Max Reichardt

Universal web interfaces for robot control frameworks

Developers and end-users have to interface robotic systems for control and feedback. Such systems are typically co-engineered with their graphical user interfaces. In the past, a vast community of researchers has addressed issues of generality, deployment, usability, and re-usability of user interfaces. However, the support for creating graphical user interfaces in recent robotic frameworks is limited. In particular, there is typically no support for Web-based teleoperation. In this work, we propose a new Java-based editor with a plugin architecture for GUI elements and communication ports. Special focus is laid on platform-independent design, easy extensibility, connectivity to different robotic frameworks, usability and deployment. The tool offers convenient creation of graphical user interfaces and can publish them over the Web - making them accessible from any Java-enabled Web browser.

RRLAB SEA — A highly integrated compliant actuator with minimised reflected inertia

The Robotics Research Lab (RRLab) is currently striving to bring the Bio-inspired Behaviour-Based Bipedal Locomotion Control (B4LC) to a physical platform. Regarding the actuation, dynamic walking poses specific requirements like impact tolerance and high acceleration capabilities. A linear Series Elastic Actuator (Sea) which is designed to meet the requirements is presented. A design approach to the drivetrain which is taking the reflected motor inertia into account, is depicted in order to achieve a high acceleration capability. The resulting Sea implementation features a drivetrain based on a high pitch ball screw as a single gear reduction. This positively impacts the efficiency, the backdrivability and most importantly reduces the reflected motor inertia. Furthermore, the design features a high degree of integration to achieve a high torque density and allow for a compact integration. To exploit its full potential, the actuator is encapsulated by a dedicated FPGA-based embedded system. In open-loop experiments all unlumped dynamic quantities of the actuator are identified.

Using an autonomous robot to maintain privacy in assistive environments

In our societies, the number of senior citizens living on their own is increasing steadily. The lack of permanent attention results in the late detection of emergency situations. Labour-intensive care is already a high burden for the society; therefore, it seems reasonable to promote technology that helps to detect and react in case of emergency situations that elderly people may encounter. In the last decade, assistive environments have been established by integrating surveillance devices into the living environments giving remote operators access to monitor the senior inhabitant at home for detecting emergency situations. However, due to poor privacy in terms of intrusion into the private life of an elderly person, there will be an unfavourably low acceptance of such systems. This paper introduces a two-stage strategy and proposes to replace a possibly large number of human-controlled monitoring devices by a single autonomous mobile system. The first stage will be performed by the autonomous system to detect an emergency situation. The human operator will be obligatory only at the final stage when the system assumes that an emergency has occurred and the final evaluation of the situation is required. The self-assessment will reduce the human factor related to privacy issues. Copyright

An overview on framework design for autonomous robots

Abstract Robotic software frameworks have major impact on development effort and quality of robot control systems. This paper provides a condensed overview on the complex topic of robotic framework design. Important areas of design are discussed – together with design principles applied in state-of-the-art solutions. They are related to software quality attributes with a brief discussion on their impact. Based on this analysis, the approaches taken in the framework Finroc are briefly presented.

Vertical Integration and Adaptive Services in Networked Production Environments

A major task in the context of Industry 4.0 is the vertical integration of the layers of automation and information technology to make today’s structures in production plants more flexible. While the necessity of such a step is easy to see from an administrative perspective, the technical realization is difficult, since it requires emergent software systems and implies the coupling of heterogeneous systems with different technological constraints. In this paper, we present an approach to realize this step. It is based on the coupling of adaptive components and services, which range from the field level to the management level and include wireless sensor networks, autonomous robots, and multimedia systems for remote maintenance, with an ERP system. By presenting the application in a demonstration production plant bottling liquid soap, we provide evidence of the approach’s economical and technological benefits.

Principles in Framework Design applied in Networked Robotics

Abstract In recent years, we developed a considerable range of networked robotic applications based on the software framework Finroc. Such systems often require integrating diverse communication technologies, protocols, and computing platforms. In this context, beneficial concepts and approaches applied in the framework are introduced — and their positive impact on flexibility, interoperability, and development effort of resulting applications is discussed. Furthermore, applications are presented and tool support is illustrated.