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1
Gonullu, Muhammet Kasim. "Development Of A Mobile Robot Platform To Be Used In Mobile Robot Research." Master's thesis, METU, 2013. http://etd.lib.metu.edu.tr/upload/12615654/index.pdf.
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Robotics is an interdisciplinary subject and combines mechanical, computer and electrical engineering components together to solve different kinds of problems. In order to build robotic systems, these disciplines should be integrated. Therefore, mobile robots can be used as a tool in education for teaching engineering concepts. They can be employed to be used in undergraduate, graduate and doctorate research. Hands on experience on a mobile robot increase motivation of the students on the topic and give them precious practical knowledge. It also delivers students new skills like teamwork, problem solving, creativity, by executing robotic exercises. To be able to fulfill these outcomes, universities and research centers need mobile robot platforms that are modular, easy to build, cheap and flexible. However it should be also powerful and capable of being used in different research studies and hence be customizable depending on the requirements of these topics.
This thesis aims at building an indoor mobile robot that can be used as a platform for developing algorithms involving various sensors incorporated onto a mobile platform. More precisely, it can be used as a base for indoor navigation and localization algorithms, as well as it can be used as platform for developing algorithms for larger autonomous mobile robots. The thesis work involves the design and manufacturing of a mobile robot platform that can potentially facilitate mobile robotics research that involves use of various hardware to develop and test different perception and navigation algorithms.
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Bayar, Gokhan. "Configurable Robot Base Design For Mixed Terrain Applications." Master's thesis, METU, 2005. http://etd.lib.metu.edu.tr/upload/2/12606530/index.pdf.
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Mobile robotics has become a rapidly developing field of interdisciplinary research within robotics. This promising field has attracted the attention of academicy, industry, several government agencies. Currently from security to personal service mobile robots are being used in a variety of tasks. The use of such robots is expected to only increase in the near future.
In this study, it is aimed to design and manufacture a versatile robot base. This base is aimed to be the main driving unit for various applications performed both indoors and outdoors ranging from personal service and assistance to military applications. The study does not attempt to individually address any specific application, indeed it is aimed to shape up a robotic module that can be used in a wide range of application on different terrain with proper modification. The robot base is specifically designed for mixed terrain applications, yet this study attempts to provide some guidelines to help robot designers. The manufactured robot base is tested with tracks, wheels, and with both tracks and wheels, results are provided as guidelines to robot designers. Last but no the least, this study aims to obtain the know-how of building functional and flexible robots in Turkey by facilitating local resources as much as possible.
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Kul, Mustafa Cihangir. "Design, Development And Manufacturing Of An All Terrain Modular Robot Platform." Master's thesis, METU, 2010. http://etd.lib.metu.edu.tr/upload/3/12611858/index.pdf.
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The aim of this thesis is to create a flexible multi-purpose modular all terrain robot
platform, which has the potential to be used in commercial applications as well as in
education and research. In developing this robot platform, it is aimed to use readily
available commercial products as much as possible in order to keep the cost of the
product low, increase maintainability, and benefit from the improvements made to
these components in time. The modularity is attained by designing a two wheeled
base module which is autonomous on its own. This base module is composed of
two wheels where, the motors located inside these wheels. It is shown that the
proposed base module facilitates the configuration of various robots to suit the
needs of diverse applications. Detailed design and manufacturing of one of various
possible configurations is presented. Performance tests are conducted on this robot
configuration and effectiveness of the proposed modular approach is justified.
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Kapitančik, Maroš. "Zpracování obrazu na platformě Raspberry Pi pro mobilní robotiku." Master's thesis, Vysoké učení technické v Brně. Fakulta elektrotechniky a komunikačních technologií, 2016. http://www.nusl.cz/ntk/nusl-240911.
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This thesis deals with developing of image processing algorithm for robots controlled by informations taken from visual system. Core of the used system constitutes low-budget platform Raspberry Pi. Before the development of algorithm there is a series of test for image processing which discovers possibilities of used platform. Problem solution is divided to several parts. Limited performance frequently leads to individual problem solving. Afterall is shown sensitivity and performance analysis of developed solution.
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Cope, Brian Alexander. "Robotic Platform for Internal Inspection." Thesis, Virginia Tech, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/19268.
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This thesis describes the design of a robotic inspection tool which is based on a differential track-drive platform. The robotic inspection tool is a one man-portable UGV that has been developed for the purpose of non-destructive evaluation (NDE) and internal inspection of environments where human penetration may be difficult or hazardous. Various NDE and sensing techniques are described in this paper but the focus is on the mechanical and electrical design of the platform itself. The platform is a versatile device for mobile robotics research and development that supports a wide variety of instrumentation and payloads. Variable height control of the payload is achieved with a scissor lift assembly that provides accurate positioning of equipped sensors and instrumentation. The architecture of the platform was designed to support future autonomous implementations.Master of Science
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Aschim, Lars Are, and Lars Martinsen. "Mobile Remote LAN : Designing a modular service platform." Thesis, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Department of Telematics, 2009. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:no:ntnu:diva-9852.
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It is not uncommon for todays users to have access to more than one device, including PCs, PDAs and mobile phones. If the user wants to access services from a remote location, he has to manually customize a connection to each of these services. This thesis aims to make these kinds of services available without complex configuration, using a modular framework. As an example, new hardware or software might be needed in order to integrate home services and mobile devices. These circumstances make it hard for a regular user to deploy new services at home. At the same time people become more and more mobile, and users are moving from being passive consumers to interactive participants of the Internet. The general idea of ubiquitous communication between hosts in the Internet is brought down to a practical level by creating a use case where a user would like to search and retrieve files present in his home network while at a remote location. Solutions to non trivial challenges such as NAT and firewall implications, bandwidth restrictions, modular system architecture, and usability are examined to make a modular service platform meeting the demands of more interactive and mobile environments. The XMPP protocol, mostly known as an instant messaging and presence protocol, is utilized to create a web of trust between services and users. To achieve the goal of making a modular service platform, providing connectivity that allows services and users to be mobile, a working prototype has been made. The prototype consists of a modular service platform, enabling services to be added as plug-ins. The service platform is divided in two parts; one part enabling connectivity using a third party solution, and one part enabling a modular framework to add services as plug-ins. The functionality was tested with a network search as an example service, developed as a plug-in using the modular service platform.
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Rodhouse, Kathryn, Steven Ziegler, and Ryan Huttsell. "A Robotic Platform for Student System Design." International Foundation for Telemetering, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/605979.
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ITC/USA 2010 Conference Proceedings / The Forty-Sixth Annual International Telemetering Conference and Technical Exhibition / October 25-28, 2010 / Town and Country Resort & Convention Center, San Diego, CaliforniaThe goal of the project described in this paper, is to develop a platform for undergraduate engineering students to use in system analysis and design courses. We chose to develop an inexpensive robotic platform. The robot is intended to be autonomous, under the control of an on-board microcontroller. In the first revision of the hardware, a three wheeled design will be used, with the intention of being used indoors, on smooth surfaces. Students in their first year of college education will purchase the components, and assemble the robot. After analyzing the baseline design, they will be encouraged to incorporate new sensors and actuators in the subsequent laboratory courses.
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McCoig, Kenneth. "A MOBILE ROBOTIC COMPUTING PLATFORM FOR THREE-DIMENSIONAL INDOOR MAPPI." Master's thesis, University of Central Florida, 2004. http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/ref/collection/ETD/id/2372.
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There are several industries exploring solutions to quickly and accurately digitize unexplored indoor environments, into useable three-dimensional databases. Unfortunately, there are inherent challenges to the indoor mapping process such as, scanning limitations and environment complexity, which require a specific application of tools to map an environment precisely with low cost and high speed. This thesis successfully demonstrates the design and implementation of a low cost mobile robotic computing platform with laser scanner, for quickly mapping with high resolution, urban and/or indoor environments using a gyro-enhanced orientation sensor and selectable levels of detail. In addition, a low cost alternative solution to three-dimensional laser scanning is presented, via a standard two-dimensional SICK proximity laser scanner mounted to a custom servo motor mount and controlled by external microcontroller. A software system to control the robot is presented, which incorporates and adheres to widely accepted software engineering guidelines and principles. An analysis of the overall system, including robot specifications, system capabilities, and justification for certain design decisions, are described in detail. Results of various open source software algorithms, as it applies to scan data and image data, are also compared; including evaluation of data correlation and registration techniques. In addition, laser scanner mapping tests, specifications, and capabilities are presented and analyzed. A sample design for converting the final scanned point cloud data to a database is presented and assessed. The results suggest the overall project yields a relatively high degree of accuracy and lower cost over most other existing systems surveyed, as well as, the potential for application of the system in other fields. The results also discuss thoughts for possible future research work.M.S.Cp.E.
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Engineering and Computer Science
Computer Engineering
9
Zhu, Li. "A distributed modular self-reconfiguring robotic platform based on simplified electro-permanent magnets." Thesis, Toulouse 3, 2018. http://www.theses.fr/2018TOU30060.
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Un système robotique distribué et reconfigurable (MSRR) est composé de plusieurs modules ayant certaines fonctions de mouvement, de perception et d'action. Ils peuvent s'adapter à l'environnement et aux objectifs en se connectant et en se déconnectant pour obtenir la configuration et la forme désirées. Les MSRR contiennent souvent deux systèmes : l'un constitué d'actionneurs pour le mouvement, l'autre pour la connexion. A l'heure actuelle, de nombreuses institutions travaillent sur les MSRR ; la conception, la miniaturisation, l'économie d'énergie, les algorithmes de contrôle ont fait l'objet de recherches dans ce domaine. Cependant, il existe peu d'études conjointes sur le matériel et les algorithmes correspondants. Cette thèse décrit la conception, la fabrication, les résultats expérimentaux, l'algorithmique distribuée et un simulateur d'une plate-forme MSRR. En nous appuyant sur le calcul et la simulation numérique, nous présentons un aimant électro-permanent simplifié (SEP) qui ne consomme pas d'énergie lorsque le module est connecté à un autre module. Un nouveau concept de moteur linéaire basé sur les SEP est également proposé. Ensuite, nous présentons DILI, un MSRR cubique, de longueur 1,5cm. Le module DILI peut coulisser sur une surface plane, la vitesse maximale pouvant atteindre 20mm/s. Avec le nouvel actionneur, DILI peut réaliser les fonctions de mouvement et de connexion. Un module DILI peut se connecter avec quatre autres modules. Enfin, un algorithme distribué est proposé et un simulateur est conçu pour permettre de simuler le système distribué, de tester et valider les algorithmes distribuésA distributed modular self-reconfiguring robotic (MSRR) system is composed of many repeated basic modules with certain functions of motion, perception, and actuation. They can adapt to environment and goals by connecting and disconnecting to achieve the desired configuration and shape. MSRRs often contain two hardware systems: one is for actuation (motion), another one is for connection. At present time many institutions work on MSRRs; structural design, miniaturization, energy saving, control algorithms have been the focus of research in this area. However, only a few of them work on both the hardware and the corresponding algorithms. This thesis describes the design, fabrication, experimental results, distributed algorithm, and simulator of a MSRR platform. Via theoretical calculation and numerical simulation, we present the simplified electro-permanent (SEP) magnet which can change the magnetic field direction and does not require energy consumption while connected. A new concept of linear motor based on SEP is proposed. Then we construct DILI, a cubical MSRR, the length of each module is 1.5cm. DILI module can slide on a flat surface; the maximum speed can reach 20mm/s. With the new actuator, DILI can achieve the functions of motion and connection with only one system inside. Finally, a distributed algorithm is proposed in order to build a smart conveyor, and a simulator is designed that permits one to perform distributed simulations, test and validate distributed algorithms
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Johns, Byron Edward. "Design and Control of a New Reconfigurable Robotic Mobility Platform." Thesis, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/1853/14632.
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The development of a new family of robotic vehicles for use in the exploration of Mars and other remote planets is an ongoing process. Current rovers have to traverse rough terrain and be able to withstand various conditions on Mars. The goal of this project is to design a new Mars rover mobility system that performs to optimum capability. This project will involve the design and control of a robot that will use wheels, as well as legs, allowing the robot to reconfigure itself to adapt to its current environment and traverse various terrains. This new reconfigurable hybrid robotic vehicle, Byrobot (named after the student), will have a six-legged mobility design for walking. Each leg will have 3 degrees of freedom, controlled by 3 separate servos, for the movement of the legs. Byrobot will also have 4 wheels each directly attached to the shaft of a DC motor, for four-wheel differential drive. By having these two mobility systems, Byrobot will be able to operate in various environments, by capitalizing on the advantages of both legged and wheeled robots. The CAD designing for this new robot is done on Pro-Engineer, and mechanisms and animations will be run to test movement of parts. The actual robot hardware will then be constructed in the Georgia Tech MRDC machine shop. The control system for the robot will be run by the Eyebot, which uses a 25MHz 32bit Controller (Motorola 68332), as well as the SSC-32 Servo Controller from Lynxmotion. This new robotic mobility platform will facilitate future Mars exploration.
11
Calibo, Taylor K. "Obstacle detection and avoidance on a mobile robotic platform using active depth sensing." Thesis, Monterey, California: Naval Postgraduate School, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10945/42591.
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Approved for public release; distribution is unlimitedThe ability to recognize and navigate surrounding environments free from collision with obstacles has been at the forefront of mobile robotic applications since its inception. At the price of nearly one tenth of a laser range finder, the Xbox Kinect uses an infrared projector and camera to capture images of its environment in three dimensions. The objective of this thesis was to investigate if the Xbox Kinect can be utilized to detect thin or narrow obstacles that are often invisible to the P3-DX mobile robotic platform. We present an algorithm to process and analyze point cloud data from the Xbox Kinect sensor and transform it into a two-dimensional map of the surrounding environment for further use with the P3-DX. Obstacle avoidance scenarios were then performed using two separate algorithms: a narrow corridor following algorithm and a potential fields algorithm. The results demonstrate that in a structured testing environment, the Xbox Kinect can be used to detect and avoid narrow obstacles that are not immediately recognized by the onboard sonar array of the P3-DX.
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Werry, Iain. "Development and evaluation of a mobile robotic platform as a therapy device for children with autism." Thesis, University of Reading, 2003. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.402603.
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Gillham, Michael David Anthony. "A non-holonomic, highly human-in-the-loop compatible, assistive mobile robotic platform guidance navigation and control strategy." Thesis, University of Kent, 2015. https://kar.kent.ac.uk/50525/.
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The provision of assistive mobile robotics for empowering and providing independence to the infirm, disabled and elderly in society has been the subject of much research. The issue of providing navigation and control assistance to users, enabling them to drive their powered wheelchairs effectively, can be complex and wide-ranging; some users fatigue quickly and can find that they are unable to operate the controls safely, others may have brain injury re-sulting in periodic hand tremors, quadriplegics may use a straw-like switch in their mouth to provide a digital control signal. Advances in autonomous robotics have led to the development of smart wheelchair systems which have attempted to address these issues; however the autonomous approach has, ac-cording to research, not been successful; users reporting that they want to be active drivers and not passengers. Recent methodologies have been to use collaborative or shared control which aims to predict or anticipate the need for the system to take over control when some pre-decided threshold has been met, yet these approaches still take away control from the us-er. This removal of human supervision and control by an autonomous system makes the re-sponsibility for accidents seriously problematic. This thesis introduces a new human-in-the-loop control structure with real-time assistive lev-els. One of these levels offers improved dynamic modelling and three of these levels offer unique and novel real-time solutions for: collision avoidance, localisation and waypoint iden-tification, and assistive trajectory generation. This architecture and these assistive functions always allow the user to remain fully in control of any motion of the powered wheelchair, shown in a series of experiments.
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Fustini, Lorenzo. "Mechatronic solutions in agritech: design of post-harvesting robotic system for strawberries and prototyping of mobile soil-testing platform." Master's thesis, Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna, 2017.
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Il settore agro-alimentare sta diventando un notevole business per le industrie a causa del crescente interesse per il concetto di sicurezza alimentare e della necessità di nutrire il mondo globale. In particolare, il Regno Unito ha investito considerevoli risorse nella ricerca e nello sviluppo per ottimizzare la produttività: questo lavoro di tesi si inserisce in quest’ambito. In particolare le soluzioni meccatroniche analizzate, vertono su due diversi casi di studio:
• la progettazione di un’innovativa linea di confezionamento per le fragole;
• sviluppo di una piattaforma mobile per il test del suolo.
Il primo progetto, in collaborazione con Berry Gardens, azienda leader nel Regno Unito nel commercio della frutta rossa, consiste nel ri-progettare una linea di confezionamento fragole. Partendo da un attuatore di Bernoulli, lo studio preliminare si è concentrato sulla progettazione di una nuova generazione di manipolatori in grado di minimizzare i danni sul prodotto, con annessi relativi test per valutare le sue potenzialità. Inoltre, è stata sviluppata una stazione di trattamento UV in grado di trattare fragole su entrambe le superfici per massimizzare l’effetto di decontaminazione. Infine è stata presentata la soluzione finale della linea di confezionamento.
Il secondo progetto, in collaborazione con l'università norvegese University of Life Sciences, ha come obiettivo quello di assemblare una piattaforma composta dal robot mobile Thorvald II sviluppato dall'Università norvegese, e un robot cartesiano, prodotto dalla società SMC, al fine di costituire una piattaforma mobile autonoma per l’analisi del suolo.
Entrambi i progetti sono stati sviluppati presso l'Università di Lincoln, Regno Unito, con la collaborazione di School of Engineering, School of Computer Science, Lincoln Institute for Agri-Food Technology (LIAT) e di partner industriali dell'Università.
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Eriksson, Rickard, and Sajjadali Hemani. "A Cross-Platform Health Care Application." Thesis, KTH, Skolan för informations- och kommunikationsteknik (ICT), 2015. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-186884.
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This report describes the development process of the mobile application HealthyWay. The application is developed as a Bachelor thesis project together with KTH Royal Institute of Technology. The applications' main function is to be the interface to a number of wearable medical electronic appliances such as bandages and pill boxes. The communication is done through Bluetooth Low Energy. The application was mainly written in 3 di erent languages, QML, C++ and Java. The most stressed point throughout this project was the importance of platform independence. The exibility had to be done on a scalable as well as on a modular level. With this in mind, QT was used to address the requirement of scalability. The modularity was achieved through an organized structure to the program accompanied by easy directives to introduce new devices. The purpose of the application is to increase the quality of life for the user. This intent could however not be concluded due to the lack of testing among users. In its current state, the application is not yet ready for deployment but instead acts as a framework for future prospects.Den här rapporten beskriver utvecklingsprocessen för en mobilapplikation vid namn Healthy- Way. Applikationen är utvecklad som ett kandidatexamensarbete tillsammans med KTH. Applikationens huvudsakliga uppgift är att vara ett gränssnitt till medicinskt relaterad utrustning såsom plaster och pilleraskar. Kommunikationen mellan dessa sker via Bluetooth Low Energy. Applikationen skrevs huvudsakligen i 3 olika språk, QML, C++ och Java. Den viktigaste punkten genom projektets gång var att applikationen skulle vara oberoende av plattform. Flexibiliteten var tvungen att göras på både en skalbar och modulär nivå. Med detta i åtanke valdes QT för att behandla skalbarheten. Modulariteten uppnåddes genom en välplanerad struktur på programmet tillsammans med instruktioner på hur ny utrustning kan introduceras. Syftet med programmet är att öka livskvaliteten för användaren. Detta syfte kunde däremot inte slutföras på grund av bristande testning hos användare. I dagens läge är applikationen inte redo för att släppas kommersiellt, men tjänar som ett bra ramverk för framtida utveckling.
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Konečný, Michael. "Mobilní robotická platforma řízená pomocí PLC." Master's thesis, Vysoké učení technické v Brně. Fakulta strojního inženýrství, 2020. http://www.nusl.cz/ntk/nusl-416610.
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The aim of this master's thesis was to create a design for a prototype of a mobile robotic platform and its physical fabrication. Another goal of this master's thesis was to develop a control algorithm and its implementation into a prototype. In addition, the thesis was extended by an autonomous motion mode, an algorithm for robot path planning, and the design of the Human Machine Interface (HMI). The introduction contains a description of some already created mobile robotic platforms, a presentation of the company B&R and the theory needed to understand omnidirectional mobility. The next chapters describe the design and construction of a prototype with a selection of electronic components and their wiring, implementation of an algorithm for robot path planning, implementation of a control algorithm and design, together with the implementation of the user environment. At the end of this master's thesis, the possibilities of extending the project to future years are described.
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Coronado, Preciado Angelica. "Experimental Robotic Platform for Programmable Self-Assembly." Thesis, 2021. http://hdl.handle.net/10754/670255.
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Programmable self-assembly has been widely studied because of its capability to create ordered patterns from a group of multiple disordered agents without an external controller. To achieve this, assembly units must exhibit different characteristics: they need to be small, to have the ability to latch and unlatch, and low-power consumption. In addition, they need to be easily programmable and able to communicate with each other. This thesis presents an experimental robotic platform for programmable self-assembly. In this work, we build in the Usbot modular robotic cubes making use of their advantages and simplicity as its passive magnetic latching mechanism, and we endow them with communication capabilities. The system allows only local communication between the modules, specifically with the most recent linked neighbor cube. The transmission of the relevant cube data is performed by a pair of LED and ambient light sensors in a binary format. The different experiments demonstrate and compare distributed programmable self-assembly using various algorithms from the literature as Singleton and Lynchpin.
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Wilhelm, Alexander. "Design of a Mobile Robotic Platform with Variable Footprint." Thesis, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/10012/3338.
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This thesis presents an in-depth investigation to determine the most suitable mobile base design for a
powerful and dynamic robotic manipulator. It details the design process of such a mobile platform for
use in an indoor human environment that is to carry a two-arm upper-body humanoid manipulator
system. Through systematic dynamics analysis, it was determined that a variable footprint holonomic
wheeled mobile platform is the design of choice for such an application. Determining functional
requirements and evaluating design options is performed for the platform’s general configuration,
geometry, locomotion system, suspension, and propulsion, with a particularly in-depth evaluation of
the problem of overcoming small steps. Other aspects such as processing, sensing and the power
system are dealt with sufficiently to ensure the feasibility of the overall proposed design. The control
of the platform is limited to that necessary to determine the appropriate mechanical components.
Simulations are performed to investigate design problems and verify performance. A basic CAD
model of the system is included for better design visualization.
The research carried out in this thesis was performed in cooperation with the German Aerospace
Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt)’s Robotics and Mechatronics Institute (DLR
RM). The DLR RM is currently utilizing the findings of this research to finish the development of the
platform with a target completion date of May 2008.
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Seshadri, Jagan N. "Design of a mobile robotic platform for research in group robotics /." 2002.
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Phillips, Sean. "Development of a Mobile Modular Robotic System, R2TM3, for Enhanced Mobility in Unstructured Environments." Thesis, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10012/7147.
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Limited mobility of mobile ground robots in highly unstructured environments is a problem that inhibits the use of such robots in applications with irregular terrain. Furthermore, applications with hazardous environments are good candidates for the use of robotics to reduce the risk of harm to people. Urban search and rescue (USAR) is an application where the environment is irregular, highly unstructured and hazardous to rescuers and survivors. Consequently, it is of interest to effectively use ground robots in applications such as USAR, by employing mobility enhancement techniques, which stem from the robot’s mechanical design. In this case, a robot may go over an obstacle rather than around it.
In this thesis the Reconfigurable Robot Team of Mobile Modules with Manipulators (R2TM3) is proposed as a solution to limited mobility in unstructured terrains, specifically aimed at USAR. In this work the conceptualization, mechatronic development, controls, implementation and testing of the system are given.
The R2TM3 employs a mobile modular system in which each module is highly functional: self mobile and capable of manipulation with a five degree of freedom (5-DOF) serial manipulator. The manipulator configuration, the docking system and cooperative strategy between the manipulators and track drives enable a system that can perform severe obstacle climbing and also remain highly
manoeuvrable. By utilizing modularity, the system may emulate that of a larger robot when the modules are docking to climb obstacles, but may also get into smaller confined spaces by using single robot modules. The use of the 5-DOF manipulator as the docking device allows for module docking that can cope with severe misalignments and offsets – a critical first step in cooperative obstacle management in rough terrain.
The system’s concept rationale is outlined, which has been formulated based on a literature review of mobility enhanced systems. Based on the concept, the realization of a low cost prototype is described in detail. Single robot and cooperative robot control methods are given and implemented. Finally, a variety of experiments are conducted with the concept prototype which shows that the
intended performance of the concept has been met: mobility enhancement and manoeuvrability.
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"Scalable Control Strategies and a Customizable Swarm Robotic Platform for Boundary Coverage and Collective Transport Tasks." Doctoral diss., 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/2286/R.I.44017.
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abstract: Swarms of low-cost, autonomous robots can potentially be used to collectively perform tasks over large domains and long time scales. The design of decentralized, scalable swarm control strategies will enable the development of robotic systems that can execute such tasks with a high degree of parallelism and redundancy, enabling effective operation even in the presence of unknown environmental factors and individual robot failures. Social insect colonies provide a rich source of inspiration for these types of control approaches, since they can perform complex collective tasks under a range of conditions. To validate swarm robotic control strategies, experimental testbeds with large numbers of robots are required; however, existing low-cost robots are specialized and can lack the necessary sensing, navigation, control, and manipulation capabilities.
To address these challenges, this thesis presents a formal approach to designing biologically-inspired swarm control strategies for spatially-confined coverage and payload transport tasks, as well as a novel low-cost, customizable robotic platform for testing swarm control approaches. Stochastic control strategies are developed that provably allocate a swarm of robots around the boundaries of multiple regions of interest or payloads to be transported. These strategies account for spatially-dependent effects on the robots' physical distribution and are largely robust to environmental variations. In addition, a control approach based on reinforcement learning is presented for collective payload towing that accommodates robots with heterogeneous maximum speeds. For both types of collective transport tasks, rigorous approaches are developed to identify and translate observed group retrieval behaviors in Novomessor cockerelli ants to swarm robotic control strategies. These strategies can replicate features of ant transport and inherit its properties of robustness to different environments and to varying team compositions. The approaches incorporate dynamical models of the swarm that are amenable to analysis and control techniques, and therefore provide theoretical guarantees on the system's performance. Implementation of these strategies on robotic swarms offers a way for biologists to test hypotheses about the individual-level mechanisms that drive collective behaviors. Finally, this thesis describes Pheeno, a new swarm robotic platform with a three degree-of-freedom manipulator arm, and describes its use in validating a variety of swarm control strategies.Dissertation/Thesis
Doctoral Dissertation Mechanical Engineering 2017