History of Service Robots

International Journal of Social Robotics, 2011

Service robots give the possibility of new fields of applications for Robotics by wide spreading robots also into no technical areas. But requirements and goals need to be carefully revised both in designing and operating specific solutions. In this paper, main aspects and challenges are discussed both as problems and advantages in using robots in service operations for new areas of applications, by taking particular attention to non engineering aspects that are deduced from new service areas. In particular, two novel applications, with direct experience of the author and his team, are discussed as referring to robots for restoration activity of historical goods, and robots for physiotherapy rehabilitation and training, as examples with many very different aspects and backgrounds, but even with common issues. Key problems for developing service robots for a successful acceptance and use by even no technical users can be considered in terms of specific technical problems for low-cost useroriented operation systems, but mainly in terms of implications for human-machine interactions.

International Journal of Advanced Robotic Systems, 2015

In this paper, we present a concept of service robot and a framework for its functional specification and implementation. The present discussion is grounded in Newell’s system levels hierarchy which suggests organizing robotics research in three different layers, corresponding to Marr’s computational, algorithmic and implementation levels, as follows: (1) the service robot proper, which is the subject of the present paper, (2) perception and action algorithms, and (3) the systems programming level. The concept of a service robot is articulated in practice through the introduction of a conceptual model for particular service robots; this consists of the specification of a set of basic robotic behaviours and a number of mechanisms for assembling such behaviours during the execution of complex tasks. The model involves an explicit representation of the task structure, allowing for deliberative reasoning and task management. The model also permits distinguishing between a robot’s competence and performance, along the lines of Chomsky’s corresponding distinction. We illustrate how this model can be realized in practice with two composition modes that we call static and dynamic; these are illustrated with the Restaurant Test and the General Purpose Service Robot Test of the RoboCup@Home competition, respectively. The present framework and methodology has been implemented in the robot Golem-II+, which is also described. The paper is concluded with an overall reflection upon the present concept of a service robot and its associated functional specifications, and the potential impact of such a conceptual model in the study, development and application of service robots in general.

Robotics & …, 2009

According to the Interna-tional Federation of Ro-botics (IFR), ''a service robot is a robot which operates semi or fully autonomously to perform services useful to the well being of human and equipment, ex-cluding manufacturing opera-tions'' [1]. These devices are typically ...

Applied Sciences, 2021

The 2021 sales volume in the market of service robots is attractive. Expert reports from the International Federation of Robotics confirm 27 billion USD in total market share. Moreover, the number of new startups with the denomination of service robots nowadays constitutes 29% of the total amount of robotic companies recorded in the United States. Those data, among other similar figures, remark the need for formal development in the service robots area, including knowledge transfer and literature reviews. Furthermore, the COVID-19 spread accelerated business units and some research groups to invest time and effort into the field of service robotics. Therefore, this research work intends to contribute to the formalization of service robots as an area of robotics, presenting a systematic review of scientific literature. First, a definition of service robots according to fundamental ontology is provided, followed by a detailed review covering technological applications; state-of-the-ar...

Intelligenza Artificiale, 2013

The creation of intelligent robots has been a major goal of Artificial Intelligence since the early days and has provided many motivations to Artificial Intelligence researchers. Therefore, a large body of research has been done in this field and many relevant results have shown that integration of Artificial Intelligence and Robotics techniques is a viable approach towards this goal. This article summarizes the efforts and the achievements of several Italian research groups in the development of intelligent robotic systems characterized by a suitable integration of Artificial Intelligence and Robotic techniques. The contributions collected in this article show the long history of this research stream, the impact of the developed approaches in the scientific community, and the efforts towards actual deployment of the developed systems. world has shown the feasibility and the advantages of integrating AI techniques with robotic technology and other disciplines, in order to build a complex system able to show an intelligent behavior in noisy and uncertain real world scenarios. This article summarizes the major achievements of several Italian research groups in developing methods and techniques for intelligent robotic systems. The contributions collected in this article show some important features: from one side, the long history of this research stream and the large collaborations among the research groups; from the other side, the impact of the developed 1724-8035/13/$27.50