Advances in Robotics & Automation

The project’s first activity was to study and determine the conditions under which robotics and 3D printing training flourishes within Europe. The partners therefore undertook different activities: Besides a web research on existing training opportunities in the field, the partners conducted an online survey targeted to SMEs, individuals and training providers. The survey was completed by 150 persons representing all target groups. Some of the first findings can be highlighted asfollows: Very few introductory or basic courses in general Elements of robotics and 3D printing usually offered as part of electrical or mechanical engineering courses; as a Master’s Degree at the second level at some universities, some VETs provide specializations for industrial robotics 

In this paper, a hierarchy building method of an uncertain ontology concept based on cloud transformation is presented. First, extracting a qualitative concept from the database through cloud transformation; second, improving the original concept leaping algorithm to obtain a synthetically formalized expression of the coarser-grained uncertain concept, which makes the algorithm-output concept hierarchy more realistic; Finally, analyzing the tea science data with this method to extract a qualitative concept and build the concept hierarchy. The experimental results show that the qualitative concept can be more accurately extracted and characterized with this method, and the concept based on the cloud model can simultaneously express its randomness and fuzziness, which makes the ontology built based on these concepts to describe the concept model more accurately and helps to objectively build agricultural ontology.

The massage coverage and the massage path have significant influence on the massage effect of massage robot. Analyzing the traditional Chinese massage operation and the demand for path planning, an efficient full covered improved path planning algorithm which based on a portable back massage robot was put forward. The model of an improved back and forth path algorithm and an efficient full covered path algorithm were established and the simulation were implemented in Matlab. The simulation results show that the improved algorithm is suitable for back massage, and it ensures that the massage robot traverses the entire back area with improved massage coverage. Meanwhile, the experimental environment was built to test the effect of the proposed algorithm. A series of problems appeared during experiments were solved with repeated tests; the massage robot eventually achieved the desired massage effect and planned path.

Most service robots are simple and domestic, functioning only within Wi-Fi enabled homes. Service robots that do function outdoors are usually expensive and consequently foreign to the general public. To provide service robots to everyone, everywhere, we present Nokovic, a low cost service robot built with recycled parts based on FPGA and radio frequency control that recognizes outdoor and indoor human activity to engage with humans in any environment. By building off recycled pieces, Nokovic reduces the costs to construct the recycled robot. Nokovic also implements a novel low cost human activity recognition system that further helps to reduce the resources needed for the service robot to function anywhere. We establish our human activity recognition system by using a histogram of oriented gradients to create two shape based object classes: bikers and walkers, which our system distinguishes from. We study how our human activity recognition method compares with traditional activity recognition classifiers. Based on our design and study, we reflect on the future of low cost service robots for outdoor and indoor activities.

In this paper, four types of repetitive controllers are compared on a DC servo motor. It is shown that a Fouriertype repetitive controller is superior in terms of the adaptation rate and, for tracking a sine wave and a half-rectified sine wave.

Wireless Body Area Network (WBAN) coexistence is a very challenging problem, resulting in very strong interference among them, which seriously affects the reliability of communication. The interference is the main performance-limiting factor in wireless networks coexistence, and therefore it is crucial to mitigated. The goal of this paper is to decrease inter-WBANs interference and to increase the transmission success probability or throughput. One of the main determinants of the interference is the network geometry distribution. In this paper, the impact of channel sensing range to IEEE 802.15.4-based coexisting WBANs is analyzed and is optimized according to the nearest node’s distance. In addition, we model the system adopting the stochastic geometry Poisson point process and analyze the impact of guard zone size to networks performance. Furthermore, the throughput efficiently achieves higher through optimizing the size of guard zone. Theoretical analysis and simulation results show that the reasonable setting of the protection area can improve effectively the system throughput, and the guard zone radius has an optimal value, which can make the throughput of the network to reach the maximum value. The energy and spectral efficiency, moreover, have been improved.

In this paper, we propose a path planning and dispatch strategy of multiple mobile robots for cooperative applications in confined spaces. The proposed two level path planning method incorporates the segment reservation mechanism to maximize the utilization of robots. The two level path planning reduces the computational complexity while providing the flexibility for real-time adaptation. Any potential deadlock is completely eliminated and the starvation due to unpredictable service request patterns is avoided. Since the proposed methodology is used for confined areas, any possible path blockage due to idling robots is eliminated with idling robot relocation mechanism. The dynamic path planning is achieved by monitoring and controlling the speed of the robots. The dynamic replanning is triggered with periodic monitoring of the service constraints. The method can be effectively used for low power multiple robot navigation applications and the performance of the proposed system is evaluated with largescale simulations.

Security is the prime concern of organizations and individuals these days. It could be a house or an office which needs to be modernized with latest security systems that are more secure and robust systematically. Conventional Lock with key methods are more vulnerable to replication of keys and physically getting broken, in order to overcome this, modern techniques like RFID and Mobile applications are used. Though the prior mentioned security systems are often implemented with only the alarms and cameras which may intimate the user about the breach and collect the evidences respectively, there aren’t any counter-measures proposed to expel the thief out of the place. Therefore, the main objective of this paper is to deploy counter-measures to expel the thieves out of the place even after successful breach through the door/window along with the inherent functions of the already existing systems. This paper also proposes an effective handling way of a worst-case scenario, which prevents the deployment of countermeasures when a genuine user breaks through the door in emergency situations.

The number of disabled individuals due to stroke is increasing day by day and is projected to continue increasing at an alarming rate in United States. But the current amount of health professionals in physical therapy is inadequate to provide rehabilitation to these large groups. From early 1990s, researchers have been trying to develop an easy and feasible solution to this problem and lot of assistive devices both end effector type or exoskeleton type have been developed till to date. However, only a few of them have been commercialized and are being used in rehabilitation of post-stroke patients. Making the use of exoskeletons and other devices to regain lost motor function is rare. Providing therapy to this large group is quite impossible without commercializing of exoskeleton. This has motivated the authors to make a literature review and figure the reasons out that need to be solved to bridge the gap between research prototype to commercial version. This paper covers the necessity of incorporating robotic devices in rehabilitation, a brief description of existing devices particularly upper limb exoskeletons, their hardware limitations, and control issues. Our review shows that there are significant flaws in hardware design and developing control algorithm of exoskeletons to be available in rehabilitation program.

This research describes the tracked combine harvester dynamic model developed based on the sensors measurements for the controlling of tracked combine harvester and the application of automated navigation. Real time global positioning system and inertial measurement unit were equipped on the tracked combine harvester for obtaining the position, direction of travel, angular rate etc. Circular and sinusoidal trajectories were performed by the tracked combine harvester over the concrete and soil ground from a set of steering commands to evaluate the tracked combine harvester dynamic model. The results indicate that the computed harvester state, angular yaw rate, soil parameter, track coefficients, turning radius and sideslip angle from the tracked combine harvester dynamic model and sensors measurements can be used to control an autonomous tracked combine harvester during nonlinear maneuverability.

Geometric deformations in large thin walled components such as airplane shells caused by gravitational influences have to be compensated before assembly. The research objective is to develop a metrology assisted robot based assembly system that detects deformations and compensates them through force controlled movements of the robots. This paper describes the development of a cooperating robot force control for three industrial robots. The control algorithm uses a numerical optimization to take into account the strong mechanical coupling of the robots by the handled component.

Wind turbines are widely used nowadays as devices for renewable energy utilization that is the wind energy. Before designing the wind turbine, many parameters must be measured for the best selected design. Theses parameters include wind speed, wind speed variation with height, power generation etc. Thus the use of computer software such as Arduino is very helpful tool to achieve such a task. This work is aimed to show the application of Arduino to measure the environmental parameters that affect the power generation of wind turbines such as wind speed. The code used to programme the instruments and sensors are shown. The power measured experimentally based on the measured parameters are shown. Results show that Arduino can get accurate measurements. And by using suitable software it provides full calculations of the design parameters. The data are presented in an excel spread sheet where it can be used later for the design procedure. The use of Arduino requires writing codes for data acquisition and processing. Critical data for wind power calculations are shown. The height of 15 m is achieved and the wind speed, voltage, current and power is calculated. By comparing the data obtained by Arduino to published data for Kuwait the results found comparable. The Arduino value for wind speed in June at height of 10.0 m is 8.0 m/s, however, the average value of wind speed in June is 5.7 m/s and the maximum value of wind speed in June is 20.0 m/s at the same height.