Advances in Robot Design and Intelligent Control

Springer eBooks, 2002

The use of registered names, trademarks etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant laws and regulations and therefore free for general use.

The series "Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing" contains publications on theory, applications, and design methods of Intelligent Systems and Intelligent Computing. Virtually all disciplines such as engineering, natural sciences, computer and information science, ICT, economics, business, e-commerce, environment, healthcare, life science are covered. The list of topics spans all the areas of modern intelligent systems and computing.

2021

The series "Studies in Systems, Decision and Control" (SSDC) covers both new developments and advances, as well as the state of the art, in the various areas of broadly perceived systems, decision making and control-quickly, up to date and with a high quality. The intent is to cover the theory, applications, and perspectives on the state of the art and future developments relevant to systems, decision making, control, complex processes and related areas, as embedded in the fields of engineering, computer science, physics, economics, social and life sciences, as well as the paradigms and methodologies behind them. The series contains monographs, textbooks, lecture notes and edited volumes in systems, decision making and control spanning the areas of Cyber

The series "Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing" contains publications on theory, applications, and design methods of Intelligent Systems and Intelligent Computing. Virtually all disciplines such as engineering, natural sciences, computer and information science, ICT, economics, business, e-commerce, environment, healthcare, life science are covered. The list of topics spans all the areas of modern intelligent systems and computing.

The present work considers the development of a wheelchair for people with special needs, which is capable of navigating semi-autonomously within its workspace. This system is expected to prove useful to people with impaired mobility and limited fine motor control of the upper extremities. Among the implemented behaviors of this robotic system are the avoidance of obstacles, the motion in the middle of the free space and the following of a moving target specified by the user (e.g., a person walking in front of the wheelchair). The wheelchair is equipped with sonars, which are used for distance measurement in preselected critical directions, and with a panoramic camera with a 360 degree field of view, which is used for following a moving target. After suitably processing the color sequence of the panoramic images using the color histogram of the desired target, the orientation of the target with respect to the wheelchair is determined, while its distance is determined by the sonars. The motion control laws developed for the system use the sensory data and take into account the non-holonomic kinematic constraints of the wheelchair, in order to guarantee certain desired features of the closed-loop system, such as stability. Moreover, they are as simplified as possible to minimize implementation requirements. An experimental prototype has been developed at ICS-FORTH, based on a commercially-available wheelchair. The sensors, the computing power and the electronics needed for the implementation of the navigation behaviors and of the user interfaces (touch screen, voice commands) were developed as add-on modules and integrated with the wheelchair.

Communications in Computer and Information Science, 2012

The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use.

2002

After a long period, in which the research focused mainly on industrial robotics, nowadays scientists aim to build machines able to act autonomously in an unstructured domain, and to interface friendly with humans, while performing intelligently their assigned tasks. Such Intelligent Autonomous Systems are now being intensively developed, and are ready to be applied to every field, from social life to modern enterprises. We believe the third millennium will be characterized by their extensive use. This is changing dramatically the whole scenario of human society. Therefore, we need to face new scientific challenges by testing new theoretical research issues, and to experiment with new technical applications. The International Conferences on Intelligent Autonomous Systems (IAS Conferences) have been explicitly devoted to this task since their starting in 1986. They have become one of the leading established references in the field. At the beginning of the IAS Conferences, it was not certain that a selective robotics research meeting, devoted to such an advanced topic, could become a success. Step by step, the need of a Forum for dis-* Corresponding author.

Intelligence & Robotics, 2021

The concepts of “Robots” have been of interest to humans from historical times, initially with the desire to create “artificial slaves”. Since the technology was not developing to keep up with the “dreams”, initially, Robotics was primarily of entertainment value, relegated to plays, movies, stories, etc. The practical applications started in the late 1950s and the 1960s with the development of programmable devices for factories and assembly lines as flexible automation. However, since the expectations were not adequately realized, the general enthusiasm and funding for Robotics subsided to some extent. With subsequent research, developments, and curricular enhancement in Engineering and Computer Science and the resurgence of Artificial Intelligence, particularly machine learning, Robotics has found numerous practical applications today, in industry, medicine, household, the service sector, and the general society. Important developments and practical strides are being made, particularly in Soft Robotics, Mobile Robotics (Aerial - drones, Underwater, Ground-based - autonomous vehicles in particular), Swarm Robotics, Homecare, Surgery, Assistive Devices, and Active Prosthesis. This perspective paper starts with a brief history of Robotics while indicating some associated myths and unfair expectations. Next, it will outline key developments in the area. In particular, some important practical applications of Intelligent Robotics, as developed by groups worldwide, including the Industrial Automation Laboratory at the University of British Columbia, headed by the author, are indicated. Finally, some misconceptions and shortcomings concerning Intelligent Robotics are pointed out. The main shortcomings concern the mechanical capabilities and the nature of intelligence. The paper concludes by mentioning future trends and key opportunities available in Intelligent Robotics for both developed and developing counties.

An intelligent robot is a remarkably useful combination of a manipulator, sensors and controls. The use of these machines in factory automation can improve productivity, increase product quality and improve competitiveness. This paper presents a discussion of recent and future technical and economic trends.

Artificial intelligence is a theory. The base object is the agent who is the "actor". It is realized in software. Robots are manufactured as hardware. The connection between those two is that the control of the robot is a software agent that reads data from the sensors decides what to do next and then directs the effectors to act in the physical world. The aim of this paper is to provide basic, background information of global scope on two emerging technologies: artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics. According to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), it is important to consider these emerging technologies now because their emergence on the market is anticipated to ‘affect almost every aspect of our lives’ during the coming decades (DTI, 2002). Thus, a first major feature of these two disciplines is product diversity. In addition, it is possible to characterize them as disruptive, enabling and interdisciplinary.