Sarosh Patel

Manipulator Performance Measures - A Comprehensive Literature Survey

Performance measures are quintessential to the design, synthesis, study and application of robotic manipulators. Numerous performance measures have been defined to study the performance and behavior of manipulators since the early days of robotics; some more widely accepted than others, but their real significance and limitations have not always been well understood. The aimof this survey is to review the definition, classification, scope, and limitations of some of the widely used performance measures. This work provides an extensive bibliography that can be of help to researchers interested in studying and evaluating the performance and behavior of robotic manipulators. Finally, a few recommendations are proposed based on the review so that the most commonly noticed limitations can be avoided when new performance measures are proposed.

Review of Neurobiologically Based Mobile Robot Navigation System Research Performed Since 2000

In an attempt to better understand how the navigation part of the brain works and to possibly create smarter and more reliable navigation systems, many papers have been written in the field of biomimetic systems. This paper presents a literature survey of state-of-the-art research performed since the year 2000 on rodent neurobiological and neurophysiologically based navigation systems that incorporate models of spatial awareness and navigation brain cells. The main focus is to explore the functionality of the cognitive maps developed in these mobile robot systems with respect to route planning, as well as a discussion/analysis of the computational complexity required to scale these systems.

Task based synthesis of serial manipulators.

Computing the optimal geometric structure of manipulators is one of the most intricate problems in contemporary robot kinematics. Robotic manipulators are designed and built to perform certain predetermined tasks. There is a very close relationship between the structure of the manipulator and its kinematic performance. It is therefore important to incorporate such task requirements during the design and synthesis of the robotic manipulators. Such task requirements and performance constraints can be specified in terms of the required end-effector positions, orientations and velocities along the task trajectory. In this work, we present a comprehensive method to develop the optimal geometric structure (DH parameters) of a non-redundant six degree of freedom serial manipulator from task descriptions. In this work we define, develop and test a methodology to design optimal manipulator configurations based on task descriptions. This methodology is devised to investigate all possible manipulator configurations that can satisfy the task performance requirements under imposed joint constraints. Out of all the possible structures, the structures that can reach all the task points with the required orientations are selected. Next, these candidate structures are tested to see whether they can attain end-effector velocities in arbitrary directions within the user defined joint constraints, so that they can deliver the best kinematic performance. Additionally least power consuming configurations are also identified.

Web enabled robot design and dynamic control simulation software solutions from task points description

In this work, we propose a Web-based solution for robot design and dynamic control simulation based on given task point descriptions. The software combines and utilizes the computational power of both the Mathematica and Matlab packages. Given the location and velocity of each task point, our approach formulates the complete design of a 3 DOF robot model by computing its optimal dynamic parameters such as link length, mass and inertia. Further more, our package suggests the optimal control parameters (Kp, Kv) for the dynamic control simulation.

Coordinating a heterogeneous robot swarm using Robot Utility-based Task Assignment (RUTA)

The goal of this work is the development of a task-oriented software application that facilitates the rapid deployment of multiple robotic agents. The task solutions are created at run-time and executed by the agents in a centralized or decentralized fashion. Tasks are divided into smaller sub-tasks which are then assigned to the optimal number of robots using Robot Utility Based Task Assignment (RUTA) algorithm. The system deploys these robots using its application program interfaces (APIs) and uploads programs that are integrated with a small routine code. The embedded routine allows robots to configure solutions when decentralized approach is adopted.

Online automation and contmol

This paper is a second of a two-part series on visual servo control using computer vision data in the servo loop to control the motion of the robot. In this paper, the advantages and the means of providing classical engineering programs online via laboratory-based coursework in automation and robotics are discussed

UB robot swarm — Design, implementation, and power management

In this paper we describe the hardware architecture of an inexpensive, heterogeneous robot swarm, designed and developed at the RISC lab, University of Bridgeport. Each swarm robot is equipped with sensors, actuators, control and communication units, power supply, and interconnection mechanism. This article also describes the essential features and design of a power distribution and management system for a dynamically reconfigurable system. It further presents the empirical results of the proposed power management system collected with the real robotic applications.

Using task descriptions for designing optimal task specific manipulators

Computing the optimal geometric structure of manipulators is one of the most intricate problems in contemporary robot kinematics. Industrial robotic manipulators are designed and built to perform certain predetermined tasks. It is therefore important to incorporate such task requirements during the design and synthesis of the robotic manipulators. Such task requirements and/or performance constraints can be specified in terms of the required end-effector positions, orientations along the task trajectory. In this work, we define, develop and test a methodology that can generate optimal manipulator geometric structures based on the task requirements. Another objective of this work is to guarantee task performance under user defined joint constraints. Using this methodology, task-specific optimal manipulator structures can be generated that guarantee task performance under a set of operating constraints.

Multiplexing Overlays on Bluetooth

-This work aims at providing a proof of concept for multiplexing in Bluetooth by using traditional Time Division and Frequency Division multiplexing overlays upon frequency hopping spread spectrum (Bluetooth Modulation) by means of a functional simulation. This overlaid multiplexing technique can simplify the point to multi-point connections, especially when there are multiple Bluetooth devices in the vicinity and using the limited ISM spectrum. The available narrow bandwidth can be better utilized in point to multipoint connections using the proposed method.

Analytical Method for Determination of Internal Forces of Mechanisms and Manipulators

This paper presents a theory for the analytical determination of internal forces in the links of planar linkage mechanisms and manipulators with statically determinate structures, considering the distributed dynamic loads. Linkage mechanisms and manipulators were divided into elements and joints. Discrete models were created for both the elements and the entire mechanism. The dynamic equations of equilibrium for the discrete model of the elements and the hinged and rigid joints, under the action of longitudinal and transverse distributed dynamic trapezoidal loads, were derived. In the dynamic equations of the equilibrium of the discrete model of the elements and joints, the connections between the components of the force vector in the calculated cross-sections and the geometric, physical, and kinematic characteristics of the element were established for its plane-parallel motion. According to the developed technique, programs were created in the Maple system, and animations of the motion of the mechanisms were produced. The links were constructed with the intensity of transverse- and longitudinal-distributed dynamic loads, bending moments, and shearing and normal forces, depending on the kinematic characteristics of the links.