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

Presents a miniature robotic system ("scout") useful for reconnaissance and surveillance missions. A large number of scout robots are deployed and controlled by humans and/or larger "ranger" robots. The specially designed and constructed scouts are extremely small (roughly 116cc volume) yet are readily deployable (by tossing or launching), have multiple mobility modes, have multiple sensing capabilities, can transmit and receive data and instructions, and have a limited capability for autonomous action. The rangers are significantly larger vehicles, based on a commercial-off-the-shelf platform, augmented with scout launchers, radios, and additional sensors. Together, the scouts and rangers form a hierarchical team capable of carrying out complex missions in a wide variety of environments.

A miniature robotic system for reconnaissance and surveillance

The upcoming generation of humanoid robots will have to be equipped with state-of-the-art technical features along with high industrial quality, but they should also offer the prospect of effective physical human interaction. In this paper we introduce a new humanoid robot capable of interacting with a human environment and targeting industrial applications. Limitations are outlined and used together with the feedback from the DARPA Robotics Challenge, and other teams leading the field in creating new humanoid robots. The resulting robot is able to handle weights of 6 kg with an out-stretched arm, and has powerful motors to carry out fast movements. Its kinematics have been specially designed for screwing and drilling motions. In order to make interaction with human operators possible, this robot is equipped with torque sensors to measure joint effort and high resolution encoders to measure both motor and joint positions. The humanoid robotics field has reached a stage where robustness and repeatability is the next watershed. We believe that this robot has the potential to become a powerful tool for the research community to successfully navigate this turning point, as the humanoid robot HRP-2 was in its own time.

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TALOS: A new humanoid research platform targeted for industrial applications

We have designed and built a set of miniature robots called Scouts and have developed a distributed software system to control them. This paper addresses the fundamental choices we made in the design of the control software, describes experimental results in a surveillance task, and analyzes the factors that affect robot performance. Space and power limitations on the Scouts severely restrict the computational power of their on-board computers, requiring a proxy-processing scheme in which the robots depend on remote computers for their computing needs. While this allows the robots to be autonomous, the fact that robots' behaviors are executed remotely introduces an additional complication-sensor data and motion commands have to be exchanged using wireless communications channels. Communications channels cannot always be shared, thus requiring the robots to obtain exclusive access to them. We present experimental results on a surveillance task in which multiple robots patrol an area and watch for motion. We discuss how the limited communications bandwidth affects robot performance in accomplishing the task, and analyze how performance depends on the number of robots that share the bandwidth.

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Performance of a distributed robotic system using shared communications channels

This paper describes a humanoid robotics platform (DRC-HUBO+) developed for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Robotics Challenge (DRC) Finals. This paper also describes the design criteria, hardware, software framework, and experimental testing of the DRC-HUBO+ platform. The purpose of DRC-HUBO+ is to perform tasks by teleoperation in hazardous environments that are unsafe for humans, such as disaster zones. We identified specific design concepts for DRC-HUBO+ to achieve this goal. For a robot to be capable of performing human tasks, a human-like shape and size, autonomy, mobility, manipulability, and power are required, among other features. Furthermore, modularized joints and a user-friendly software framework were emphasized as design concepts to facilitate research on the robot tasks. The DRC-HUBO+ platform is based on DRC-HUBO-1 and HUBO-2. The torque of each joint is increased compared to that in DRC-HUBO-1 owing to its high reduction ratio and air-cooling system. DRC-HUBO+ is designed with an exoskeletal structure to provide it with sufficient stiffness relative to its mass. All wires are enclosed within the robot body using a hollow shaft and covers to protect the wires from external shock. Regarding the vision system, active cognition of the environment can be realized using a light-detection and ranging sensor and vision cameras on the head. To achieve stable mobility, the robot can transition from the bipedal walking mode to the wheel mode using wheels located on both knees. DRC-HUBO+ has 32 degrees of freedom (DOFs), including seven DOFs for each arm and six DOFs for each leg, and a solid and light body with a height of 170 cm and a mass of 80 kg. A software framework referred to as PODO, with a Linux kernel and the Xenomai patch, is used in DRC-HUBO+.

Development of the Humanoid Disaster Response Platform DRC-HUBO+

This paper presents the development of life-sized high-power humanoid robot JAXON. Humanoid robots for disaster relief assistance need the same degree of physical performance as humans. We have developed STARO as the high-power humanoid robot with a high degree of physical performance. However this is not enough for practical use of the humanoid robot in a disaster site. We consider the following as additional conditions to operate humanoid robots for disaster relief assistance outside of the lab in outdoor environments. 1) Robots have humanlike body proportion to work in infrastructure matched to human body structure. 2) Robots have energy sources such as batteries and act without tethers. 3) Robots walk with two legs or four limbs and continue to work without fatal damage in unexpected rollover. JAXON satisfied these conditions. We demonstrates the performance of JAXON through the experiment of getting out of a vehicle, stepping over walls, and operating on batteries. Further more, we assesses the performance of the strong armor and the shock absorbing structure through a backward over-turning accident.

Development of life-sized high-power humanoid robot JAXON for real-world use

We present a variety of vision-based adaptive and interactive behaviors in mechanical animals. The mechanical animal is a multi-legged robot designed as a remote-brained robots which does not bring its own brain within the body. It leaves the brain in the mother environment and talks with it by radio links. The brain is raised in the mother environment inherited over generations. The key idea of the remote-brained approach is that of interfacing intelligent software systems with real robot bodies through wireless technology. In this framework the robot system can have a powerful vision system in the brain environment. We have applied this approach toward formation of vision-based dynamic and intelligent behaviors of mechanical animals such as doglike robots and apelike robots. In this paper we introduce the remote-brained approach and describe some remote-brained robots and visual processes for adaptive and interactive behaviors with them. >

Vision-based adaptive and interactive behaviors in mechanical animals using the remote-brained approach

This paper proposes a design method of robots with high specific stiffness for dynamic jumping motions. In the proposed method, we search for high stiffness mechanical structures in a wide design solution space consisting of joint structural parameters as well as frame shape parameters. Particularly in the case of rotary joints driven by linear actuators, we resolve joint moments into actuator's tensile forces and frame's compressive forces and reduce loads exerted on a frame. Though this effect is already known, our method is novel in terms of utilizing this effect for designing robot structures systematically and for saving robot weights. In addition, we introduce a set of the wrenches which would be exerted on a frame (the Frame Load Region) and evaluate the lightness of several robots' structures by using the Frame Load Region. As a resultant of the proposed method, we developed a new life-size humanoid robot prototype JAXON3-P. Then we demonstrate the high motion performance of JAXON3-P and the effectiveness of the proposed design method through jumping motion experiments.

A Robot Design Method for Weight Saving Aimed at Dynamic Motions: Design of Humanoid JAXON3-P and Realization of Jump Motions

In this study, the authors aim to let us control the whole body of humanoid robot dynamically as we want. For that, the authors focused on the direct control of the humanoid leg that is the most severe problem with humanoid tele-operation. The authors implemented online real-time human motion imitation system for humanoid with its dynamics influence considered. In that system, the authors assume both operator and robot as a linear inverted pendulum, and apply human's COM, ZMP, and both feet positions for robot control input. The system includes two 6-axis force sensor under the operator's sole, and the sensors can precisely detect contact of human's sole. Finally the authors succeeded to control two robots that have different COM height configuration.

Online master-slave footstep control for dynamical human-robot synchronization with wearable sole sensor

Robots need to gain high power and robustness for them to be used in hostile environments such as disaster site. In this paper, design methodology of a humanoid robot with robustness is proposed. Electro-Hydrostatic Actuators are adopted to provide backdrivability and mechanical robustness. Parallel-serial hybrid mechanisms and its protection mechanisms are used in joint structure to enhance structural strength. MCU and FPGA are used to realize fast motor control and acquisition of sensory data from large number of sensors. Cooling system was developed to ensure performance under high load and enhance reliability of the robot. Development of robust robot system of a disaster response humanoid robot is reported.

Tatsuya Ishikawa

Papers

Development of life-sized high-power humanoid robot JAXON for real-world use

Vision-based adaptive and interactive behaviors in mechanical animals using the remote-brained approach

A Robot Design Method for Weight Saving Aimed at Dynamic Motions: Design of Humanoid JAXON3-P and Realization of Jump Motions

Online master-slave footstep control for dynamical human-robot synchronization with wearable sole sensor

Enhancement of mechanical strength, computational power, and heat management for fieldwork humanoid robots