang G. Semantic-Structure-Aware Multi-Level Information Fusion for Robust Global Orientation Optimization of Autonomous Mobile Robots. Sensors (Basel) 2023; 23:1125. [PMID: 36772164 PMCID: PMC9920800 DOI: 10.3390/s23031125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2022] [Revised: 01/12/2023] [Accepted: 01/13/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Multi-camera-based simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) has been widely applied in various mobile robots under uncertain or unknown environments to accomplish tasks autonomously. However, the conventional purely data-driven feature extraction methods cannot utilize the rich semantic information in the environment, which leads to the performance of the SLAM system being susceptible to various interferences. In this work, we present a semantic-aware multi-level information fusion scheme for robust global orientation estimation. Specifically, a visual semantic perception system based on the synthesized surround view image is proposed for the multi-eye surround vision system widely used in mobile robots, which is used to obtain the visual semantic information required for SLAM tasks. The original multi-eye image was first transformed to the synthesized surround view image, and the passable space was extracted with the help of the semantic segmentation network model as a mask for feature extraction; moreover, the hybrid edge information was extracted to effectively eliminate the distorted edges by further using the distortion characteristics of the reverse perspective projection process. Then, the hybrid semantic information was used for robust global orientation estimation; thus, better localization performance was obtained. The experiments on an intelligent vehicle, which was used for automated valet parking both in indoor and outdoor scenes, showed that the proposed hybrid multi-level information fusion method achieved at least a 10-percent improvement in comparison with other edge segmentation methods, the average orientation estimation error being between 1 and 2 degrees, much smaller than other methods, and the trajectory drift value of the proposed method was much smaller than that of other methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guofei Xiang
- College of Electrical Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China
- National Key Laboratory of Special Vehicle Design and Manufacturing Integration Technology, Baotou 014031, China
| | - Songyi Dian
- College of Electrical Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China
| | - Ning Zhao
- National Key Laboratory of Special Vehicle Design and Manufacturing Integration Technology, Baotou 014031, China
| | - Guodong Wang
- National Key Laboratory of Special Vehicle Design and Manufacturing Integration Technology, Baotou 014031, China
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18
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Ji J, Zhao JS, Misyurin SY, Martins D. Precision-Driven Multi-Target Path Planning and Fine Position Error Estimation on a Dual-Movement-Mode Mobile Robot Using a Three-Parameter Error Model. Sensors (Basel) 2023; 23:517. [PMID: 36617117 PMCID: PMC9823822 DOI: 10.3390/s23010517] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2022] [Revised: 12/10/2022] [Accepted: 12/29/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
The multi-target path planning problem is a universal problem to mobile robots and mobile manipulators. The two movement modes of forward movement and rotation are universally implemented in integrated, commercially accessible mobile platforms used in logistics robots, construction robots, etc. Localization error in multi-target path tracking is one of the crucial measures in mobile robot applications. In this article, a precision-driven multi-target path planning is first proposed. According to the path's odometry error evaluation function, the precision-optimized path can be discovered. Then, a three-parameter odometry error model is proposed based on the dual movement mode. The error model describes localization errors in terms of the theoretical motion command values issued to the mobile robot, the forward moving distances, and the rotation angles. It appears that the three error parameters follow the normal distribution. The error model is finally validated using a mobile robot prototype. The error parameters can be identified by analyzing the actual moving trajectory of arbitrary movements. The experimental localization error is compared to the simulated localization error in order to validate the proposed error model and the precision-driven path planning method. The OptiTrack motion capture device was used to capture the prototype mobile robot's pose and position data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junjie Ji
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Jing-Shan Zhao
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Sergey Yurievich Misyurin
- Moscow Engineering Physics Institute, National Research Nuclear University MEPhI, Moscow 115409, Russia
- Blagonravov Mechanical Engineering Research Institute RAS, Malyi Kharitonievsky per.4, Moscow 101990, Russia
| | - Daniel Martins
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis 88040-900, Brazil
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19
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Diaz-del-Rio F, Sanchez-Cuevas P, Iñigo-Blasco P, Sevillano-Ramos JL. Improving Tracking of Trajectories through Tracking Rate Regulation: Application to UAVs. Sensors (Basel) 2022; 22:9795. [PMID: 36560164 PMCID: PMC9781682 DOI: 10.3390/s22249795] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2022] [Revised: 12/02/2022] [Accepted: 12/08/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
The tracking problem (that is, how to follow a previously memorized path) is one of the most important problems in mobile robots. Several methods can be formulated depending on the way the robot state is related to the path. "Trajectory tracking" is the most common method, with the controller aiming to move the robot toward a moving target point, like in a real-time servosystem. In the case of complex systems or systems under perturbations or unmodeled effects, such as UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles), other tracking methods can offer additional benefits. In this paper, methods that consider the dynamics of the path's descriptor parameter (which can be called "error adaptive tracking") are contrasted with trajectory tracking. A formal description of tracking methods is first presented, showing that two types of error adaptive tracking can be used with the same controller in any system. Then, it is shown that the selection of an appropriate tracking rate improves error convergence and robustness for a UAV system, which is illustrated by simulation experiments. It is concluded that error adaptive tracking methods outperform trajectory tracking ones, producing a faster and more robust convergence tracking, while preserving, if required, the same tracking rate when convergence is achieved.
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20
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Weng WT, Huang HP, Zhao YL, Lin CY. Development of a Visual Perception System on a Dual-Arm Mobile Robot for Human-Robot Interaction. Sensors (Basel) 2022; 22:s22239545. [PMID: 36502245 PMCID: PMC9739664 DOI: 10.3390/s22239545] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2022] [Revised: 11/15/2022] [Accepted: 11/23/2022] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
This paper presents the development of a visual-perception system on a dual-arm mobile robot for human-robot interaction. This visual system integrates three subsystems. Hand gesture recognition is utilized to trigger human-robot interaction. Engagement and intention of the participants are detected and quantified through a cognitive system. Visual servoing uses YOLO to identify the object to be tracked and hybrid, model-based tracking to follow the object's geometry. The proposed visual-perception system is implemented in the developed dual-arm mobile robot, and experiments are conducted to validate the proposed method's effects on human-robot interaction applications.
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21
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Galeote-Luque A, Ruiz-Sarmiento JR, Gonzalez-Jimenez J. Efficient 3D Lidar Odometry Based on Planar Patches. Sensors (Basel) 2022; 22:6976. [PMID: 36146325 PMCID: PMC9502187 DOI: 10.3390/s22186976] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2022] [Revised: 09/08/2022] [Accepted: 09/13/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
In this paper we present a new way to compute the odometry of a 3D lidar in real-time. Due to the significant relation between these sensors and the rapidly increasing sector of autonomous vehicles, 3D lidars have improved in recent years, with modern models producing data in the form of range images. We take advantage of this ordered format to efficiently estimate the trajectory of the sensor as it moves in 3D space. The proposed method creates and leverages a flatness image in order to exploit the information found in flat surfaces of the scene. This allows for an efficient selection of planar patches from a first range image. Then, from a second image, keypoints related to said patches are extracted. This way, our proposal computes the ego-motion by imposing a coplanarity constraint between pairs <point, plane> whose correspondences are iteratively updated. The proposed algorithm is tested and compared with state-of-the-art ICP algorithms. Experiments show that our proposal, running on a single thread, can run 5× faster than a multi-threaded implementation of GICP, while providing a more accurate localization. A second version of the algorithm is also presented, which reduces the drift even further while needing less than half of the computation time of GICP. Both configurations of the algorithm run at frame rates common for most 3D lidars, 10 and 20 Hz on a standard CPU.
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22
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Ou Y, Fan Y, Zhang X, Lin Y, Yang W. Improved A* Path Planning Method Based on the Grid Map. Sensors (Basel) 2022; 22:6198. [PMID: 36015963 PMCID: PMC9416044 DOI: 10.3390/s22166198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2022] [Revised: 08/13/2022] [Accepted: 08/17/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
In obstacle spatial path planning, the traditional A* algorithm has the problem of too many turning points and slow search speed. With this in mind, a path planning method that improves the A* (A-Star) algorithm is proposed. The mobile robot platform was equipped with a lidar and inertial measurement unit (IMU). The Hdl_graph_slam mapping algorithm was used to construct a two-dimensional grid map, and the improved A* algorithm was used for path planning of the mobile robot. The algorithm introduced the path smoothing strategy and safety protection mechanism, and it eliminated redundant points and minimal corner points by judging whether there were obstacles in the connection of two path nodes. The algorithm effectively improved the smoothness of the path and facilitated the robot to move in the actual operation. It could avoid the wear of the robot by expanding obstacles and improving the safety performance of the robot. Subsequently, the algorithm introduced the steering cost model and the adaptive cost function to improve the search efficiency, making the search purposeful and effective. Lastly, the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm was verified by experiments. The average path search time was reduced by 13%. The average search extension node was reduced by 11%. The problems of too many turning points and slow search speed of traditional A* algorithm in path planning were improved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yangqi Ou
- College of Automation, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044, China
| | - Yuexin Fan
- College of Computer Science and Engineering, Chongqing University of Technology, Chongqing 400054, China
| | - Xinglan Zhang
- College of Computer Science and Engineering, Chongqing University of Technology, Chongqing 400054, China
| | - Yanhua Lin
- College of Computer Science and Engineering, Chongqing University of Technology, Chongqing 400054, China
| | - Weijing Yang
- College of Computer Science and Engineering, Chongqing University of Technology, Chongqing 400054, China
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23
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Matez-Bandera JL, Fernandez-Chaves D, Ruiz-Sarmiento JR, Monroy J, Petkov N, Gonzalez-Jimenez J. LTC-Mapping, Enhancing Long-Term Consistency of Object-Oriented Semantic Maps in Robotics. Sensors (Basel) 2022; 22:5308. [PMID: 35890985 PMCID: PMC9318171 DOI: 10.3390/s22145308] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2022] [Revised: 06/21/2022] [Accepted: 07/13/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
This paper proposes LTC-Mapping, a method for building object-oriented semantic maps that remain consistent in the long-term operation of mobile robots. Among the different challenges that compromise this aim, LTC-Mapping focuses on two of the more relevant ones: preventing duplicate instances of objects (instance duplication) and handling dynamic scenes. The former refers to creating multiple instances of the same physical object in the map, usually as a consequence of partial views or occlusions. The latter deals with the typical assumption made by object-oriented mapping methods that the world is static, resulting in outdated representations when the objects change their positions. To face these issues, we model the detected objects with 3D bounding boxes, and analyze the visibility of their vertices to detect occlusions and partial views. Besides this geometric modeling, the boxes are augmented with semantic information regarding the categories of the objects they represent. Both the geometric entities (bounding boxes) and their semantic content are propagated over time through data association and a fusion technique. In addition, in order to keep the map curated, the non-detection of objects in the areas where they should appear is also considered, proposing a mechanism that removes them from the map once there is evidence that they have been moved (i.e., multiple non-detections occur). To validate our proposal, a number of experiments have been carried out using the Robot@VirtualHome ecosystem, comparing its performance with a state-of-the-art alternative. The results report a superior performance of LTC-Mapping when modeling both geometric and semantic information of objects, and also support its online execution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jose-Luis Matez-Bandera
- Machine Perception and Intelligent Robotics Group (MAPIR-UMA), Malaga Institute for Mechatronics Engineering and Cyber-Physical Systems (IMECH.UMA), University of Malaga, 29016 Malaga, Spain; (J.-L.M.-B.); (D.F.-C.); (J.-R.R.-S.); (J.G.-J.)
| | - David Fernandez-Chaves
- Machine Perception and Intelligent Robotics Group (MAPIR-UMA), Malaga Institute for Mechatronics Engineering and Cyber-Physical Systems (IMECH.UMA), University of Malaga, 29016 Malaga, Spain; (J.-L.M.-B.); (D.F.-C.); (J.-R.R.-S.); (J.G.-J.)
- Johann Bernoulli Institute of Mathematics and Computing Science, University of Groningen, 9712 CP Groningen, The Netherlands;
| | - Jose-Raul Ruiz-Sarmiento
- Machine Perception and Intelligent Robotics Group (MAPIR-UMA), Malaga Institute for Mechatronics Engineering and Cyber-Physical Systems (IMECH.UMA), University of Malaga, 29016 Malaga, Spain; (J.-L.M.-B.); (D.F.-C.); (J.-R.R.-S.); (J.G.-J.)
| | - Javier Monroy
- Machine Perception and Intelligent Robotics Group (MAPIR-UMA), Malaga Institute for Mechatronics Engineering and Cyber-Physical Systems (IMECH.UMA), University of Malaga, 29016 Malaga, Spain; (J.-L.M.-B.); (D.F.-C.); (J.-R.R.-S.); (J.G.-J.)
| | - Nicolai Petkov
- Johann Bernoulli Institute of Mathematics and Computing Science, University of Groningen, 9712 CP Groningen, The Netherlands;
| | - Javier Gonzalez-Jimenez
- Machine Perception and Intelligent Robotics Group (MAPIR-UMA), Malaga Institute for Mechatronics Engineering and Cyber-Physical Systems (IMECH.UMA), University of Malaga, 29016 Malaga, Spain; (J.-L.M.-B.); (D.F.-C.); (J.-R.R.-S.); (J.G.-J.)
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24
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Crețu-Sîrcu AL, Schiøler H, Cederholm JP, Sîrcu I, Schjørring A, Larrad IR, Berardinelli G, Madsen O. Evaluation and Comparison of Ultrasonic and UWB Technology for Indoor Localization in an Industrial Environment. Sensors (Basel) 2022; 22:s22082927. [PMID: 35458908 PMCID: PMC9026763 DOI: 10.3390/s22082927] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2022] [Revised: 03/31/2022] [Accepted: 04/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Evaluations of different technologies and solutions for indoor localization exist but only a few are aimed at the industrial context. In this paper, we compare and analyze two prominent solutions based on Ultra Wide Band Radio (Pozyx) and Ultrasound (GoT), both installed in an industrial manufacturing laboratory. The comparison comprises a static and a dynamic case. The static case evaluates average localization errors over 90 s intervals for 100 ground-truth points at three different heights, corresponding to different relevant objects in an industrial environment: mobile robots, pallets, forklifts and worker helmets. The average error obtained across the laboratory is similar for both systems and is between 0.3 m and 0.6 m, with higher errors for low altitudes. The dynamic case is performed with a mobile robot travelling with an average speed of 0.5 m/s at a height of 0.3 m. In this case, low frequency error components are filtered out to focus the comparison on dynamic errors. Average dynamic errors are within 0.3–0.4 m for Pozyx and within 0.1–0.2 m for GoT. Results show an acceptable accuracy required for tracking people or objects and could serve as a guideline for the least achievable accuracy when applied for mobile robotics in conjunction with other elements of a robotic navigation stack.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amalia Lelia Crețu-Sîrcu
- Department for Materials and Production, Aalborg University, 9220 Aalborg, Denmark; (A.L.C.-S.); (I.S.); (O.M.)
| | - Henrik Schiøler
- Department for Electronic Systems, Aalborg University, 9220 Aalborg, Denmark; (A.S.); (I.R.L.); (G.B.)
- Correspondence:
| | | | - Ion Sîrcu
- Department for Materials and Production, Aalborg University, 9220 Aalborg, Denmark; (A.L.C.-S.); (I.S.); (O.M.)
| | - Allan Schjørring
- Department for Electronic Systems, Aalborg University, 9220 Aalborg, Denmark; (A.S.); (I.R.L.); (G.B.)
| | - Ignacio Rodriguez Larrad
- Department for Electronic Systems, Aalborg University, 9220 Aalborg, Denmark; (A.S.); (I.R.L.); (G.B.)
| | - Gilberto Berardinelli
- Department for Electronic Systems, Aalborg University, 9220 Aalborg, Denmark; (A.S.); (I.R.L.); (G.B.)
| | - Ole Madsen
- Department for Materials and Production, Aalborg University, 9220 Aalborg, Denmark; (A.L.C.-S.); (I.S.); (O.M.)
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25
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Wen S, Jiang Y, Cui B, Gao K, Wang F. A Hierarchical Path Planning Approach with Multi-SARSA Based on Topological Map. Sensors (Basel) 2022; 22:s22062367. [PMID: 35336535 PMCID: PMC8954451 DOI: 10.3390/s22062367] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2022] [Revised: 03/08/2022] [Accepted: 03/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
In this paper, a novel path planning algorithm with Reinforcement Learning is proposed based on the topological map. The proposed algorithm has a two-level structure. At the first level, the proposed method generates the topological area using the region dynamic growth algorithm based on the grid map. In the next level, the Multi-SARSA method divided into two layers is applied to find a near-optimal global planning path, in which the artificial potential field method, first of all, is used to initialize the first Q table for faster learning speed, and then the second Q table is initialized with the connected domain obtained by topological map, which provides the prior information. A combination of the two algorithms makes the algorithm easier to converge. Simulation experiments for path planning have been executed. The results indicate that the method proposed in this paper can find the optimal path with a shorter path length, which demonstrates the effectiveness of the presented method.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shiguang Wen
- Faculty of Robot Science and Engineering, Northeastern University, Shenyang 110169, China; (S.W.); (B.C.)
| | - Yufan Jiang
- College of Information Science and Engineering, Northeastern University, Shenyang 110819, China;
- Correspondence: (Y.J.); (F.W.); Tel.: +86-135-5576-7827 (Y.J.); +86-248-368-8325 (F.W.)
| | - Ben Cui
- Faculty of Robot Science and Engineering, Northeastern University, Shenyang 110169, China; (S.W.); (B.C.)
| | - Ke Gao
- College of Information Science and Engineering, Northeastern University, Shenyang 110819, China;
| | - Fei Wang
- Faculty of Robot Science and Engineering, Northeastern University, Shenyang 110169, China; (S.W.); (B.C.)
- Correspondence: (Y.J.); (F.W.); Tel.: +86-135-5576-7827 (Y.J.); +86-248-368-8325 (F.W.)
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Klančar G, Seder M. Coordinated Multi-Robotic Vehicles Navigation and Control in Shop Floor Automation. Sensors (Basel) 2022; 22:1455. [PMID: 35214362 DOI: 10.3390/s22041455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2022] [Revised: 01/28/2022] [Accepted: 01/31/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
In this paper, we propose a global navigation function applied to model predictive control (MPC) for autonomous mobile robots, with application to warehouse automation. The approach considers static and dynamic obstacles and generates smooth, collision-free trajectories. The navigation function is based on a potential field derived from an E* graph search algorithm on a discrete occupancy grid and by bicubic interpolation. It has convergent behavior from anywhere to the target and is computed in advance to increase computational efficiency. The novel optimization strategy used in MPC combines a discrete set of velocity candidates with randomly perturbed candidates from particle swarm optimization. Adaptive horizon length is used to improve performance. The efficiency of the proposed approaches is validated using simulations and experimental results.
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Lopez Lopez R, Batista Sanchez MJ, Perez Jimenez M, Arrue BC, Ollero A. Autonomous UAV System for Cleaning Insulators in Power Line Inspection and Maintenance. Sensors (Basel) 2021; 21:8488. [PMID: 34960582 DOI: 10.3390/s21248488] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2021] [Revised: 12/10/2021] [Accepted: 12/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The inspection and maintenance tasks of electrical installations are very demanding. Nowadays, insulator cleaning is carried out manually by operators using scaffolds, ropes, or even helicopters. However, these operations involve potential risks for humans and the electrical structure. The use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) to reduce the risk of these tasks is rising. This paper presents an UAV to autonomously clean insulators on power lines. First, an insulator detection and tracking algorithm has been implemented to control the UAV in operation. Second, a cleaning tool has been designed consisting of a pump, a tank, and an arm to direct the flow of cleaning liquid. Third, a vision system has been developed that is capable of detecting soiled areas using a semantic segmentation neuronal network, calculating the trajectory for cleaning in the image plane, and generating arm trajectories to efficiently clean the insulator. Fourth, an autonomous system has been developed to land on a charging pad to charge the batteries and potentially fill the tank with cleaning liquid. Finally, the autonomous system has been validated in a controlled outdoor environment.
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Duda S, Dudek O, Gembalczyk G, Machoczek T. Determination of the Kinematic Excitation Originating from the Irregular Envelope of an Omnidirectional Wheel. Sensors (Basel) 2021; 21:6931. [PMID: 34696144 DOI: 10.3390/s21206931] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2021] [Revised: 10/06/2021] [Accepted: 10/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
This paper describes a test stand for determining the kinematic excitation originating from the contact between a vehicle's wheel and the ground, thus acting on the single suspension upright of the vehicle. This excitation is unique to the movement of omnidirectional wheels and originates from the irregular envelope of the wheel. The presented attitude enables the vertical displacement of the wheel's axis rolling on a horizontal surface to be determined. This work includes experimental results considering different wheel orientations against the direction of movement.
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Krüger N, Fischer K, Manoonpong P, Palinko O, Bodenhagen L, Baumann T, Kjærum J, Rano I, Naik L, Juel WK, Haarslev F, Ignasov J, Marchetti E, Langedijk RM, Kollakidou A, Jeppesen KC, Heidtmann C, Dalgaard L. The SMOOTH-Robot: A Modular, Interactive Service Robot. Front Robot AI 2021; 8:645639. [PMID: 34676247 PMCID: PMC8524203 DOI: 10.3389/frobt.2021.645639,] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The SMOOTH-robot is a mobile robot that-due to its modularity-combines a relatively low price with the possibility to be used for a large variety of tasks in a wide range of domains. In this article, we demonstrate the potential of the SMOOTH-robot through three use cases, two of which were performed in elderly care homes. The robot is designed so that it can either make itself ready or be quickly changed by staff to perform different tasks. We carefully considered important design parameters such as the appearance, intended and unintended interactions with users, and the technical complexity, in order to achieve high acceptability and a sufficient degree of utilization of the robot. Three demonstrated use cases indicate that such a robot could contribute to an improved work environment, having the potential to free resources of care staff which could be allocated to actual care-giving tasks. Moreover, the SMOOTH-robot can be used in many other domains, as we will also exemplify in this article.
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Affiliation(s)
- Norbert Krüger
- The Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller Institute, University of Southern Denmark, Odense M, Denmark,*Correspondence: Norbert Krüger,
| | - Kerstin Fischer
- Institute for Design and Communication, University of Southern Denmark, Sønderborg, Denmark
| | - Poramate Manoonpong
- The Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller Institute, University of Southern Denmark, Odense M, Denmark
| | - Oskar Palinko
- The Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller Institute, University of Southern Denmark, Odense M, Denmark
| | - Leon Bodenhagen
- The Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller Institute, University of Southern Denmark, Odense M, Denmark
| | - Timo Baumann
- Department of Informatics, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | | | - Ignacio Rano
- The Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller Institute, University of Southern Denmark, Odense M, Denmark
| | - Lakshadeep Naik
- The Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller Institute, University of Southern Denmark, Odense M, Denmark
| | - William Kristian Juel
- The Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller Institute, University of Southern Denmark, Odense M, Denmark
| | - Frederik Haarslev
- The Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller Institute, University of Southern Denmark, Odense M, Denmark
| | - Jevgeni Ignasov
- The Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller Institute, University of Southern Denmark, Odense M, Denmark
| | - Emanuela Marchetti
- Department for the Study of Culture, University of Southern Denmark, Odense M, Denmark
| | | | - Avgi Kollakidou
- The Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller Institute, University of Southern Denmark, Odense M, Denmark
| | | | - Conny Heidtmann
- The Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller Institute, University of Southern Denmark, Odense M, Denmark
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Krüger N, Fischer K, Manoonpong P, Palinko O, Bodenhagen L, Baumann T, Kjærum J, Rano I, Naik L, Juel WK, Haarslev F, Ignasov J, Marchetti E, Langedijk RM, Kollakidou A, Jeppesen KC, Heidtmann C, Dalgaard L. The SMOOTH-Robot: A Modular, Interactive Service Robot. Front Robot AI 2021; 8:645639. [PMID: 34676247 PMCID: PMC8524203 DOI: 10.3389/frobt.2021.645639] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2020] [Accepted: 08/30/2021] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
The SMOOTH-robot is a mobile robot that-due to its modularity-combines a relatively low price with the possibility to be used for a large variety of tasks in a wide range of domains. In this article, we demonstrate the potential of the SMOOTH-robot through three use cases, two of which were performed in elderly care homes. The robot is designed so that it can either make itself ready or be quickly changed by staff to perform different tasks. We carefully considered important design parameters such as the appearance, intended and unintended interactions with users, and the technical complexity, in order to achieve high acceptability and a sufficient degree of utilization of the robot. Three demonstrated use cases indicate that such a robot could contribute to an improved work environment, having the potential to free resources of care staff which could be allocated to actual care-giving tasks. Moreover, the SMOOTH-robot can be used in many other domains, as we will also exemplify in this article.
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Affiliation(s)
- Norbert Krüger
- The Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller Institute, University of Southern Denmark, Odense M, Denmark
| | - Kerstin Fischer
- Institute for Design and Communication, University of Southern Denmark, Sønderborg, Denmark
| | - Poramate Manoonpong
- The Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller Institute, University of Southern Denmark, Odense M, Denmark
| | - Oskar Palinko
- The Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller Institute, University of Southern Denmark, Odense M, Denmark
| | - Leon Bodenhagen
- The Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller Institute, University of Southern Denmark, Odense M, Denmark
| | - Timo Baumann
- Department of Informatics, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | | | - Ignacio Rano
- The Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller Institute, University of Southern Denmark, Odense M, Denmark
| | - Lakshadeep Naik
- The Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller Institute, University of Southern Denmark, Odense M, Denmark
| | - William Kristian Juel
- The Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller Institute, University of Southern Denmark, Odense M, Denmark
| | - Frederik Haarslev
- The Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller Institute, University of Southern Denmark, Odense M, Denmark
| | - Jevgeni Ignasov
- The Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller Institute, University of Southern Denmark, Odense M, Denmark
| | - Emanuela Marchetti
- Department for the Study of Culture, University of Southern Denmark, Odense M, Denmark
| | | | - Avgi Kollakidou
- The Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller Institute, University of Southern Denmark, Odense M, Denmark
| | | | - Conny Heidtmann
- The Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller Institute, University of Southern Denmark, Odense M, Denmark
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Röhner E, Mayfarth A, Sternitzke C, Layher F, Scheidig A, Groß HM, Matziolis G, Böhle S, Sander K. Mobile Robot-Based Gait Training after Total Hip Arthroplasty (THA) Improves Walking in Biomechanical Gait Analysis. J Clin Med 2021; 10:jcm10112416. [PMID: 34072524 PMCID: PMC8198188 DOI: 10.3390/jcm10112416] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2021] [Accepted: 05/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
There are multiple attempts to decrease costs in the healthcare system while maintaining a high treatment quality. Digital therapies receive increasing attention in clinical practice, mainly relating to home-based exercises supported by mobile devices, eventually in combination with wearable sensors. The aim of this study was to determine if patients following total hip arthroplasty (THA) could benefit from gait training on crutches conducted by a mobile robot in a clinical setting. METHOD This clinical trial was conducted with 30 patients following total hip arthroplasty. Fifteen patients received the conventional physiotherapy program in the clinic (including 5 min of gait training supported by a physiotherapist). The intervention group of 15 patients passed the same standard physiotherapy program, but the 5-min gait training supported by a physiotherapist was replaced by 2 × 5 min of gait training conducted by the robot. Length of stay of the patients was set to five days. Biomechanical gait parameters of the patients were assessed pre-surgery and upon patient discharge. RESULTS While before surgery no significant difference in gait parameters was existent, patients from the intervention group showed a significant higher absolute walking speed (0.83 vs. 0.65 m/s, p = 0.029), higher relative walking speed (0.2 vs. 0.16 m/s, p = 0.043) or shorter relative cycle time (3.35 vs. 3.68 s, p = 0.041) than the patients from the control group. CONCLUSION The significant higher walking speed of patients indicates that such robot-based gait training on crutches may shorten length of stay (LOS) in acute clinics. However, the number of patients involved was rather small, thus calling for further studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric Röhner
- Orthopaedic Professorship of the University Hospital Jena, Orthopedic Department of the Waldkliniken Eisenberg, 07607 Eisenberg, Germany; (F.L.); (G.M.); (S.B.); (K.S.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +49-36691-8-1254; Fax: +49-36691-8-1807
| | - Anke Mayfarth
- Tediro GmbH, Ehrenbergstr. 11, 98693 Ilmenau, Germany; (A.M.); (C.S.)
| | | | - Frank Layher
- Orthopaedic Professorship of the University Hospital Jena, Orthopedic Department of the Waldkliniken Eisenberg, 07607 Eisenberg, Germany; (F.L.); (G.M.); (S.B.); (K.S.)
| | - Andrea Scheidig
- TU Ilmenau, Neuroinformatics and Cognitive Robotics Lab, PF 100565, 98684 Ilmenau, Germany; (A.S.); (H.-M.G.)
| | - Horst-Michael Groß
- TU Ilmenau, Neuroinformatics and Cognitive Robotics Lab, PF 100565, 98684 Ilmenau, Germany; (A.S.); (H.-M.G.)
| | - Georg Matziolis
- Orthopaedic Professorship of the University Hospital Jena, Orthopedic Department of the Waldkliniken Eisenberg, 07607 Eisenberg, Germany; (F.L.); (G.M.); (S.B.); (K.S.)
| | - Sabrina Böhle
- Orthopaedic Professorship of the University Hospital Jena, Orthopedic Department of the Waldkliniken Eisenberg, 07607 Eisenberg, Germany; (F.L.); (G.M.); (S.B.); (K.S.)
| | - Klaus Sander
- Orthopaedic Professorship of the University Hospital Jena, Orthopedic Department of the Waldkliniken Eisenberg, 07607 Eisenberg, Germany; (F.L.); (G.M.); (S.B.); (K.S.)
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Lluvia I, Lazkano E, Ansuategi A. Active Mapping and Robot Exploration: A Survey. Sensors (Basel) 2021; 21:2445. [PMID: 33918107 PMCID: PMC8037480 DOI: 10.3390/s21072445] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2021] [Revised: 03/21/2021] [Accepted: 03/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Simultaneous localization and mapping responds to the problem of building a map of the environment without any prior information and based on the data obtained from one or more sensors. In most situations, the robot is driven by a human operator, but some systems are capable of navigating autonomously while mapping, which is called native simultaneous localization and mapping. This strategy focuses on actively calculating the trajectories to explore the environment while building a map with a minimum error. In this paper, a comprehensive review of the research work developed in this field is provided, targeting the most relevant contributions in indoor mobile robotics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iker Lluvia
- Autonomous and Intelligent Systems Unit, Fundación Tekniker, 20600 Eibar, Gipuzkoa, Spain;
| | - Elena Lazkano
- Robotics and Autonomous Systems Group (RSAIT), Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Department, Faculty of Informatics, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), 20018 Donostia, Gipuzkoa, Spain;
| | - Ander Ansuategi
- Autonomous and Intelligent Systems Unit, Fundación Tekniker, 20600 Eibar, Gipuzkoa, Spain;
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Quin P, Nguyen DDK, Vu TL, Alempijevic A, Paul G. Approaches for Efficiently Detecting Frontier Cells in Robotics Exploration. Front Robot AI 2021; 8:616470. [PMID: 33732732 PMCID: PMC7959836 DOI: 10.3389/frobt.2021.616470] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2020] [Accepted: 01/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Many robot exploration algorithms that are used to explore office, home, or outdoor environments, rely on the concept of frontier cells. Frontier cells define the border between known and unknown space. Frontier-based exploration is the process of repeatedly detecting frontiers and moving towards them, until there are no more frontiers and therefore no more unknown regions. The faster frontier cells can be detected, the more efficient exploration becomes. This paper proposes several algorithms for detecting frontiers. The first is called Naïve Active Area (NaïveAA) frontier detection and achieves frontier detection in constant time by only evaluating the cells in the active area defined by scans taken. The second algorithm is called Expanding-Wavefront Frontier Detection (EWFD) and uses frontiers from the previous timestep as a starting point for searching for frontiers in newly discovered space. The third approach is called Frontier-Tracing Frontier Detection (FTFD) and also uses the frontiers from the previous timestep as well as the endpoints of the scan, to determine the frontiers at the current timestep. Algorithms are compared to state-of-the-art algorithms such as Naïve, WFD, and WFD-INC. NaïveAA is shown to operate in constant time and therefore is suitable as a basic benchmark for frontier detection algorithms. EWFD and FTFD are found to be significantly faster than other algorithms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Phillip Quin
- Centre for Autonomous Systems, University of Technology, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | | | - Thanh Long Vu
- Centre for Autonomous Systems, University of Technology, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Alen Alempijevic
- Centre for Autonomous Systems, University of Technology, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Gavin Paul
- Centre for Autonomous Systems, University of Technology, Sydney, NSW, Australia
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Daza M, Barrios-Aranibar D, Diaz-Amado J, Cardinale Y, Vilasboas J. An Approach of Social Navigation Based on Proxemics for Crowded Environments of Humans and Robots. Micromachines (Basel) 2021; 12:mi12020193. [PMID: 33668527 PMCID: PMC7918518 DOI: 10.3390/mi12020193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2020] [Revised: 01/23/2021] [Accepted: 01/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Nowadays, mobile robots are playing an important role in different areas of science, industry, academia and even in everyday life. In this sense, their abilities and behaviours become increasingly complex. In particular, in indoor environments, such as hospitals, schools, banks and museums, where the robot coincides with people and other robots, its movement and navigation must be programmed and adapted to robot–robot and human–robot interactions. However, existing approaches are focused either on multi-robot navigation (robot–robot interaction) or social navigation with human presence (human–robot interaction), neglecting the integration of both approaches. Proxemic interaction is recently being used in this domain of research, to improve Human–Robot Interaction (HRI). In this context, we propose an autonomous navigation approach for mobile robots in indoor environments, based on the principles of proxemic theory, integrated with classical navigation algorithms, such as ORCA, Social Momentum, and A*. With this novel approach, the mobile robot adapts its behaviour, by analysing the proximity of people to each other, with respect to it, and with respect to other robots to decide and plan its respective navigation, while showing acceptable social behaviours in presence of humans. We describe our proposed approach and show how proxemics and the classical navigation algorithms are combined to provide an effective navigation, while respecting social human distances. To show the suitability of our approach, we simulate several situations of coexistence of robots and humans, demonstrating an effective social navigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcos Daza
- Electrical and Electronics Engineering Department, School of Electronics and Telecommunications Engineering, Universidad Católica San Pablo, Arequipa 04001, Peru; (M.D.); (D.B.-A.); (J.D.-A.)
| | - Dennis Barrios-Aranibar
- Electrical and Electronics Engineering Department, School of Electronics and Telecommunications Engineering, Universidad Católica San Pablo, Arequipa 04001, Peru; (M.D.); (D.B.-A.); (J.D.-A.)
| | - José Diaz-Amado
- Electrical and Electronics Engineering Department, School of Electronics and Telecommunications Engineering, Universidad Católica San Pablo, Arequipa 04001, Peru; (M.D.); (D.B.-A.); (J.D.-A.)
- Instituto Federal da Bahia, Vitoria da Conquista 45078-300, Brazil;
| | - Yudith Cardinale
- Electrical and Electronics Engineering Department, School of Electronics and Telecommunications Engineering, Universidad Católica San Pablo, Arequipa 04001, Peru; (M.D.); (D.B.-A.); (J.D.-A.)
- Universidad Simón Bolívar, Caracas 1086, Venezuela
- Correspondence:
| | - João Vilasboas
- Instituto Federal da Bahia, Vitoria da Conquista 45078-300, Brazil;
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Marzoughi A, Savkin AV. Autonomous Navigation of a Team of Unmanned Surface Vehicles for Intercepting Intruders on a Region Boundary. Sensors (Basel) 2021; 21:E297. [PMID: 33406732 DOI: 10.3390/s21010297] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2020] [Revised: 12/21/2020] [Accepted: 01/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
We study problems of intercepting single and multiple invasive intruders on a boundary of a planar region by employing a team of autonomous unmanned surface vehicles. First, the problem of intercepting a single intruder has been studied and then the proposed strategy has been applied to intercepting multiple intruders on the region boundary. Based on the proposed decentralised motion control algorithm and decision making strategy, each autonomous vehicle intercepts any intruder, which tends to leave the region by detecting the most vulnerable point of the boundary. An efficient and simple mathematical rules based control algorithm for navigating the autonomous vehicles on the boundary of the see region is developed. The proposed algorithm is computationally simple and easily implementable in real life intruder interception applications. In this paper, we obtain necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of a real-time solution to the considered problem of intruder interception. The effectiveness of the proposed method is confirmed by computer simulations with both single and multiple intruders.
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Niedzwiedzki J, Niewola A, Lipinski P, Swaczyna P, Bobinski A, Poryzala P, Podsedkowski L. Real-Time Parallel-Serial LiDAR-Based Localization Algorithm with Centimeter Accuracy for GPS-Denied Environments. Sensors (Basel) 2020; 20:s20247123. [PMID: 33322587 PMCID: PMC7764368 DOI: 10.3390/s20247123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2020] [Revised: 12/02/2020] [Accepted: 12/06/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
In this paper, we introduce a real-time parallel-serial algorithm for autonomous robot positioning for GPS-denied, dark environments, such as caves and mine galleries. To achieve a good complexity-accuracy trade-off, we fuse data from light detection and ranging (LiDAR) and an inertial measurement unit (IMU). The proposed algorithm’s main novelty is that, unlike in most algorithms, we apply an extended Kalman filter (EKF) to each LiDAR scan point and calculate the location relative to a triangular mesh. We also introduce three implementations of the algorithm: serial, parallel, and parallel-serial. The first implementation verifies the correctness of our innovative approach, but is too slow for real-time execution. The second approach implements a well-known parallel data fusion approach, but is still too slow for our application. The third and final implementation of the presented algorithm along with the state-of-the-art GPU data structures achieves real-time performance. According to our experimental findings, our algorithm outperforms the reference Gaussian mixture model (GMM) localization algorithm in terms of accuracy by a factor of two.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jakub Niedzwiedzki
- Institute of Machine Tools and Production Engineering, Lodz University of Technology, ul. Stefanowskiego 1/15, 90-924 Lodz, Poland; (J.N.); (A.N.); (P.S.); (A.B.); (L.P.)
| | - Adam Niewola
- Institute of Machine Tools and Production Engineering, Lodz University of Technology, ul. Stefanowskiego 1/15, 90-924 Lodz, Poland; (J.N.); (A.N.); (P.S.); (A.B.); (L.P.)
| | - Piotr Lipinski
- Institute of Information Technology, Lodz University of Technology, ul. Wolczanska 215, 90-924 Lodz, Poland
- Correspondence:
| | - Piotr Swaczyna
- Institute of Machine Tools and Production Engineering, Lodz University of Technology, ul. Stefanowskiego 1/15, 90-924 Lodz, Poland; (J.N.); (A.N.); (P.S.); (A.B.); (L.P.)
| | - Aleksander Bobinski
- Institute of Machine Tools and Production Engineering, Lodz University of Technology, ul. Stefanowskiego 1/15, 90-924 Lodz, Poland; (J.N.); (A.N.); (P.S.); (A.B.); (L.P.)
| | - Pawel Poryzala
- Institute of Electronics, Lodz University of Technology, ul. Wolczanska 211/215, 93-005 Lodz, Poland;
| | - Leszek Podsedkowski
- Institute of Machine Tools and Production Engineering, Lodz University of Technology, ul. Stefanowskiego 1/15, 90-924 Lodz, Poland; (J.N.); (A.N.); (P.S.); (A.B.); (L.P.)
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De León J, Cebolla R, Barrientos A. A Sensor Fusion Method for Pose Estimation of C-Legged Robots. Sensors (Basel) 2020; 20:s20236741. [PMID: 33255792 PMCID: PMC7728347 DOI: 10.3390/s20236741] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2020] [Revised: 11/14/2020] [Accepted: 11/18/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
In this work the authors present a novel algorithm for estimating the odometry of "C" legged robots with compliant legs and an analysis to estimate the pose of the robot. Robots with "C" legs are an alternative to wheeled and tracked robots for overcoming obstacles that can be found in different scenarios like stairs, debris, etc. Therefore, this kind of robot has become very popular for its locomotion capabilities, but at this point these robots do not have developed algorithms to implement autonomous navigation. With that objective in mind, the authors present a novel algorithm using the encoders of the legs to improve the estimation of the robot localization together with other sensors. Odometry is necessary for using some algorithms like the Extended Kalman Filter, which is used for some autonomous navigation algorithms. Due to the flexible properties of the "C" legs and the localization of the rotational axis, obtaining the displacement at every step is not as trivial as in a wheeled robot; to solve those complexities, the algorithm presented in this work makes a linear approximation of the leg compressed instead of calculating in each iteration the mechanics of the leg using finite element analysis, so the calculus level is reduced. Furthermore, the algorithm was tested in simulations and with a real robot. The results obtained in the tests are promising and together with the algorithm and fusion sensor can be used to endow the robots with autonomous navigation.
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Thurow K, Gu X, Göde B, Roddelkopf T, Fleischer H, Stoll N, Neubert S. Integrating Mobile Robots into Automated Laboratory Processes: A Suitable Workflow Management System. SLAS Technol 2020; 26:232-235. [PMID: 33181045 DOI: 10.1177/2472630320967620] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The general trend of automation is currently increasing in life science laboratories. The samples to be examined show a high diversity in their structures and composition as well as the determination methods. Complex automation lines such as those used in classic industrial automation are not a suitable solution with respect to the required flexibility of the systems due to changing application requirements. Rather, full automation requires the connection of several different subsystems, including manual process steps by the laboratory staff. This requires suitable workflow management systems that enable the planning and execution of complex process steps. The integration of mobile robots for transportation tasks is currently an important development trend for realizing full automation in life science laboratories. The article "Workflow Management System for the Integration of Mobile Robots in Future Labs of Life Sciences" presents the development and application of a hierarchical workflow management system (HWMS) as a top-level process management and control system. This concept combines the typical hierarchical automation structure with novel approaches for the integration of transportation tasks with variable degrees of automation. The aim is to create a general-purpose workflow management system that can be used in different areas of the life sciences, regardless of the specific device components and applications used.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kerstin Thurow
- Center for Life Science Automation (celisca), University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany
| | - Xiangyu Gu
- Center for Life Science Automation (celisca), University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany
| | - Bernd Göde
- Institute of Automation, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany
| | - Thomas Roddelkopf
- Center for Life Science Automation (celisca), University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany
| | - Heidi Fleischer
- Center for Life Science Automation (celisca), University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany
| | - Norbert Stoll
- Institute of Automation, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany
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Ryu H. Graph Search-Based Exploration Method Using a Frontier-Graph Structure for Mobile Robots. Sensors (Basel) 2020; 20:E6270. [PMID: 33153237 DOI: 10.3390/s20216270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2020] [Revised: 10/26/2020] [Accepted: 11/02/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
This paper describes a graph search-based exploration method. Segmented frontier nodes and their relative transformations constitute a frontier-graph structure. Frontier detection and segmentation are performed using local grid maps of adjacent nodes. The proposed frontier-graph structure can systematically manage local information according to the exploration state and overcome the problem caused by updating a single global grid map. The robot selects the next target using breadth-first search (BFS) exploration of the frontier-graph. The BFS exploration is improved to generate an efficient loop-closing sequence between adjacent nodes. We verify that our BFS-based exploration method can gradually extend the frontier-graph structure and efficiently map the entire environment, regardless of the starting position.
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Meng J, Wang S, Jiang L, Xie Y, Zheng S, Wu H. Robust Lateral Stabilization Control of In-Wheel-Motor-Driven Mobile Robots via Active Disturbance Suppression Approach. Sensors (Basel) 2020; 20:s20185238. [PMID: 32937859 PMCID: PMC7570502 DOI: 10.3390/s20185238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2020] [Revised: 09/06/2020] [Accepted: 09/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Due to the praiseworthy maneuverability and actuation flexibility, the in-wheel-motor-driven mobile robots (IWMD-MR) are widely employed in various industrial fields. However, the active estimation and rejection of unknown disturbances/uncertainties remain a tough work for formulating a stable lateral motion controller. To address the challenge, this paper proposes a robust lateral stabilization control (RLSC) scheme for the developed IWMD-MR by designing an active disturbance suppression mechanism. The distinctive features of the proposed RLSC method are threefold: (i) With a fuzzy estimator, a modified super-twisting sliding mode method is designed to eliminate the system perturbations and time-varying lumped disturbances in an active manner; (ii) The resultant system trajectory is forced into a bounded switching region within finite time, which can be maintained therein for subsequent periods; (iii) Employing the Lyapunov function, new adaption rules for multivariable gains are derived to preserve the lateral motion stability and robustness. Finally, under the direct yaw moment control framework, simulation experiments of real-life IWMD-MR are offered to verify the effectiveness of the presented RLSC method.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Meng
- School of Mechanical Science and Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1037 Luoyu Road, Wuhan 430074, China; (J.M.); (S.W.); (L.J.); (H.W.)
| | - Shuting Wang
- School of Mechanical Science and Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1037 Luoyu Road, Wuhan 430074, China; (J.M.); (S.W.); (L.J.); (H.W.)
| | - Liquan Jiang
- School of Mechanical Science and Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1037 Luoyu Road, Wuhan 430074, China; (J.M.); (S.W.); (L.J.); (H.W.)
| | - Yuanlong Xie
- School of Mechanical Science and Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1037 Luoyu Road, Wuhan 430074, China; (J.M.); (S.W.); (L.J.); (H.W.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +86-15927427952
| | - Shiqi Zheng
- School of Automation, China University of Geosciences, 388 Lumo Road, Wuhan 430074, China;
| | - Hao Wu
- School of Mechanical Science and Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1037 Luoyu Road, Wuhan 430074, China; (J.M.); (S.W.); (L.J.); (H.W.)
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Liao Z, Wang W, Qi X, Zhang X. RGB-D Object SLAM Using Quadrics for Indoor Environments. Sensors (Basel) 2020; 20:s20185150. [PMID: 32917023 PMCID: PMC7571184 DOI: 10.3390/s20185150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2020] [Revised: 08/29/2020] [Accepted: 09/07/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Indoor service robots need to build an object-centric semantic map to understand and execute human instructions. Conventional visual simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) systems build a map using geometric features such as points, lines, and planes as landmarks. However, they lack a semantic understanding of the environment. This paper proposes an object-level semantic SLAM algorithm based on RGB-D data, which uses a quadric surface as an object model to compactly represent the object’s position, orientation, and shape. This paper proposes and derives two types of RGB-D camera-quadric observation models: a complete model and a partial model. The complete model combines object detection and point cloud data to estimate a complete ellipsoid in a single RGB-D frame. The partial model is activated when the depth data is severely missing because of illuminations or occlusions, which uses bounding boxes from object detection to constrain objects. Compared with the state-of-the-art quadric SLAM algorithms that use a monocular observation model, the RGB-D observation model reduces the requirements of the observation number and viewing angle changes, which helps improve the accuracy and robustness. This paper introduces a nonparametric pose graph to solve data associations in the back end, and innovatively applies it to the quadric surface model. We thoroughly evaluated the algorithm on two public datasets and an author-collected mobile robot dataset in a home-like environment. We obtained obvious improvements on the localization accuracy and mapping effects compared with two state-of-the-art object SLAM algorithms.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Wei Wang
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +86-010-8231-4554
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García-Sánchez JR, Tavera-Mosqueda S, Silva-Ortigoza R, Hernández-Guzmán VM, Marciano-Melchor M, Rubio JDJ, Ponce-Silva M, Hernández-Bolaños M, Martínez-Martínez J. A Novel Dynamic Three-Level Tracking Controller for Mobile Robots Considering Actuators and Power Stage Subsystems: Experimental Assessment. Sensors (Basel) 2020; 20:s20174959. [PMID: 32887264 PMCID: PMC7506706 DOI: 10.3390/s20174959] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2020] [Revised: 08/27/2020] [Accepted: 08/30/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
In order to solve the trajectory tracking task in a wheeled mobile robot (WMR), a dynamic three-level controller is presented in this paper. The controller considers the mechanical structure, actuators, and power stage subsystems. Such a controller is designed as follows: At the high level is a dynamic control for the WMR (differential drive type). At the medium level is a PI current control for the actuators (DC motors). Lastly, at the low level is a differential flatness-based control for the power stage (DC/DC Buck power converters). The feasibility, robustness, and performance in closed-loop of the proposed controller are validated on a DDWMR prototype through Matlab-Simulink, the real-time interface ControlDesk, and a DS1104 board. The obtained results are experimentally assessed with a hierarchical tracking controller, recently reported in literature, that was also designed on the basis of the mechanical structure, actuators, and power stage subsystems. Although both controllers are robust when parametric disturbances are taken into account, the dynamic three-level tracking controller presented in this paper is better than the hierarchical tracking controller reported in literature.
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Affiliation(s)
- José Rafael García-Sánchez
- División de Ingeniería Mecatrónica, Tecnológico de Estudios Superiores de Huixquilucan, Tecnológico Nacional de México, Estado de México 52773, Mexico; (J.R.G.-S.); (J.M.-M.)
| | - Salvador Tavera-Mosqueda
- Laboratorio de Mecatrónica & Energía Renovable, Centro de Innovación y Desarrollo Tecnológico en Cómputo, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Ciudad de México 07700, Mexico; (S.T.-M.); (M.M.-M.); (M.H.-B.)
| | - Ramón Silva-Ortigoza
- Laboratorio de Mecatrónica & Energía Renovable, Centro de Innovación y Desarrollo Tecnológico en Cómputo, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Ciudad de México 07700, Mexico; (S.T.-M.); (M.M.-M.); (M.H.-B.)
| | | | - Magdalena Marciano-Melchor
- Laboratorio de Mecatrónica & Energía Renovable, Centro de Innovación y Desarrollo Tecnológico en Cómputo, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Ciudad de México 07700, Mexico; (S.T.-M.); (M.M.-M.); (M.H.-B.)
| | - José de Jesús Rubio
- Sección de Estudios de Posgrado e Investigación, ESIME Azcapotzalco, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Ciudad de México 02250, Mexico;
| | - Mario Ponce-Silva
- Departamento de Ingeniería Electrónica, CENIDET, Tecnológico Nacional de México, Morelos 62490, Mexico;
| | - Miguel Hernández-Bolaños
- Laboratorio de Mecatrónica & Energía Renovable, Centro de Innovación y Desarrollo Tecnológico en Cómputo, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Ciudad de México 07700, Mexico; (S.T.-M.); (M.M.-M.); (M.H.-B.)
| | - Jesús Martínez-Martínez
- División de Ingeniería Mecatrónica, Tecnológico de Estudios Superiores de Huixquilucan, Tecnológico Nacional de México, Estado de México 52773, Mexico; (J.R.G.-S.); (J.M.-M.)
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Rudyk AV, Semenov AO, Kryvinska N, Semenova OO, Kvasnikov VP, Safonyk AP. Strapdown Inertial Navigation Systems for Positioning Mobile Robots-MEMS Gyroscopes Random Errors Analysis Using Allan Variance Method. Sensors (Basel) 2020; 20:E4841. [PMID: 32867167 DOI: 10.3390/s20174841] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2020] [Revised: 08/19/2020] [Accepted: 08/24/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
A problem of estimating the movement and orientation of a mobile robot is examined in this paper. The strapdown inertial navigation systems are often engaged to solve this common obstacle. The most important and critically sensitive component of such positioning approximation system is a gyroscope. Thus, we analyze here the random error components of the gyroscope, such as bias instability and random rate walk, as well as those that cause the presence of white and exponentially correlated (Markov) noise and perform an optimization of these parameters. The MEMS gyroscopes of InvenSense MPU-6050 type for each axis of the gyroscope with a sampling frequency of 70 Hz are investigated, as a result, Allan variance graphs and the values of bias instability coefficient and angle random walk for each axis are determined. It was found that in the output signals of the gyroscopes there is no Markov noise and random rate walk, and the X and Z axes are noisier than the Y axis. In the process of inertial measurement unit (IMU) calibration, the correction coefficients are calculated, which allow partial compensating the influence of destabilizing factors and determining the perpendicularity inaccuracy for sensitivity axes, and the conversion coefficients for each axis, which transform the sensor source codes into the measure unit and bias for each axis. The output signals of the calibrated gyroscope are noisy and offset from zero to all axes, so processing accelerometer and gyroscope data by the alpha-beta filter or Kalman filter is required to reduce noise influence.
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Castellano-Quero M, Fernández-Madrigal JA, García-Cerezo AJ. Statistical Study of the Performance of Recursive Bayesian Filters with Abnormal Observations from Range Sensors. Sensors (Basel) 2020; 20:s20154159. [PMID: 32722646 PMCID: PMC7436157 DOI: 10.3390/s20154159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2020] [Revised: 07/23/2020] [Accepted: 07/24/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Range sensors are currently present in countless applications related to perception of the environment. In mobile robots, these devices constitute a key part of the sensory apparatus and enable essential operations, that are often addressed by applying methods grounded on probabilistic frameworks such as Bayesian filters. Unfortunately, modern mobile robots have to navigate within challenging environments from the perspective of their sensory devices, getting abnormal observations (e.g., biased, missing, etc.) that may compromise these operations. Although there exist previous contributions that either address filtering performance or identification of abnormal sensory observations, they do not provide a complete treatment of both problems at once. In this work we present a statistical approach that allows us to study and quantify the impact of abnormal observations from range sensors on the performance of Bayesian filters. For that, we formulate the estimation problem from a generic perspective (abstracting from concrete implementations), analyse the main limitations of common robotics range sensors, and define the factors that potentially affect the filtering performance. Rigorous statistical methods are then applied to a set of simulated experiments devised to reproduce a diversity of situations. The obtained results, which we also validate in a real environment, provide novel and relevant conclusions on the effect of abnormal range observations in these filters.
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Karolj V, Viseras A, Merino L, Shutin D. An Integrated Strategy for Autonomous Exploration of Spatial Processes in Unknown Environments. Sensors (Basel) 2020; 20:E3663. [PMID: 32629898 DOI: 10.3390/s20133663] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2020] [Revised: 06/26/2020] [Accepted: 06/27/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Exploration of spatial processes, such as radioactivity or temperature is a fundamental task in many robotic applications. In the literature, robotic exploration is mainly carried out for applications where the environment is a priori known. However, for most real life applications this assumption often does not hold, specifically for disaster scenarios. In this paper, we propose a novel integrated strategy that allows a robot to explore a spatial process of interest in an unknown environment. To this end, we build upon two major blocks. First, we propose the use of GP to model the spatial process of interest, and process entropy to drive the exploration. Second, we employ registration algorithms for robot mapping and localization, and frontier-based exploration to explore the environment. However, map and process exploration can be conflicting goals. Our integrated strategy fuses the two aforementioned blocks through a trade-off between process and map exploration. We carry out extensive evaluations of our algorithm in simulated environments with respect to different baselines and environment setups using simulated GP data as a process at hand. Additionally, we perform experimental verification with a mobile holonomic robot exploring a simulated process in an unknown labyrinth environment. Demonstrated results show that our integrated strategy outperforms both frontier-based and GP entropy-driven exploration strategies.
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46
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Dechouniotis D, Athanasopoulos N, Leivadeas A, Mitton N, Jungers RM, Papavassiliou S. Edge Computing Resource Allocation for Dynamic Networks: The DRUID-NET Vision and Perspective. Sensors (Basel) 2020; 20:E2191. [PMID: 32294937 DOI: 10.3390/s20082191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2020] [Revised: 04/09/2020] [Accepted: 04/10/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The potential offered by the abundance of sensors, actuators, and communications in the Internet of Things (IoT) era is hindered by the limited computational capacity of local nodes. Several key challenges should be addressed to optimally and jointly exploit the network, computing, and storage resources, guaranteeing at the same time feasibility for time-critical and mission-critical tasks. We propose the DRUID-NET framework to take upon these challenges by dynamically distributing resources when the demand is rapidly varying. It includes analytic dynamical modeling of the resources, offered workload, and networking environment, incorporating phenomena typically met in wireless communications and mobile edge computing, together with new estimators of time-varying profiles. Building on this framework, we aim to develop novel resource allocation mechanisms that explicitly include service differentiation and context-awareness, being capable of guaranteeing well-defined Quality of Service (QoS) metrics. DRUID-NET goes beyond the state of the art in the design of control algorithms by incorporating resource allocation mechanisms to the decision strategy itself. To achieve these breakthroughs, we combine tools from Automata and Graph theory, Machine Learning, Modern Control Theory, and Network Theory. DRUID-NET constitutes the first truly holistic, multidisciplinary approach that extends recent, albeit fragmented results from all aforementioned fields, thus bridging the gap between efforts of different communities.
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Feemster M, Piepmeier JA, Biggs H, Yee S, ElBidweihy H, Firebaugh SL. Autonomous Microrobotic Manipulation Using Visual Servo Control. Micromachines (Basel) 2020; 11:mi11020132. [PMID: 31991607 PMCID: PMC7074596 DOI: 10.3390/mi11020132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2019] [Revised: 01/21/2020] [Accepted: 01/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
This describes the application of a visual servo control method to the microrobotic manipulation of polymer beads on a two-dimensional fluid interface. A microrobot, actuated through magnetic fields, is utilized to manipulate a non-magnetic polymer bead into a desired position. The controller utilizes multiple modes of robot actuation to address the different stages of the task. A filtering strategy employed in separation mode allows the robot to spiral from the manipuland in a fashion that promotes the manipulation positioning objective. Experiments demonstrate that our multiphase controller can be used to direct a microrobot to position a manipuland to within an average positional error of approximately 8 pixels (64 µm) over numerous trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Feemster
- Weapons, Robotics, and Control Engineering Department, United States Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD 21402, USA; (M.F.); (J.A.P.)
| | - Jenelle A. Piepmeier
- Weapons, Robotics, and Control Engineering Department, United States Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD 21402, USA; (M.F.); (J.A.P.)
| | - Harrison Biggs
- Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, United States Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD 21402, USA; (H.B.); (S.Y.); (H.E.)
| | - Steven Yee
- Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, United States Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD 21402, USA; (H.B.); (S.Y.); (H.E.)
| | - Hatem ElBidweihy
- Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, United States Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD 21402, USA; (H.B.); (S.Y.); (H.E.)
| | - Samara L. Firebaugh
- Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, United States Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD 21402, USA; (H.B.); (S.Y.); (H.E.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-410-293-6152
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Moreno FA, Monroy J, Ruiz-Sarmiento JR, Galindo C, Gonzalez-Jimenez J. Automatic Waypoint Generation to Improve Robot Navigation Through Narrow Spaces. Sensors (Basel) 2019; 20:E240. [PMID: 31906184 DOI: 10.3390/s20010240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2019] [Revised: 12/23/2019] [Accepted: 12/29/2019] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
In domestic robotics, passing through narrow areas becomes critical for safe and effective robot navigation. Due to factors like sensor noise or miscalibration, even if the free space is sufficient for the robot to pass through, it may not see enough clearance to navigate, hence limiting its operational space. An approach to facing this is to insert waypoints strategically placed within the problematic areas in the map, which are considered by the robot planner when generating a trajectory and help to successfully traverse them. This is typically carried out by a human operator either by relying on their experience or by trial-and-error. In this paper, we present an automatic procedure to perform this task that: (i) detects problematic areas in the map and (ii) generates a set of auxiliary navigation waypoints from which more suitable trajectories can be generated by the robot planner. Our proposal, fully compatible with the robotic operating system (ROS), has been successfully applied to robots deployed in different houses within the H2020 MoveCare project. Moreover, we have performed extensive simulations with four state-of-the-art robots operating within real maps. The results reveal significant improvements in the number of successful navigations for the evaluated scenarios, demonstrating its efficacy in realistic situations.
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Ginés J, Martín F, Vargas D, Rodríguez FJ, Matellán V. Social Navigation in a Cognitive Architecture Using Dynamic Proxemic Zones. Sensors (Basel) 2019; 19:s19235189. [PMID: 31783514 PMCID: PMC6928844 DOI: 10.3390/s19235189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2019] [Revised: 11/22/2019] [Accepted: 11/25/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Robots have begun to populate the everyday environments of human beings. These social robots must perform their tasks without disturbing the people with whom they share their environment. This paper proposes a navigation algorithm for robots that is acceptable to people. Robots will detect the personal areas of humans, to carry out their tasks, generating navigation routes that have less impact on human activities. The main novelty of this work is that the robot will perceive the moods of people to adjust the size of proxemic areas. This work will contribute to making the presence of robots in human-populated environments more acceptable. As a result, we have integrated this approach into a cognitive architecture designed to perform tasks in human-populated environments. The paper provides quantitative experimental results in two scenarios: controlled, including social navigation metrics in comparison with a traditional navigation method, and non-controlled, in robotic competitions where different studies of social robotics are measured.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonatan Ginés
- Intelligent Robotics Lab, Rey Juan Carlos University, Campus de Fuenlabrada, Camino del Molino s/n, 28943 Fuenlabrada, Spain; (F.M.); (D.V.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Francisco Martín
- Intelligent Robotics Lab, Rey Juan Carlos University, Campus de Fuenlabrada, Camino del Molino s/n, 28943 Fuenlabrada, Spain; (F.M.); (D.V.)
| | - David Vargas
- Intelligent Robotics Lab, Rey Juan Carlos University, Campus de Fuenlabrada, Camino del Molino s/n, 28943 Fuenlabrada, Spain; (F.M.); (D.V.)
| | - Francisco J. Rodríguez
- Robotics Group, University of León, Campus de Vegazana, s/n, 24071 León, Spain; (F.J.R.); (V.M.)
| | - Vicente Matellán
- Robotics Group, University of León, Campus de Vegazana, s/n, 24071 León, Spain; (F.J.R.); (V.M.)
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50
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Dalmedico N, Simões Teixeira MA, Barbosa Santos H, Nogueira RDCM, Ramos de Arruda LV, Neves F, Rodrigues Pipa D, Endress Ramos J, Schneider de Oliveira A. Sliding Window Mapping for Omnidirectional RGB-D Sensors. Sensors (Basel) 2019; 19:s19235121. [PMID: 31766772 PMCID: PMC6928814 DOI: 10.3390/s19235121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2019] [Revised: 10/25/2019] [Accepted: 10/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
This paper presents an omnidirectional RGB-D (RGB + Distance fusion) sensor prototype using an actuated LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) and an RGB camera. Besides the sensor, a novel mapping strategy is developed considering sensor scanning characteristics. The sensor can gather RGB and 3D data from any direction by toppling in 90 degrees a laser scan sensor and rotating it about its central axis. The mapping strategy is based on two environment maps, a local map for instantaneous perception, and a global map for perception memory. The 2D local map represents the surface in front of the robot and may contain RGB data, allowing environment reconstruction and human detection, similar to a sliding window that moves with a robot and stores surface data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas Dalmedico
- Graduate Program in Electrical and Computer Engineering (CPGEI), Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná (UTFPR), Curitiba, PR 80230-901, Brazil
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +55-41-3310-4701
| | - Marco Antônio Simões Teixeira
- Graduate Program in Electrical and Computer Engineering (CPGEI), Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná (UTFPR), Curitiba, PR 80230-901, Brazil
| | - Higor Barbosa Santos
- Graduate Program in Electrical and Computer Engineering (CPGEI), Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná (UTFPR), Curitiba, PR 80230-901, Brazil
| | - Rafael de Castro Martins Nogueira
- Graduate Program in Electrical and Computer Engineering (CPGEI), Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná (UTFPR), Curitiba, PR 80230-901, Brazil
| | - Lúcia Valéria Ramos de Arruda
- Graduate Program in Electrical and Computer Engineering (CPGEI), Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná (UTFPR), Curitiba, PR 80230-901, Brazil
| | - Flávio Neves
- Graduate Program in Electrical and Computer Engineering (CPGEI), Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná (UTFPR), Curitiba, PR 80230-901, Brazil
| | - Daniel Rodrigues Pipa
- Graduate Program in Electrical and Computer Engineering (CPGEI), Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná (UTFPR), Curitiba, PR 80230-901, Brazil
| | - Júlio Endress Ramos
- Centro de Pesquisas Leopoldo Américo Miguez de Mello (CENPES), Rio de Janeiro, RJ 21941-915, Brazil
| | - André Schneider de Oliveira
- Graduate Program in Electrical and Computer Engineering (CPGEI), Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná (UTFPR), Curitiba, PR 80230-901, Brazil
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