Papers by Guillermo Rodriguez
1997 8th International Conference on Advanced Robotics. Proceedings. ICAR'97
Information Technologies in Medicine, Volume II, 2001
A team of engineers at JPL, working in collaboration with MicroDexterity Systems, fic and Dr. Ste... more A team of engineers at JPL, working in collaboration with MicroDexterity Systems, fic and Dr. Steve Charles, recently developed a telerobotic workstation to assist microsurgeons perform surgery. The lightweight, compact 6 dof master-slave system developed is precise to better than 15 microns and can cover a workspace greater than 400 cubic centimeters. Current capabilities of the system include manual position control with augmented shared control modes and automatic modes of control of the robot. Force feedback from sensed forces of interaction at the slave is also reflected to the master device to enhance the sense of touch. Evaluation of the performance improvements enabled by the telerobot in simulated microsurgical tasks was recently performed. Prototypes of the telerobot have been used to demonstrate a single-arm simulated eye microsurgical procedure and a dual-arm microsurgical suturing procedure. Virtual Reality applications of this system include use of the input device as a haptic interface and in the use of virtual augmentation to the real-world feedback to improve operator performance.
EUROPEAN SPACE …, 1999
Planetary rovers enable good sample selection and retrieval for Mars sample return missions. Afte... more Planetary rovers enable good sample selection and retrieval for Mars sample return missions. After landing, the rovers search for the best possible scientific samples in the region around a lander, and they return these selected samples to an ascent vehicle that launches the samples into Mars orbit. To streamline the search for, the acquisition, and the retrieval of samples, rover autonomy is a critical technology. This paper summarizes a series of experimental results in the evaluation and demonstration of planetary rover autonomy, with a particular emphasis on rover system technology capabilities under development for a 2005 Mars sample return mission and its precursor missions. 1. Mars Sample Return Rover Operations: Using a newly developed Field Integrated Design and Operations Rover (FIDO) rover, a complete "loop" was demonstrated of remote science panoramic imaging and target selection, autonomous navigation, in situ sample observation and analysis, and robotic sample coring and extraction functions. This work, under the leadership of P. S. Schenker and E. Baumgartner of JPL, was performed in the Mojave Desert at Silver Lake, CA, an ancient site replicating Mars-like geological features, mineralogy, and terrains. Field science operations were under direction of Mars'03/'05 Co-I Ray Arvidson
Systems Research Forum, 2006
A method for collecting quantitative technology development information and matching it with capa... more A method for collecting quantitative technology development information and matching it with capability needs of future NASA missions is described. Three quantitative analyses are performed, and results presented in terms of optimal portfolios, one at each of many varying budget levels. This is a tool that a decision maker can use to assess trends and better understand the underlying value of each capability area. These results show that quantitative decision making practices are possible in complex systems such as the NASA technology development program.
World Automation Congress, 2004
This paper presents a new method for evaluating relative strengths and impact of robotic technolo... more This paper presents a new method for evaluating relative strengths and impact of robotic technologies utilized for space exploration missions. The method uses a three tiered process involving mission analysis, technology performance characterization, and technology influence models. Mission analysis focuses on determining the goals of the mission and evaluating the metrics that quantify those goals. Technology performance characterization allows the
Robotics 2000, 2000
Infrastructure support for robotic colonies, Mars habitat for humans, and/or robotic exploration ... more Infrastructure support for robotic colonies, Mars habitat for humans, and/or robotic exploration of planetary surfaces will need to rely on the field deployment of multiple robust robots. This support includes such tasks as the deployment and servicing of power systems and in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) generators, establishing long-life robotic science stations for measurement and communications, construction of beaconed roadways, and the site preparation and deployment of human habitat modules. Precursor robotic missions to Mars that involve teams of multiple cooperating robots to accomplish some of these tasks is a cost effective solution to the possible long timeline necessary for the deployment of a human habitat. Ongoing work at JPL in the area of robot colonies is investigating many of the technology developments necessary for such an ambitious undertaking. Some of the issues that are being addressed include behavior-based control systems for multiple cooperating robots , development of autonomous robotic systems for the repair of disabled robots, and the design and development of robotic platforms for construction tasks such as material transport and surface clearing. This paper presents the results of an examination of requirements for robotic precursor missions to Mars.
AIAA Space 2003 Conference & Exposition, 2003
This paper summarizes some of the work performed by the NASA Exploration Team (NEXT) Human-Roboti... more This paper summarizes some of the work performed by the NASA Exploration Team (NEXT) Human-Robotics Working Group. The team had representation from across NASA and performed a number of key studies and experiments between 2001 and early 2003.
JPL is considering the development and launch of a roving long-range, long-duration science labor... more JPL is considering the development and launch of a roving long-range, long-duration science laboratory to Mars that will be a major leap in the in-situ exploration of Mars. This paper focuses on methods to determine relative benefits of autonomy technology development investments for accomplishing this mission's goals. We developed a framework that looks at both cost and risk early in the design process in order to determine the investment strategy in new technology development that will lead to the lowest risk mission possible which enables desired science rerum within a given budget. The work was pelformed under NASA's Engineering for Complex Systems (ECS) program.
IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine, 1999
ABSTUCT Miniature robots enable low-cost planetary surface exploration missions, and new military... more ABSTUCT Miniature robots enable low-cost planetary surface exploration missions, and new military missions in urban terrain where small robots provide critical assistance to human operations. These space and military missions have many similar technological challenges. Robots can be deployed in environments where it may not be safe or affordable to send humans, or where robots can reduce the risk to humans. Small size is needed in urban terrain to make the robot easy to carry and deploy by military personnel. Technology to sense and perceive the environment, and to autonomously plan and execute navigation maneuvers and other remote tasks, is an important requirement for both planetary and surface robots and for urban terrain robotic assistants. Motivated by common technological needs and by a shared vision about the great technological potential, a strong, collaborative relationship exists between the NASNJPL and DARPA technology development in miniaturized robotics. This paper describes the technologies under development, the applications where these technologies are relevant to both space and military missions, and the status of the most recent technology demonstrations in terrestrial scenarios.
Systems Engineering, 2004
There is an important need for a consistent analytical foundation supporting the selection and mo... more There is an important need for a consistent analytical foundation supporting the selection and monitoring of R&D tasks that support new system concepts that enable future NASA missions. This capability should be applicable at various degrees of abstraction, depending upon whether one is interested in formulation, development, or operations. It should also be applicable to a single project, a program comprised of a group of projects, an enterprise typically including multiple programs, and the overall agency itself. Emphasis here is on technology selection and new initiatives, but the same approach can be generalized to other applications, dealing, for example, with new system architectures, risk reduction, and task allocation among humans and machines. The purpose of this paper is to describe one such approach, which is in its early stages of implementation within NASA programs, and to discuss several illustrative examples.
Decision Tree Assessment of Challenging Technologies for Mission to Europa
Journal of Aerospace Engineering, 2003
The intriguing possibility that conditions exist that could support the evolution of life, as we ... more The intriguing possibility that conditions exist that could support the evolution of life, as we understand it, in the ice-covered oceans of Europa makes the exploration of that Jovian moon a significant priority in NASA's solar system explorations. There is a need, therefore, ...
The Power Generation Organization Competences and the Satisfaction of the Electricity Customers
2013 International Conference on Mechatronics, Electronics and Automotive Engineering, 2013
ABSTRACT In this article, issues are presented that justifies research linking competencies of a ... more ABSTRACT In this article, issues are presented that justifies research linking competencies of a company that produces and sells electricity to the satisfaction of the electricity consumers. A set of competences known as organizational synchronization using the ETK framework (ETK refers to Emotional Intelligence, Technology Awareness and Knowledge Management) is analyzed. Synchronized organizations are usually successful and remain highly competitive in a global setting since they are able to move all their constituent components in concert and in harmony with each other so as to derive maximal synergy with the organization's entirety. It is argued that although there are many studies and surveys about the electricity consumers' satisfaction, there is no literature on the relationship between the competencies of a company and the electricity consumers' satisfaction.
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Papers by Guillermo Rodriguez