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Showing papers on "Robot published in 1998"


Book
01 May 1998
TL;DR: Following a discussion of the relevant biological and psychological models of behavior, the author covers the use of knowledge and learning in autonomous robots, behavior-based and hybrid robot architectures, modular perception, robot colonies, and future trends in robot intelligence.
Abstract: From the Publisher: foreword by Michael Arbib "Hard to put down and necessary to know -- Arkin's book provides a comprehensive intellectual history of robots and a thorough compilation of robotic organizational paradigms from reflexes through social interaction." -- Chris Brown, Professor of Computer Science, University of Rochester This introduction to the principles, design, and practice of intelligent behavior-based autonomous robotic systems is the first true survey of this robotics field. The author presents the tools and techniques central to the development of this class of systems in a clear and thorough manner. Following a discussion of the relevant biological and psychological models of behavior, he covers the use of knowledge and learning in autonomous robots, behavior-based and hybrid robot architectures, modular perception, robot colonies, and future trends in robot intelligence. The text throughout refers to actual implemented robots and includes many pictures and descriptions of hardware, making it clear that these are not abstract simulations, but real machines capable of perception, cognition, and action.

2,935 citations


Book
22 May 1998
TL;DR: Whence behaviour? animal behaviour robot behaviour behaviour based architectures representational issues for behavioural systems hybrid deliberative/rective architectures perceptual basis for behaviour-based control adaptive behaviour social behaviour fringe robotics - beyond behaviour.
Abstract: Whence behaviour? animal behaviour robot behaviour behaviour-based architectures representational issues for behavioural systems hybrid deliberative/rective architectures perceptual basis for behaviour-based control adaptive behaviour social behaviour fringe robotics - beyond behaviour.

2,431 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
01 Apr 1998
TL;DR: This software architecture allows the robot team members to respond robustly, reliably, flexibly, and coherently to unexpected environmental changes and modifications in the robotteam that may occur due to mechanical failure, the learning of new skills, or the addition or removal of robots from the team by human intervention.
Abstract: ALLIANCE is a software architecture that facilitates the fault tolerant cooperative control of teams of heterogeneous mobile robots performing missions composed of loosely coupled subtasks that may have ordering dependencies. ALLIANCE allows teams of robots, each of which possesses a variety of high-level functions that it can perform during a mission, to individually select appropriate actions throughout the mission based on the requirements of the mission, the activities of other robots, the current environmental conditions, and the robot's own internal states. ALLIANCE is a fully distributed, behaviour-based architecture that incorporates the use of mathematically-modeled motivations (such as impatience and acquiescence) within each robot to achieve adaptive action selection. Since cooperative robotic teams usually work in dynamic and unpredictable environments, this software architecture allows the robot team members to respond robustly, reliably, flexibly, and coherently to unexpected environmental changes and modifications in the robot team that may occur due to mechanical failure, the learning of new skills, or the addition or removal of robots from the team by human intervention. The feasibility of this architecture is demonstrated in an implementation on a team of mobile robots performing a laboratory version of hazardous waste cleanup.

1,399 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This paper addresses the problem of building large-scale geometric maps of indoor environments with mobile robots as a constrained, probabilistic maximum-likelihood estimation problem, and devises a practical algorithm for generating the most likely map from data, along with the best path taken by the robot.
Abstract: This paper addresses the problem of building large-scale geometric maps of indoor environments with mobile robots It poses the map building problem as a constrained, probabilistic maximum-likelihood estimation problem It then devises a practical algorithm for generating the most likely map from data, along with the most likely path taken by the robot Experimental results in cyclic environments of size up to 80 by 25 meter illustrate the appropriateness of the approach

826 citations


BookDOI
01 May 1998
TL;DR: Guidelines in nonholonomic motion planning for mobile robots and collision detection algorithms for motion planning are presented.
Abstract: Guidelines in nonholonomic motion planning for mobile robots.- Geometry of nonholonomic systems.- Optimal trajectories for nonholonomic mobile robots.- Feedback control of a nonholonomic car-like robot.- Probabilistic path planning.- Collision detection algorithms for motion planning.

825 citations


Proceedings ArticleDOI
16 May 1998
TL;DR: Methods of feedback linearization are used to exponentially stabilize the relative distance and orientation of the follower, and it is shown that the zero dynamics of the system are also (asymptotically) stable.
Abstract: We investigate feedback laws used to control multiple robots moving together in a formation. We propose a method for controlling formations that uses only local sensor-based information, in a leader-follower motion. We use methods of feedback linearization to exponentially stabilize the relative distance and orientation of the follower, and show that the zero dynamics of the system are also (asymptotically) stable. We demonstrate in simulation the use of these algorithms to control six robots moving around an obstacle. These types of control laws can be used to control arbitrarily large numbers of robots moving in very general types of formations.

719 citations


Proceedings ArticleDOI
01 May 1998
TL;DR: This paper has implemented the multirobot exploration system on real robots, and it is demonstrated that they can explore and map office environments as a team and be robust to the loss of individual robots.
Abstract: 1 ABSTRACT Frontier-based exploration directs mobile robots to regions on the boundary between unexplored space and space that is known to be open Previously, we have demonstrated that frontier-based exploration can be used to map indoor environments where walls and obstacles may be in arbitrary orientations In this paper, we show how frontier-based exploration can be extended to multiple robots In our approach, robots share perceptual information, but maintain separate global maps, and make independent decisions about where to explore This approach enables robots to make use of information from other robots to explore more effectively, but it also allows the team to be robust to the loss of individual robots We have implemented our multirobot exploration system on real robots, and we demonstrate that they can explore and map office environments as a team

689 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
Rachid Alami1, Raja Chatila1, Sara Fleury1, Malik Ghallab1, Félix Ingrand1 
TL;DR: An integrated architecture that allows a mobile robot to plan its tasks—taking into account temporal and domain constraints, to perform corresponding actions and to con trol their execution in real-time—while being reactive to possible events is described.
Abstract: An autonomous robot offers a challenging and ideal field for the study of intelligent architectures. Autonomy within a rational be havior could be evaluated by the robot's effectiveness and robust ness in carrying out tasks in different and ill-known environments. It raises major requirements on the control architecture. Further more, a robot as a programmable machine brings up other archi tectural needs, such as the ease and quality of its specification and programming.This article describes an integrated architecture that allows a mobile robot to plan its tasks—taking into account temporal and domain constraints, to perform corresponding actions and to con trol their execution in real-time—while being reactive to possible events. The general architecture is composed of three levels: a de cision level, an execution level, and a functional level. The latter is composed of modules that embed the functions achieving sensor- data processing and effector control. The decision level is goal and event driven, a...

599 citations


Proceedings Article
01 Jul 1998
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors describe the software architecture of an autonomous tour-guideltutor robot, which was recently deployed in the "Deutsches Museum Bonn," were it guided hundreds of visitors through the museum during a six-day deployment period.
Abstract: This paper describes the software architecture of an autonomous tour-guideltutor robot. This robot was recently deployed in the "Deutsches Museum Bonn," were it guided hundreds of visitors through the museum during a six-day deployment period. The robot's control software integrates low-level probabilistic reasoning with high-level problem solving embedded in first order logic. A collection of software innovations, described in this paper, enabled the robot to navigate at high speeds through dense crowds, while reliably avoiding collisions with obstacles--some of which could not even be perceived. Also described in this paper is a user interface tailored towards non-expert users, which was essential for the robot's success in the museum. Based on these experiences, this paper argues that time is ripe for the development of AI-based commercial service robots that assist people in everyday life.

555 citations



Book
09 Dec 1998
TL;DR: The text has been tailored to give a comprehensive study of robot dynamics, present structured network models for robots, and provide systematic approaches for neural network based adaptive controller design for rigid robots, flexible joint Robots, and robots in constraint motion.
Abstract: There has been considerable research interest in neural network control of robots, and satisfactory results have been obtained in solving some of the special issues associated with the problems of robot control in an "on-and-off" fasion. This text is dedicated to issues on adaptive control of robots based on neural networks. The text has been tailored to give a comprehensive study of robot dynamics, present structured network models for robots, and provide systematic approaches for neural network based adaptive controller design for rigid robots, flexible joint robots, and robots in constraint motion. Rigorous proof of the stability properties of adaptive neural network controllers is provided. Simulation examples are also presented to verify the effectiveness of the controllers, and practical implementation issues associated with the controllers are also discussed.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The approach is based on Markov localization and provides rational criteria for setting the robot’s motion direction (exploration), and determining the pointing direction of the sensors so as to most efficiently localize the robot.

Book ChapterDOI
01 Jan 1998
TL;DR: In this article, the authors discuss the control of underactuated mechanical systems and discuss the application of geometric nonlinear control, as well as methods based on passivity and energy for stabilization and tracking control.
Abstract: In this chapter we discuss the control of underactuated mechanical systems. Underactuated mechanical systems have fewer control inputs than degrees of freedom and arise in applications, such as space and undersea robots, mobile robots, flexible robots, walking, branchiating, and gymnastic robots. The Lagrangian dynamics of these systems may contain feedforward nonlinearities, non-minimum phase zero dynamics, nonholonomic constraints, and other properties that place this class of systems at the forefront of research in nonlinear control [22, 15]. A complete understanding of the control of these systems is therefore lacking. We will discuss the application of geometric nonlinear control, as well as methods based on passivity and energy for stabilization and tracking control. We will survey some of the existing results and point to open research problems.

Book
01 May 1998
TL;DR: The mobile robots - a proving ground for AI, R. Peter Bonasso three-layer architectures, Erann Gat the Saphira architecture for autonomous mobile robots, Kurt Konolige and Karen Myers the animate agent architecture.
Abstract: Introduction - mobile robots - a proving ground for AI, R. Peter Bonasso et al. Part 1 Mapping and navigation: introduction, David Kortenkamp map learning and high-speed navigation in RHINO, Sebastian Thrun et al integrating high-speed obstacle avoidance, global path planning and vision sensing on a mobile robot, David Kortenkamp et al Dervish - an office-navigating robot, Ilah Nourbackhsh Xavier - a robot navigation architecture based on partially observable Markov decision process models, Sven Koenig and Reid G. Simmons. Part 2 Vision for mobile robots: introduction, Robin Murphy and David Kortenkamp the Polly system, Ian Horswill coordination and control of sensing for mobility using action-oriented perception, Robin R. Murphy vehicle guidance architecture for combined lane tracking and obstacle avoidance, Bill Schiller et al. Part 3 Mobile robot architectures: introduction, R. Peter Bonasso three-layer architectures, Erann Gat the Saphira architecture for autonomous mobile robots, Kurt Konolige and Karen Myers the animate agent architecture, R. James Firby et al cooperative multiagent robotic systems, Ronald C. Arkin and Tucker Balch toward advanced mobile robots for manufacturing, Huosheng Hu and Michael Brady the "Phoenix" autonomous underwater vehicle, Don Brutzmann et al.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A new approach to the multi-robot path planning problem, where a number of robots are to change their positions through feasible motions in the same static environment, is presented, which is probabilistically complete and can show that any solvable problem will be solved within a finite amount of time.

Journal ArticleDOI
Rachid Alami, Sara Fleury1, Matthieu Herrb1, Félix Ingrand1, F. Robert1 
TL;DR: This is the first study in the autonomous mobile robot field to add multi-robot cooperation capabilities to such a large fleet of robots.
Abstract: The MARTHA project objectives are the control and the management of a fleet of autonomous mobile robots for transshipment tasks in harbors, airports and marshalling yards. One of the most challenging and key problems of the MARTHA project is multi-robot cooperation. A general concept for the control of a large fleet of autonomous mobile robots has been developed, implemented and validated in the framework of the MARTHA project. This is the first study in the autonomous mobile robot field to add multi-robot cooperation capabilities to such a large fleet of robots.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The design concept of MUTANT was refined to derive requirements for a general architecture and a set of interfaces of robot systems for entertainment applications, and considers entertainment applications a significant target at this moment from both scientific and engineering points of view.
Abstract: In this paper, we present Robot Entertainment as a new field of the entertainment industry using autonomous robots. For feasibility studies of Robot Entertainment, we have developed an autonomous quadruped robot, named MUTANT, as a pet-type robot. It has four legs, each of which has three degree-of-freedom, and a head which also has three degree-of-freedom. Micro camera, stereo microphone, touch sensors, and other sensor systems are coupled with newly developed behavior generation system, which has emotion module as its major components, and generates high complex and interactive behaviors. Agent architecture, real-world recognition technologies, software component technology, and some dedicated devices such as Micro Camera Unit, were developed and tested for this purpose. From the lessons learned from the development of MUTANT, we refined the design concept of MUTANT to derive requirements for a general architecture and a set of interfaces of robot systems for entertainment applications. Through these feasibility studies, we consider entertainment applications a significant target at this moment from both scientific and engineering points of view.

Journal ArticleDOI
01 Apr 1998
TL;DR: Dempster-Shafer (DS) theory in terms of its utility for sensor fusion for autonomous mobile robots is discussed, exploiting the weight of conflict metric and the enlargement of the frame of discernment to allow a modular decomposition of evidence.
Abstract: This article discusses Dempster-Shafer (DS) theory in terms of its utility for sensor fusion for autonomous mobile robots. It exploits two little used components of DS theory: the weight of conflict metric and the enlargement of the frame of discernment. The weight of conflict is used to measure the amount of consensus between different sensors. A lack of consensus leads the robot to either compensate within certain limits or investigate the problem further, adding robustness to the robot's operation. Enlarging the frame of discernment allows a modular decomposition of evidence. This decomposition offers the advantages of perceptual abstraction, and permits expert knowledge about the domain to be embedded in the frames of discernment, simplifying the construction and maintenance of the knowledge base. Six experiments using this Dempster-Shafer framework are presented. Data from four types of sensor data were collected by a mobile robot and fused with the sensor fusion effects (SFX) architecture.

Proceedings ArticleDOI
16 May 1998
TL;DR: This work has compelled a seven link planar bipedal robot, called Spring Flamingo, to walk, which walks both slowly and quickly, walks over moderate obstacles, starts, and stops.
Abstract: Bipedal robots are difficult to analyze mathematically. However, successful control strategies can be discovered using simple physical intuition and can be described in simple terms. Five things have to happen for a planar bipedal robot to walk. Height has to be stabilized. Pitch has to be stabilized. Speed has to be stabilized. The swing leg has to move so that the feet are in locations which allow for the stability of height, pitch, and speed. Finally, transitions from support leg to support leg must occur at appropriate times. If these five objectives are achieved, the robot will walk. A number of different intuitive control strategies can be used to achieve each of these five objectives. Further, each strategy can be implemented in a variety of ways. We present several strategies for each objective which we have implemented on a bipedal walking robot. Using these simple intuitive strategies, we have compelled a seven link planar bipedal robot, called Spring Flamingo, to walk. The robot walks both slowly and quickly, walks over moderate obstacles, starts, and stops.

Journal ArticleDOI
01 Dec 1998
TL;DR: In this method, the self-localization of the robot is achieved by a model-based vision system, and nonstop navigation is realized by a retroactive position correction system.
Abstract: This paper describes a vision-based navigation method in an indoor environment for an autonomous mobile robot which can avoid obstacles. In this method, the self-localization of the robot is achieved by a model-based vision system, and nonstop navigation is realized by a retroactive position correction system. Stationary obstacles are avoided with single-camera vision and moving obstacles are detected with ultrasonic sensors. We report on experiments in a hallway using the YAMABICO robot.

Journal ArticleDOI
01 Jun 1998
TL;DR: The most peculiar aspects of the proposed algorithmic solution method are the use of fuzzy logic for the efficient building and modification of the environment map, and the iterative application of A*, a complete planning algorithm which takes full advantage of local information.
Abstract: An algorithmic solution method is presented for the problem of autonomous robot motion in completely unknown environments. Our approach is based on the alternate execution of two fundamental processes: map building and navigation. In the former, range measures are collected through the robot exteroceptive sensors and processed in order to build a local representation of the surrounding area. This representation is then integrated in the global map so far reconstructed by filtering out insufficient or conflicting information. In the navigation phase, an A*-based planner generates a local path from the current robot position to the goal. Such a path is safe inside the explored area and provides a direction for further exploration. The robot follows the path up to the boundary of the explored area, terminating its motion if unexpected obstacles are encountered. The most peculiar aspects of our method are the use of fuzzy logic for the efficient building and modification of the environment map, and the iterative application of A*, a complete planning algorithm which takes full advantage of local information. Experimental results for a NOMAD 200 mobile robot show the real-time performance of the proposed method, both in static and moderately dynamic environments.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Autonomous robots are the intelligent agents par excellence in that robots are embodied agents, situated in the real world, subject both to the joys and sorrows of the world and to its physical laws.
Abstract: Autonomous robots are the intelligent agents par excellence. We frequently define a robot as a machine that senses, thinks and acts, i.e., an agent. They are distinguished from software agents in that robots are embodied agents, situated in the real world. As such, they are subject both to the joys and sorrows of the world. They can be touched and seen and heard (sometimes even smelled!), they have physical dimensions, and they can exert force on other objects. These objects can be like a ball in the RoboCup or Mirosot robot soccer games, they can be parts to be assembled, airplanes to be washed, carpets to be vacuumed, terrain to be traversed or cameras to be aimed. On the other hand, since robots are agents in the world they are also subject to its physical laws, they have mass and inertia, their moving parts encounter friction and hence heat, no two parts are precisely alike, measurements are corrupted by noise, and alas, parts break. Of course, robots also contain computers, and hence they are also subject to the slings and arrows of computer misfortunes, both in hardware and software. Finally, the world into which we place these robots keeps changing, it is non-stationary and unstructured, so that we cannot predict its features accurately in advance.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the problem of fully constraining a cable-suspended robot in a zero-gravity environment is formulated in terms of the left null space of a manipulator inverse Jacobian.
Abstract: This paper examines some issues concerning the inverse kinematics and statics of cable-suspended robots and studies some of the inherent workspace limitations that result from the fact that the robot is cable actuated. The paper presents necessary and sufficient conditions for a cable-suspended robot to stay in a given configuration (i.e., to achieve static equilibrium). Another important issue is the extent to which the cables constrain the robot. For example, fully constraining the robot is critical for space applications in which the robot must work in a zero-gravity environment. Conditions for completely constraining the robot are derived. The problems of achieving static equilibrium and fully constraining the robot are formulated in terms of the left null space of a manipulator inverse Jacobian. This null space formulation is also used to study the fault tolerance of cable-suspended robots that are redundantly actuated. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Journal ArticleDOI
01 Oct 1998
TL;DR: The paper studies a territorial approach to the task in which the robots are assigned individual territories that can be dynamically resized if one of the robots malfunctions, permitting the completion of the task.
Abstract: This work demonstrates the application of the distributed behavior-based approach to generating a multirobot controller for a group of mobile robots performing a clean-up and collection task. The paper studies a territorial approach to the task in which the robots are assigned individual territories that can be dynamically resized if one of the robots malfunctions, permitting the completion of the task. The described controller is implemented on a group of four IS Robotics R2e mobile robots. Using a collection of experimental robot data, we empirically derive and demonstrate most effective foraging in our domain, and show the decline of performance of the space division strategy with increased group size.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A methodology for evolving neurocontrollers of autonomous mobile robots without human intervention is described and an evolved neurocontroller that relies on fast and continuously changing synapses characterized by dynamic stability is investigated.

Book ChapterDOI
02 Jun 1998
TL;DR: The paper shows how the estimates of these quantities are inherently coupled in any map-building system, and how features can reliably be re-found after periods of neglect, mitigating the “motion drift” problem often encountered in structure-from-motion algorithms.
Abstract: Active cameras provide a mobile robot with the capability to fixate and track features over a wide field of view. However, their use emphasises serial attention focussing on a succession of scene features, raising the question of how this should be best achieved to provide localisation information. This paper describes a fully automatic system, able to detect, store and track suitable landmark features during goal-directed navigation. The robot chooses which of the available set of landmarks to track at a certain time to best improve its position knowledge, and decides when it is time to search for new features. Localisation performance improves on that achieved using odometry alone and shows significant advantages over passive structure-from-motion techniques. Rigorous consideration is given to the propagation of uncertainty in the estimation of the positions of the robot and scene features as the robot moves, fixates and shifts fixation. The paper shows how the estimates of these quantities are inherently coupled in any map-building system, and how features can reliably be re-found after periods of neglect, mitigating the “motion drift” problem often encountered in structure-from-motion algorithms.

Journal ArticleDOI
A. Codourey1
TL;DR: A simple method based on the virtual work principle is proposed for modeling parallel robots, leading to a very efficient model that has been implemented in a real-time computed-torque control algorithm.
Abstract: In recent years, increased interest in parallel robots has been ob served. Their control with modern theory, such as the computed- torque method, has, however, been restrained, essentially due to the difficulty in establishing a simple dynamic model that can be calcu lated in real time. In this paper, a simple method based on the virtual work principle is proposed for modeling parallel robots. The mass matrix of the robot, needed for decoupling control strategies, does not explicitly appear in the formulation; however, it can be computed separately, based on kinetic energy considerations. The method is applied to the DELTA parallel robot, leading to a very efficient model that has been implemented in a real-time computed-torque control algorithm.

Proceedings Article
01 Jan 1998
TL;DR: In this paper, a number of elegant strategies that can be profitably applied to the design of autonomous robots are described, such as the "peering" behaviour of grasshoppers and the "centring" response of bees flying through a tunnel.
Abstract: Recent studies of insect visual behaviour and navigation reveal a number of elegant strategies that can be profitably applied to the design of autonomous robots. The “peering” behaviour of grasshoppers, for example, has inspired the design of new rangefinding systems. The “centring” response of bees flying through a tunnel has led to simple methods for navigating through corridors. These and other visually-mediated insect behaviours are described along with a number of applications to robot navigation.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This paper proposes a feedback control scheme for an omnidirectional holonomic autonomous platform, which is equipped with three lateral orthogonal-wheel assemblies, and shows that full omniddirectionality can be achieved with decoupled rotational and translational motions.
Abstract: This paper proposes a feedback control scheme for an omnidirectional holonomic autonomous platform, which is equipped with three lateral orthogonal-wheel assemblies. Firstly, the dynamic properties of the platform are studied, and a dynamic model suitable for the application of control is derived. The control scheme constructed is of the resolved-acceleration type, with PI and PD feedback. The control scheme was experimentally applied to an actual mobile robotic platform. The results obtained show that full omnidirectionality can be achieved with decoupled rotational and translational motions. Omnidirectionality is one of the principal requirements for mobile robots designed for health-care and other general-hospital services.

Book ChapterDOI
01 Jan 1998
TL;DR: Technical challenges involved in RoboCup, rules, and simulation environment are described and a software platform for research on the software aspects of RoboCups is offered.
Abstract: RoboCup is an attempt to foster AI and intelligent robotics research by providing a standard problem where wide range of technologies can be integrated and examined. The first RoboCup competition was held at IJCAI-97, Nagoya. In order for a robot team to actually perform a soccer game, various technologies must be incorporated including: design principles of autonomous agents, multi-agent collaboration, strategy acquisition, real-time reasoning, robotics, and sensorfusion. RoboCup is a task for a team of multiple fast-moving robots under a dynamic environment. Although RoboCup's final target is a world cup with real robots, RoboCup offers a software platform for research on the software aspects of RoboCup. This paper describes technical challenges involved in RoboCup, rules, and simulation environment.