1,720,983 research outputs found
Portable Haptic Interface with Omni-Directional Movement and Force Capability
No full textWe describe the design of a new mobile haptic interface that employs wheels for force rendering. The interface, consisting of an omni-directional Killough type platform, provides 2DOF force feedback with different control modalities. The system autonomously performs sensor fusion for localization and force rendering. This paper explains the relevant choices concerning the functional aspects, the control design, the mechanical and electronic solution. Experimental results for force feedback characterization are reported
Autonomous exploration of indoor environments with a micro-aerial vehicle
No full textThe paper presents a system designed for micro-aerial-vehicles capable of autonomously explore an indoor environment, detect objects in the environment and build a map of the environment structure with reference to objects locations within the map. The found objects are saved in an internal database containing all previously recognized objects. The system allows fast exploration time and it is characterized by lightweight computation algorithms for the localization, map building and navigation components. The environment map is built as a set of 2D feature map layers where each layer corresponds to an environment floor. For each framework component a simulated testing scenario is presented to evaluate the capabilities of the designed algorithms. The introduced system is efficient from the computational cost point of view and allows fast exploration time that is critical for battery powered systems
Visual navigation of mobile robots for autonomous patrolling of indoor and outdoor areas
No full textIn many applications, robots should be able to move autonomously in semi-structured or unstructured environments. Autonomous robots can be employed for instance in area patrolling tasks in order to perform surveillance of sites. To autonomously navigate in an unknown outdoor scenario, a robot should be able to acquire sensible information about the environment by means of its own sensors and at the same time perform some reasoning to decide where and how to move. In this paper, we present a vision-based solution for the decision making and a behavior based low-level control for the navigation. Three different testing scenarios have been employed to assess the capabilities of the proposed approach: a computer simulated scenario, an indoor test on a real robotic platform and finally an outdoor test in a city park
Autonomous navigation of mobile robots: From basic sensing to problem solving
No full textAutonomous navigation is a complex task that requires both sensing capabilities to react to sudden environmental changes or map the environment and reasoning to schedule the next action to perform. Starting from basic sensing technology used in the majority of mobile robotic systems, the introduction of sensor fusion techniques allows to obtain useful information to solve the localization, mapping and navigation problems. Applications of these methods to achieve specific robot capabilities will be presented starting from object detection and recognition, passing to scene classification and ending with an industrial related application: the visual inspection of industrial facilities by means of a flying vehicle
A Multimodal Learning System for Handwriting Movements2014 International Conference on Intelligent Environments
No full textLearning to hand-write is a complex task and is fundamental for the development of a correct language reasoning and understanding. This work presents a multimodal system that focuses on the learning of handwriting movements. The system is thought for children usage providing engaging graphics and novel feedback technologies to accelerate the learning process. The main characteristic of the system architecture is its scalability in hardware and software components so that it is possible to employ it in any domestic setup
Confined spaces industrial inspection with micro aerial vehicles and laser range finder localization
No full textThis work addresses the problem of semi-automatic inspection and navigation in confined environments. A system that overcomes many challenges at the state of the art is presented. It comprises a multirotor able to inspect an industrial combustion chamber thus working in a GPS-denied environment with poor lighting conditions, in the presence of magnetic and communication disturbances, iron dust and repetitive patterns on the structure walls. The presented system is able to pass through narrow entrances but still capable of acquiring high resolution images and to allow operators to perform inspection of the structures. Starting from the captured data, the system is able to provide a 3D reconstruction of the inspected environment for offline analysis
HAPTIC SYSTEM AND DEVICE FOR MAN-MACHINE INTERACTION
No full textA haptic device (100) configured to be used as man-machine interface for interactions in virtual and/or real places, tele-operation and rehabilitation assisted by robot comprises a mobile unit (1) configured to be interfaced with at least one user (3), a control unit (4) associated with the mobile unit (1 ) and a feeding unit (10). In particular, the mobile unit (1 ) comprises at least three wheels (13) rotationally spaced from each other; each wheels (13) comprises a rotation axis (13') and has a wheel motor unit (1 1) independent, such that each wheel motor unit (1 1) allows the rotation of each wheel (13) about the respective rotation axis (13') in a rotation plane orthogonal to the rotation axis (13'). In addition, each wheel (13) has sliding means (21 ) in a direction transversal to the rotation support plane, such that the mobile unit (1 ) can follow any trajectory. In particular, the sliding means comprises a plurality of rollers (21) arranged adjacent to each other on a same row. This way, each wheel (13) can carry out a "leeway motion" transversally to each wheel rotation plane by the resulting rolling applied by the respective motor units (1 1 ) to the other wheels (13). In particular, in case of three wheels (13) of the mobile unit (1), if a first wheel it has not momentarily a rolling movement, giving to the other two wheels (13) an identical rolling speed, is obtained a translating the first wheel orthogonally to each wheel rotation plane i.e. parallel to its own rotation axis (13'). Giving instead different speeds to the other two wheels (13), it is possible to obtain a movement in a direction oblique with respect to the rotation plane of the first wheel
A Lightweight SLAM algorithm for indoor autonomous navigation
No full textSimultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) algorithms require huge computational power. Most of the state-of-the-art implementations employ dedicated computational machines which in most cases are off-board the robotic platform. In addition, as soon as the environment become large, the update rate of such algorithms is no more suitable for real-time control. The latest implementations rely on visual SLAM, adopting a reduced number of features. However, these methods are not employable in environments with low visibility or that are completely dark. We present here a SLAM algorithm designed for mobile robots requiring reliable solutions even in harsh working conditions where the presence of dust and darkness could compromise the visibility conditions. The algorithm has been optimized for embedded CPUs commonly employed in light-weight robotic platforms. In this paper the proposed algorithm is introduced and its feasibility as SLAM solution for embedded systems is proved both by a simulated and a real testing scenario
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