Planning algorithms are impacting technical disciplines and industries around the world, including robotics, computer-aided design, manufacturing, computer graphics, aerospace applications, drug design, and protein folding. This coherent and comprehensive book unifies material from several sources, including robotics, control theory, artificial intelligence, and algorithms. The treatment is centered on robot motion planning but integrates material on planning in discrete spaces. A major part of the book is devoted to planning under uncertainty, including decision theory, Markov decision processes, and information spaces, which are the “configuration spaces” of all sensor-based planning problems. The last part of the book delves into planning under differential constraints that arise when automating the motions of virtually any mechanical system. Developed from courses taught by the author, the book is intended for students, engineers, and researchers in robotics, artificial intelligence, and control theory as well as computer graphics, algorithms, and computational biology.

Planning Algorithms: Introductory Material

Preface. 1. Introduction. 2. Rigid Motions and Homogeneous Transformations. 3. Forward and Inverse Kinematics. 4. Velocity Kinematics-The Jacobian. 5. Path and Trajectory Planning. 6. Independent Joint Control. 7. Dynamics. 8. Multivariable Control. 9. Force Control. 10. Geometric Nonlinear Control. 11. Computer Vision. 12. Vision-Based Control. Appendix A: Trigonometry. Appendix B: Linear Algebra. Appendix C: Dynamical Systems. Appendix D: Lyapunov Stability. Index.

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Robot Modeling and Control

Paper: The internal model principle of control theory

Human skin is a remarkable organ. It consists of an integrated, stretchable network of sensors that relay information about tactile and thermal stimuli to the brain, allowing us to maneuver within our environment safely and effectively. Interest in large-area networks of electronic devices inspired by human skin is motivated by the promise of creating autonomous intelligent robots and biomimetic prosthetics, among other applications. The development of electronic networks comprised of flexible, stretchable, and robust devices that are compatible with large-area implementation and integrated with multiple functionalities is a testament to the progress in developing an electronic skin (e-skin) akin to human skin. E-skins are already capable of providing augmented performance over their organic counterpart, both in superior spatial resolution and thermal sensitivity. They could be further improved through the incorporation of additional functionalities (e.g., chemical and biological sensing) and desired properties (e.g., biodegradability and self-powering). Continued rapid progress in this area is promising for the development of a fully integrated e-skin in the near future.

25th Anniversary Article: The Evolution of Electronic Skin (E-Skin): A Brief History, Design Considerations, and Recent Progress

This book, written by two major figures in adaptive control, provides a wealth of material for researchers, practitioners, and students. While some researchers in adaptive control may note the absence of a particular topic, the book‘s scope represents a high-gain instrument. It can be used by designers of control systems to enhance their work through the information on many new theoretical developments, and can be used by mathematical control theory specialists to adapt their research to practical needs. The book is strongly recommended to anyone interested in adaptive control.

Adaptive Control

In this paper, a new modeling method is developed for analyzing the dynamic behavior of a system consisting of a rigid robotic manipulator and a flexible sheet metal payload. The component mode synthesis method is applied to reduce the degrees of freedom of the payload and to model the interfaces between the robot gripper and the payload. Using nonlinear compatibility functions, the method is modified to synthesize the dynamics of the entire robot-payload system. Exact models are developed capable of describing both large and small rigid-body motions. A modular form is derived and the coupling dynamics is formulated in a computationally efficient manner. Numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the modeling method.

Modeling of Flexible Robot-Payload Systems Through Component Synthesis

This paper presents a conceptual design for variable configurations articulated tracked vehicle (LMA) [1] that has active adaptability to suit for rough and unpredictable terrains, including stairways, obstacles and ditches. The active terrain adaptability is performed by a track configuration-controlling mechanism which is a simple 3-bar cam mechanism consisting of 2 moving elements and a cam fixedly mounted on the vehicle’s chassis. The mechanism has three functions: (1) ensuring the center of a planetary wheel mounted on the end of the track configuration-controlling mechanism to move along an exactly elliptic path; (2) providing the tracks with a continuously invariable spring force to tension tracks; and (3) changing and adjusting the center of gravity of the robot system to prevent it turning over from stairs.Copyright © 2009 by ASME

Conceptual Design of a Variable Configuration Articulated Tracked Vehicle

This work describes the development of an efficient automated parking support system for passenger cars. By using advances in artificial neural network technology and a classical combination of linear feedback and feedforward control, the authors propose a novel design for a parking motion controller. The paper presents the results of the controller design and analysis, including parking problem analysis, feedback controller stability analysis, formulation and optimal solution of the parking trajectory planning problem, and design of a novel parking motion planning architecture based on a radial basis function network. A general case of backward parking is emulated using the proposed controller. The emulation results reveal high efficiency of the presented approach and demonstrate that the proposed system can implemented on a typical passenger car.

Design of radial basis function-based controller for autonomous parking of wheeled vehicles

Using a method based upon resolving joint velocities using reciprocal screw quantities, compact analytical expressions are generated for the inverse solution of the joint rates of a seven revolute (spherical-revolute-spherical) manipulator. The method uses a sequential decomposition of screw coordinates to identify reciprocal screw quantities used in the resolution of a particular joint rate solution, and also to identify a Jacobian null-space basis used for the direct solution of optimal joint rates. The results of the screw decomposition are used to study special configurations of the manipulator, generating expressions for the inverse velocity solution for all non-singular configurations of the manipulator, and identifying singular configurations and their characteristics. Two functions are therefore served: a new general method for the solution of the inverse velocity problem is presented; and complete analytical expressions are derived for the resolution of the joint rates of a seven degree of freedom manipulator useful for telerobotic and industrial robotic application.

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A complete analytical solution for the inverse instantaneous kinematics of a spherical-revolute-spherical (7R) redundant manipulator

In this paper, the problem of robust control of robot manipulators which perform noncontact and contact tasks is considered. Using the hybrid control strategy, two variable structure control algorithms are developed in task space. One of the algorithms is developed for control of robot manipulators in constrained motion; the other is proposed for control of manipulators in unconstrained and constrained motion. Computer simulation results are presented for illustration. >

Andrew A. Goldenberg

Papers

Modeling of Flexible Robot-Payload Systems Through Component Synthesis

Conceptual Design of a Variable Configuration Articulated Tracked Vehicle

Design of radial basis function-based controller for autonomous parking of wheeled vehicles

A complete analytical solution for the inverse instantaneous kinematics of a spherical-revolute-spherical (7R) redundant manipulator

Approaches to robust force control of manipulators