Kuniaki Kawabata

Development of a control system for an omni-directional vehicle with step-climbing ability

This paper proposes a control method for wheels to pass over rough terrain. In our previous work, we have developed a holonomic mobile mechanism capable of running over steps. The mechanism realizes omni-directional motion on a flat floor and passes over uneven ground in forward and backward directions. The vehicle has seven special wheels with cylindrical free rollers and two passive body axes that can adapt to rough terrain. Seven actuators are located in each wheel; therefore, our vehicle system requires the rotation velocity of each wheel to be coordinated. However, it is difficult to keep such coordination among the wheels — as the vehicle passes over the step, the load applied to the wheel tends to heavy and irregular. Therefore, we propose a new control system for synchronization among the wheels. In this paper, the following two topics are discussed: the load adjustment so as not to exceed the maximum torque of the actuator in some of the wheels and keeping the balance of rotation velocity among the wheels. Our novel control method adjusts the output value by referring to the state of the other wheels. The performance of our system is investigated by means of computer simulations and experiments using our prototype vehicle.

Teleoperation of Autonomous Mobile Robot under Limited Feedback Information

In this paper, we describe human-robot collaborative task execution in a teleoperated system under restricted consitions in which feedback information to the operator is limited. The system is constructed for remote maneuvering of a mobile robot via the Internet using a joystick as an input device. The feedback to the operator is only image taken from the onboard camera of the robot, which are displayed on a monitor screen. Thus, the operator has to maneuver the robot with quite limited information of the remote environment. In such a case, lower level control, such as collision avoidance, local path planning, motion control, etc., should be managed by the robot’s autonomous functions. We constructed the collaborative teleoperation system for omni-directional mobile robots equipped with infrared sensing systems. The performance and effectiveness of the constructed system are demonstrated through the teleoperation experiment via the Internet.

Deployment and Management of Wireless Sensor Network Using Mobile Robots for Gathering Environmental Information

This paper describes an information gathering system for indoor environment using a wireless sensor network (WSN) and a mobile robot, which is assumed to be applied in disaster areas. In this system, the mobile robot carries sensor nodes and deploys them onto the ground with measuring electric field strength, thereby enabling the WSN to be constructed and managed adaptively. When the WSN is disconnected by any causes, the mobile robot maintains the connection by setting additional nodes to suitable position. Utilizing proposed system, the mobile robot gathers environmental information from the WSN. The prototype system was developed and experiments were described to evaluate proposed method.

Graphical User Interface for Collaborative System of Human and Mobile Robots with Sensors

Until now, some teleoperation techniques are already developed. Also, network based techniques become important topics in the recent years. The robot has possibility to be physical agents on such network system near future. In this paper, we describe about interface for human and multiple robots. Generally, it is very difficult that single operator supervises multiple robots. On our teleoperation system, human commands to the robots, and the robot adjusts the commands using local sensing information. Therefore, we treat this system as a kind of collaborative system. We introduce the human interface for collaborative task execution of human and mobile robots. We have some experiments with proposed Graphical User Interface (GUI). The GUI can be developed using standard method and techniques. Thus, it realizes easy installation to the other system.

A Wireless Camera Node with Passive Self-righting Mechanism for Capturing Surrounding View

Japan is a land of frequent earthquakes, and developing effective means for preventing and mitigating disasters in their aftermath is a matter of deep and widespread concern. The time and location of their occurrence is essentially unpredictable, and interest therefore centers on preventing and mitigating damage. A key prerequisite for effective mitigation is rapid, accurate appraisal of conditions in the stricken region. For this purpose, the development of systems for concurrent, parallel information gathering, capable of covering a broad range of affected areas and conditions, is critical. In the DDT Project, Development of Advanced Robots and Information Systems for Disaster Response. of the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), the development effort for rescue robots and other next-generation basic technologies for disaster prevention and mitigation has included the development of interlinked rescue robots, airborne vehicles, sensors, and other elements of disaster area information gathering technologies (Tadokoro, 2009). A related recent development has been the trend toward ubiquitous computing (Weiser, 1991), data carriers (Takeda, 1991), and related technologies, with research and development in progress for the creation of intelligent information environments to support and aid in daily life and living. In parallel with these advances, the authors have developed an intelligent data carrier (IDC) for rescue, designed to support the search for victims immediately after an earthquake (Kurabayashi et al., 2003); (Asama et al., 2005); (Kawabata et al. 2006); (Hada et al., 2006). The rescue IDC is a small device with wireless radio communication capability, for installation in living environments. In the wake of an earthquake, this device can send out voice calls to any who might be trapped in the rubble and record their responses. With multiple deployments, the IDCs enable parallel searches for victims throughout the stricken area. In a separate study, Takizawa et al. (2007) has applied RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology to the development of an information transmission system in which wireless tags are permanently installed along streets and other routes to collect information on the stricken area, so that victims trying to leave the area and rescue personnel can perform non-contact automated gathering of the information. In the wake of a disaster, however, the rescue IDCs may not be available where

Experiment Verification of Position Measurement for Underwater Mobile Robot Using Monocular Camera

Authors have been developing the underwater robot that can be used for environmental protection work in the sea near Okinawa. It is difficult to get the position of underwater robot, because it cannot use GPS in sea. Authors have been developing the underwater robot to work in the sea near Okinawa with a high radree of transparency, so we try to develop the inexpensive measurement for underwater robot using a monocular camera. In this paper, we illustrate the measurement method and the basic experiment on land and underwater.

2P1-B06 Image Processing of Particle Detection for Asbestos Qualitative Analysis Support Method : Particle Detection Based on Color Variance of Background Area

~背景色分散を用いた粒子抽出~ Image Processing of Particle Detection for Asbestos Qualitative Analysis Support Method ~Particle Detection Based on Color Variance of Background Area~ ○学 石津 健一 正 竹村 裕 正 川端 邦明 正 浅間 一 正 三島 健稔 正 溝口 博 Kenichi ISHIZUi, Hiroshi TAKEMURAiii, Kuniaki KAWABATAii, Hajime ASAMAiiiii, Taketoshi MISHIMAiiiiiiv, Hiroshi MIZOGUCHIiii [i] Tokyo University of Science email address: j7504009@gmail.com [ii] RIKEN, [iii] Tokyo University, [iv] Saitama University

2P1-B19 Analysis of Skillful Hydraulic Excavator Operation : Correlation of Excavating Direction and Bucket's posture

In recent years, some unmanned operation systems for the hydraulic excavator are required and some tele-operation systems are already developed. However, it is difficult to realize effective operation utilizing such systems, because the operator cannot sense condition of site. The skillful operator adaptive their operation to the excavating environment based on the experience, and realizing the efficient excavating. In this paper, we described the experiment for extracting operators skill for controlling unmanned hydraulic excavator. We discussed about relation of excavating resistance and buckets posture from experimental results. Furthermore, we compared the operation of two skillful operators and tried to extract skill that is not individual but common between skillful operators on the same working environment.

2P1-A24 Development of an Automated Microscopic Observation System for Asbestos Qualitative Analysis

Abstract: This paper describes to introduce an automated microscopic observation system for supporting asbestos qualitative analysis work. One of major method for visual asbestos qualitative evaluation method is the dispersion staining method. In a usual visual observation process of it, the operators check the asbestos fibers in the view of the microscope and count the number of the fibrous asbestos fibers. For supporting such works, we are developing an automated microscopic observation system for asbestos qualitative analysis. The system can take the images by mounted microscope and save them to the database automatically. In this paper, we introduce the system concept and the performance by using developed prototype system.

2A1-A09 A Study of Neural Circuit Model of Insects for Adaptive Behavior Selection : A Model for Initiation/Termination Condition of Fighting Behavior

This current research aims to model adaptive behavior selection in crickets fighting behavior from physiological knowledge. We have already proposed an action selection model by NO/cGMP cascade-OA model and it can be an adequate model for adaptive behavior selection in cricket’s brain. In this report, we examine to model a condition for initiation / termination condition of fighting behavior after interaction between the crickets.