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The TENEX computer system, the ARPA network, and computer language design technology was applied to support the complex system programs. By combining the pragmatic and theoretical aspects of robot development, an approach is created which is grounded in realism, but which also has at its disposal the power that comes from looking at complex problems from an abstract analytical point of view.
We describe PLANEX1, a plan executor for the Stanford Research Institute robot system. The problem-solving program STRIPS creates a plan consisting of a sequence of actions, and PLANEX1 program carries out the plan by executing the actions. PLANEX1 is designed so that it executes only that portion of the plan necessary for completing the task, reexecutes any portion of the plan that has failed to achieve the desired results, and initiates replanning in situations where the plan can no longer be effective in completing the task. The scenario for an example plan execution is given.
Different companies involving a wide range of products and manufacturing processes were studied to define the requirements for industrial robots. A survey of all such automatic units offered on the world market was made to establish a data base. Principal applications include coating, spot welding, and loading and unloading operations.
Over the last several years Jet Propulsion Laboratory has been engaged in a project to develop some of the technology required to build a robotic vehicle for exploring planetary surfaces. An overview of hardware and software being developed for this project is given. Particular emphasis is placed on the description of the current design for the Vehicle System required for locomotion and the path planning algorithm.
Rangefinding equipment and onboard navigation system determine best route from point to point. Research robot has two TV cameras and laser for scanning and mapping its environment. Path planner finds most direct, unobstructed route that requires minimum expenditure of energy. Distance is used as measure of energy expense, although other measures such as time or power consumption (which would depend on the topography of the path) may be used.
This book represents a conference on robots and manipulator systems. Topics discussed include: mathematical modeling systems integrators, the use of TV monitors for remote operation of machinery on earth and in space, an evaluation of various control modes, remotely piloted aircraft, undersea operations, and prosthetic devices for the physically handicapped.
A remote manipulator performance evaluation test was developed to test certain tool mating configurations not possible with the standard peg-in-hole type of test. The test attempted to evaluate robot manipulator performance over a full range of six degrees of freedom of motion between a tool and its intended receptacle. The test consists primarily of four different tool geometries and three different receptacle geometries which provide for a progressive reduction in the degrees of freedom of motion, and a progressive increase in the degrees of constraint (DOC) over motion, between the tool and the receptacle. The manipulation times of actual tools and couplings would be predicted by the times for the test tool most like it geometrically. In addition, the influence of four different transmission delays was tested. The results indicate that tool manipulation time can vary by a factor of about four depending on the degrees of constraint over final tool positioning.
Attention is given to the robot stereo vision system which maintains the image produced by solid-state detector television cameras in a dynamic random access memory called RAPID. The imaging hardware consists of sensors (two solid-state image arrays using a charge injection technique), a video-rate analog-to-digital converter, the RAPID memory, and various types of computer-controlled displays, and preprocessing equipment (for reflexive actions, processing aids, and object detection). The software is aimed at locating objects and transversibility. An object-tracking algorithm is discussed and it is noted that tracking speed is in the 50-75 pixels/s range.
The concept and design of a dynamic test platform for development and evluation of a robot vision system is discussed. The platform is to serve as a diagnostic and developmental tool for future work with the RPI Mars Rover's multi laser/multi detector vision system. The platform allows testing of the vision system while its attitude is varied, statically or periodically. The vision system is mounted on the test platform. It can then be subjected to a wide variety of simulated can thus be examined in a controlled, quantitative fashion. Defining and modeling Rover motions and designing the platform to emulate these motions are also discussed. Individual aspects of the design process are treated separately, as structural, driving linkages, and motors and transmissions.
The paper deals with robotic manipulator control systems with dynamic characteristics. It is shown that using model reference adaptive control techniques makes it possible to develop control algorithms which will maintain uniformly high performance over a wide range of system motions and payloads.
Teaching device, consisting of spacer rod or tube with three-pointed tip and line level, is used during pattern "teach-in" to make sure that robot manipulator holds spray gun perpendicular to surface to be sprayed and at right distance from it. For slanted surfaces angle adapter is added between spacer rod and line-level indicator. Angle is determined by slope of surface to be sprayed, thus allowing a perpendicular spray pattern against even slanted surfaces.
In proposed method for task-oriented control of robot manipulator, position and force error signals for each task degree of freedom are used to calculate appropriate control parameters in task coordinates. Position and force error signals are transformed and summed to create drive signal for each actuator. New hybrid control technique does not require operator to supply complex transform matrices. Control trajectories are easily visualized in terms of task to be performed.
Exact equations of motion of an arm with known parameters were developed and analyzed preparatory to designing control systems for robotic manipulators. The design of an experimental one-link arm for testing control designs is presented.
The premarking of parts for subsequent identification by a robot vision system appears to be beneficial as an aid in the automation of certain tasks such as construction in space. A simple, color coded marking system is presented which allows a computer vision system to locate an object, calculate its orientation, and determine its identity. Such a system has the potential to operate accurately, and because the computer shape analysis problem has been simplified, it has the ability to operate in real time.
This paper describes the TEACH robot control language and its supporting operating system. It addresses concurrency, device independence, and other issues related to manipulator control, task specification, and system operation.
This paper describes the geometrical and device organization of a robot system which is based in part upon transformations of Cartesian frames and exchangeable device tree structures. It discusses coordinate frame transformations, geometrical device representation and solution degeneracy along with the data structures which support the exchangeable logical-physical device assignments. The system, which has been implemented in a minicomputer, supports vision, force, and other sensors. It allows tasks to be instantiated with logically equivalent devices and it allows tasks to be defined relative to appropriate frames. Since these frames are, in turn, defined relative other frames this organization provides a significant simplification in task specification and a high degree of system modularity.
Encapsulated in robot end effector is RF induction-heating coil for heating solar cell while in transit. Holes in encapsulant permit end of unit to act as vacuum pickup to grip solar cell. Use of RF induction heating allows cell to be heated without requiring direct mechanical and thermal contact of bonding tool such as soldering iron.
Optical Method for precisely docking spacecraft and satellite promises useful in terrestrial applications, such as control of robot movements in manufacturing. Reflections of laser beam from patterns on satellite yield information on radial misalinement, angle between axes, and range. Target pattern consists of rings of alternating high and low reflectivity and central section where reflectivity varies with angle of incidence but not with position.