A remote controlled robot system that includes a robot and a remote control station. The robot includes a binaural microphone system that is coupled to a speaker system of the remote control station. The binaural microphone system may include a pair of microphones located at opposite sides of a robot head. the location of the microphones roughly coincides with the location of ears on a human body. Such microphone location creates a mobile robot that more effectively simulates the tele-presence of an operator of the system. The robot may include two different microphone systems and the ability to switch between systems. For example, the robot may also include a zoom camera system and a directional microphone. The directional microphone may be utilized to capture sound from a direction that corresponds to an object zoomed upon by the camera system.

Mobile tele-presence system with a microphone system

A remote controlled robot with a head that supports a monitor and is coupled to a mobile platform. The mobile robot also includes an auxiliary camera coupled to the mobile platform by a boom. The mobile robot is controlled by a remote control station. By way of example, the robot can be remotely moved about an operating room. The auxiliary camera extends from the boom so that it provides a relatively close view of a patient or other item in the room. An assistant in the operating room may move the boom and the camera. The boom may be connected to a robot head that can be remotely moved by the remote control station.

Telepresence robot with a camera boom

A mobile robot that includes a drive system, a controller in communication with the drive system, and a volumetric point cloud imaging device supported above the drive system at a height of greater than about one feet above the ground and directed to be capable of obtaining a point cloud from a volume of space that includes a floor plane in a direction of movement of the mobile robot. The controller receives point cloud signals from the imaging device and issues drive commands to the drive system based at least in part on the received point cloud signals.

Mobile human interface robot

A telepresence robot may include a drive system, a control system, an imaging system, and a mapping module. The mapping module may access a plan view map of an area and tags associated with the area. In various embodiments, each tag may include tag coordinates and tag information, which may include a tag annotation. A tag identification system may identify tags within a predetermined range of the current position and the control system may execute an action based on an identified tag whose tag information comprises a telepresence robot action modifier. The telepresence robot may rotate an upper portion independent from a lower portion. A remote terminal may allow an operator to control the telepresence robot using any combination of control methods, including by selecting a destination in a live video feed, by selecting a destination on a plan view map, or by using a joystick or other peripheral device.

Interfacing with a mobile telepresence robot

Although the off-road mobility characteristics of wheeled or tracked vehicles are generally recognized as being inferior to those of man and cursorial animals, the complexity of the joint-coordination control problem has thus far frustrated attempts to achieve improved vehicular terrain adaptability through the application of legged locomotion concepts. Nevertheless, the evident superiority of biological systems in this regard has motivated a number of theoretical studies over the past decade which have now reached a state of maturity sufficient to permit the construction of experimental computer-controlled adaptive walking machines. At least two such vehicles are known to have recently demonstrated legged locomotion over smooth hard-surfaced terrain. This paper is concerned with an extension of the present theory of limb coordination for such machines to the case in which the terrain includes regions not suitable for weight-bearing and which must consequently be avoided by the control computer in deciding when and where to successively place the feet of the vehicle. The paper includes a complete problem formalization, a heuristic algorithm for solution of the problem thus posed, and a preliminary evaluation of the proposed algorithm in terms of a computer simulation study.

Adaptive Locomition of a Multilegged Robot over Rough Terrain

A controlling apparatus for representing the motion of a normal wheeled omni-directional vehicle (ODV) in a relative coordinate system, and for effectively controlling the ODV and a controlling method thereof. Drive wheels are connected to four corners of the body of the ODV through offset links that can be independently steered. With the offset links, even if the body stops, it can be reoriented without a need to perform a forced direction change operation. The traveling speed of the body, the turning radius of the body, and the angle between the horizontal axis of the body and the traveling direction thereof are defined as relative variables of a relative coordinate system. With these relative variables, the motion of the ODV is designated. The designated motion of the body is converted into the time change or the displacement (drive speed) and the steering angle of each wheel by inverse kinematics. The corresponding control signals are sent to a driving unit of the wheels. Thus, the body is turned with a turning radius about a predetermined point. Consequently, the body can be controlled corresponding to control commands based on the body. In addition, the measured results of the drive speeds and the steering angles of the wheels can be converted into relative variables by forward kinetics so as to determine the motion of the body.

Apparatus for controlling motion of normal wheeled omni-directional vehicle and method thereof

In this paper, we propose a basic control method for the leg-wheel robot moving on unexplored rough terrains. When moving on a rough terrain, the compliance values and the trajectories of legs are set up according to the environment without using external sensors. And the step axis mechanism that we have developed, realizes the stable rolling movement of the robot. The proposed method is evaluated by a walking experiment in an outdoor natural terrain.

Motion control technique for practical use of a leg-wheel robot on unknown outdoor rough terrains

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the design of ODV9, a nonholonomic quasi-omnidirectional vehicle to be used as a general platform for mobile robots. Omnidirectional mobility is a desirable property for such a platform because indoor mobile robots are often requested to move in a narrow space. ODV9 has four wheel modules, and each module incorporates one motor, one steering brake, and one conventional wheel equipped with a rubber tire. The use of caster wheels means that ODV9 can be operated with just two motors. Compared with other omnidirectional vehicles, the advantages of ODV9 are not limited to the simplicity of its mechanism. Benefiting from being able to use pneumatic tires, ODV9 is capable of moving on somewhat bumpy road surfaces. The disadvantage of ODV9 is inferiority in its maneuverability. The quasi-omnidirectionality means that an arbitrary x, y and yaw motion cannot be achieved. The disadvantage is, however, compensated by proper use of many possible running modes according to the si...

Mechanism, Control and Design Methodology of the Nonholonomic Quasi-Omnidirectional Vehicle “ODV9”:

This paper describes a multi-robot system which incorporates a behavior-based dynamic cooperation strategy for object transportation. This cooperation strategy is realized in two steps: designing the distributed robot’s cooperative behavioral attributes according to robot’s abilities, and organizing these behavioral attributes so that the team cooperation is realized. A method to control non-holonomic robots for cooperative object transportation which includes three control modes on realizing behavior attributes on each individual robot’s ability direction is proposed. The switching among the three control modes is decided according to the position of the virtual target point and the orientation of the robot’s body. An experimental robot system is designed to verify the proposed method and some experiment results are shown in this paper.

A Control Method of a Multiple Non-holonomic Robot System for Cooperative Object Transportation

A leg-wheel robot has mechanically separated four legs and two wheels, and it performs high mobility and stability on rough terrains. In this paper, we propose gait algorithms for trot and pace gaits, and velocity limitation method, which allow continuous locomotion of a leg-wheel robot under random velocity commands. The gait algorithms which are based on the predictive event driven method determine the leg lifting timing to avoid the legs reaching the border of the work space. The velocity limitation method limits the velocity command when it exceeds the mechanical specifications of the robot. Combined the velocity limitation method with the gait algorithms, the proposed method ensures the continuity of locomotion on trot and pace gaits. It is evaluated by simulations and experiments.

Takayuki Takahashi

Papers

Apparatus for controlling motion of normal wheeled omni-directional vehicle and method thereof

Motion control technique for practical use of a leg-wheel robot on unknown outdoor rough terrains

Mechanism, Control and Design Methodology of the Nonholonomic Quasi-Omnidirectional Vehicle “ODV9”:

A Control Method of a Multiple Non-holonomic Robot System for Cooperative Object Transportation

Trot and Pace Gaits based on the Predictive Event Driven Method for a Leg-wheel Robot