Alberto Jardón

Climbing Robots’ Mobility for Inspection and Maintenance of 3D Complex Environments

For complex climbing robots, which work in difficult 3D outdoor environments, the gravity force has an important influence with respect the robots changes during its motion. This type of climbing robots is self-supported in the complex 3D structures (bridges, skeleton of the buildings, etc.) which require periodic, manually performed inspections and maintenance. The use of non-conventional climbing robots for this type of operation is highly appropriate. Their locomotion system commonly comprises arms/legs that permit the robot’s 3D mobility (gait). These mechanisms also enable the robot to support itself and guarantee its stability. This paper presents the main features of non-conventional climbing robots’ mobility on complex 3D environments: power supply, number of DOFs, lightweight structure, gait, speed, secure grasp, etc. It also covers the general theory underlying the design of climbing robots, their kinematics, with its specific, unconventional mobility. The paper not only describes the climbing robot mobility theory but also provides several examples taken from the ROMA and MATS robots families. The developed robots have high degree of autonomy with totally on-board control system. These autonomous robots demonstrate in the course of real experimentation that the criteria for design, control strategy and path planning are accurate. Finally, the paper examines trends in climbing robot technology.

Live experimentation of the service robot applications for elderly people care in home environments

Human care and service demands need an innovative robotic solution to make easier the everyday life of elderly and disabled people in home and workplace environments. The main objective of this project is to develop a new concept of climbing robot for this type of service applications. The robot is a 5 DOF self-containing manipulator, that includes on-board all the control system. The main advantage of the robot is its light weight, about 11 kg for a 1.3m reach. The robot is totally autonomous and needs only power supply to be operated. The robot is a symmetrical arm able to move (or to climb) between different points (docking stations) of the rooms and, if it is necessary, jump to (or from) the environment to the wheelchair. In this way the MATS robot should become a home companion and assistance for numerous persons. This paper presents the live experimentation of the robot. Different tasks have been tested such as: eating, shaving, making-up, etc.

TEO: FULL-SIZE HUMANOID ROBOT DESIGN POWERED BY A FUEL CELL SYSTEM

This article deals with the design of the full-size humanoid robot TEO, an improved version of its predecessor Rh-1. The whole platform is conceived under the premise of high efficiency in terms of energy consumption and optimization. We will focus mainly on the electromechanical structure of the lower part of the prototype, which is the main component demanding energy during motion. The dimensions and weight of the robotic platform, together with its link configuration and rigidity, will be optimized. Experimental results are presented to show the validity of the design.

Object Detection Techniques Applied on Mobile Robot Semantic Navigation

The future of robotics predicts that robots will integrate themselves more every day with human beings and their environments. To achieve this integration, robots need to acquire information about the environment and its objects. There is a big need for algorithms to provide robots with these sort of skills, from the location where objects are needed to accomplish a task up to where these objects are considered as information about the environment. This paper presents a way to provide mobile robots with the ability-skill to detect objets for semantic navigation. This paper aims to use current trends in robotics and at the same time, that can be exported to other platforms. Two methods to detect objects are proposed, contour detection and a descriptor based technique, and both of them are combined to overcome their respective limitations. Finally, the code is tested on a real robot, to prove its accuracy and efficiency.

Building industrialization: robotized assembly of modular products

Purpose – The increasing of mechanization levels used in tasks execution in construction, as a way to increase productivity, requires its rationalization, the adoption of new assembly‐ready materials and methods, and the application of robotics capabilities. In this way, using concepts as design for manufacture and assembly and lean construction, modular products can be developed for their assembly by robotics systems onsite. This paper aims to review developments.Design/methodology/approach – A brief review of a different approach to the practical introduction of robotics technologies in the modular building process is presented.Findings – A higher automation level is desirable in order to achieve the productivity levels of other industries. This discussion shows how concepts related to lean production are applied to the design of new materials and products with different levels of finishing that make modular assembly possible. Also a discussion of where and when the automation of assembly tasks is affor...

Usability assessment of ASIBOT: a portable robot to aid patients with spinal cord injury

The usability concept refers to aspects related to the use of products that are closely linked to the users degree of satisfaction. Our goal is to present a functional evaluation methodology for assessing the usability of sophisticated technical aids, such as a portable robot for helping disabled patients with severe spinal cord injuries. The specific manipulator used for this task is ASIBOT, a personal assistance robot totally developed by RoboticsLab at the University Carlos III of Madrid. Our purpose is also to improve some aspects of the manipulator according to the users perception. For our case study, a population of six patients with spinal cord injury is considered. These patients have been suffering spinal cord injuries for a period of time longer than 1 year before the tests are carried out. The methodology followed for the information gathering is based on the Quebec User Evaluation of Satisfaction with assistive Technology (QUEST). Different daily functions, such as drinking, brushing ones teeth and washing ones face, are considered to assess the users perception when using ASIBOT as a technical aid. The human factor in this procedure is the main base to establish the specific needs and tools to make the end product more suitable and usable.

Flexible field factory for construction industry

Purpose – The paper aims to present the concept, the layout design and the evaluation performed of a flexible field factory for construction industry. Both the concept and layout are focused on flexibility and mobility factors, providing a versatile system for manufacturing and assembly that can be transported to construction sites without need of special permissions.Design/methodology/approach – The design is based on the design for manufacture and assembly (DFMA) principles, lean manufacturing, and construction industry experts knowledge.Findings – The developed factory layout is dimensioned to fit in a standard 20‐feet‐long container. Simulation processes have been run to verify the viability of the system. The time estimates calculated in the simulations are compared with traditional in and off‐site construction method estimates, providing quantified cost and time benefits.Originality/value – This paper presents the concept of the robotized field factory designed for on‐site prefabrication, the desig...

Task-Oriented Kinematic Design of a Symmetric Assistive Climbing Robot

ASIBOT is an assistive climbing robot that is capable of aiding in daily tasks from fixed docking stations in the environment. A task-oriented design process was applied to improve the robot kinematic structure, which was based on the grid method. Twelve different robot designs were optimized for typical kitchen scenarios, followed by a quantitative comparison.

Full-size humanoid robot TEO: Design attending mechanical robustness and energy consumption

This paper deals with the design of the full size humanoid robot TEO (Task Environment Operator), an improved version of its predecessor RH-1. The whole platform is conceived under the premise of high efficiency in terms of mechanical robustness and energy consumption. We will focus mainly on the electromechanical structure of the lower part of the prototype, which is the main component demanding energy during motion. The dimensions and weight of the robotic platform have been optimized and an approach regarding the energy source is also tackled, consisting of a fuel cell. Experimental results are presented to show the validity of the design.

The Automated Box and Blocks Test an Autonomous Assessment Method of Gross Manual Dexterity in Stroke Rehabilitation

Traditional motor assessment is carried out by clinicians using standard clinical tests in order to have objectivity in the evaluation, but this manual procedure is liable to the observer subjectivity. In this article, an automatic assessment system based on the Box and Blocks Test (BBT) of manual dexterity is presented. Also, the automatic test administration and the motor performance of the user is addressed. Through cameras RGB-D the execution of the test and the patient’s movements are monitored. Based on colour segmentation, the cubes displaced by the user are detected and the traditional scoring is automatically calculated. Furthermore, a pilot trial in a hospital environment was conducted, to compare the automatic system and its effectiveness with respect to the traditional one. The results support the use of automatic assessment methods of motor functionality, which in combination with robotic rehabilitation systems, could address an autonomous and objective rehabilitation process.