{"title":"Post identification and location derivation in vineyards through point clouds using cylinder extraction and density clustering","authors":"Di Gao, Tien-Fu Lu, S. Grainger","doi":"10.1109/RAM.2013.6758559","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/RAM.2013.6758559","url":null,"abstract":"An automatic pruning machine is desirable due to the limitations and drawbacks of current grapevine pruning methods. It mitigates the issue of skilled worker shortages and reduces overall labour cost. To achieve autonomous grapevine pruning accurately and effectively, it is crucial to identify and locate posts, cordons and canes, which are the main objects for automatic pruning operations. In this paper, a new method is proposed to automatically identify the post and derive its location using point clouds. This method adopted the advantages of cylinder extraction and density clustering, and combined the features of cylinder and density for identification purposes. The results of applying this method to different data sets in vineyards are presented and its effectiveness is illustrated.","PeriodicalId":287085,"journal":{"name":"2013 6th IEEE Conference on Robotics, Automation and Mechatronics (RAM)","volume":"33 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2013-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"123576618","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
C. Jayawardena, N. Baghaei, K. Ganeshan, A. Sarrafzadeh
{"title":"Designing a socially assistive companion robotic wheel chair: RoboChair","authors":"C. Jayawardena, N. Baghaei, K. Ganeshan, A. Sarrafzadeh","doi":"10.1109/RAM.2013.6758589","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/RAM.2013.6758589","url":null,"abstract":"Developing socially assistive robots is an emerging interdisciplinary research area, which requires collaboration between a wide range of disciplines. Among recent research projects, there have been attempts to develop assistive robotic solutions to solve various health and social issues. In most current research attempts to design socially assistive robots, the focus is on designing new robotic agents that can interact with people by various means. Since people do not have much experience with robots, usually extensive field trials are conducted in order to assess the usability of these robots. However, determining the usability of these robotic agents is a difficult task, since the results of field trials are not always conclusive. In this paper, an attempt to overcome the difficulty of evaluating usability of assistive robots is presented. This paper presents the design of the first version of a companion robot called RoboChair. RoboChair is in the form of a wheel chair. But, functionally it is a socially assistive companion robot. The proposed robotic chair is a mobile robot that can carry a person. It is equipped with several measuring devices for taking clinical measurements mentioned above. In addition to that, it is equipped with several sensors for obstacle avoidance, map building, localization, detecting humans etc. It is also equipped with motor controllers and other actuators for motion control. The robot chair is capable of engaging users with interactive dialogs through a touch screen and by using human-robot interaction techniques. It has a scalable modular architecture so that adding new hardware and software modules is straightforward. The software framework is based on Robot Operating System (ROS) open source robotic middleware. RoboChair is controlled by a distributed controller that spans multiple hardware devices and multiple operating systems.","PeriodicalId":287085,"journal":{"name":"2013 6th IEEE Conference on Robotics, Automation and Mechatronics (RAM)","volume":"8 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2013-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"115340657","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Wenhao Luo, Jun Peng, Weirong Liu, Jing Wang, Wentao Yu
{"title":"A unified optimization method for real-time trajectory generation of mobile robots with kinodynamic constraints in dynamic environment","authors":"Wenhao Luo, Jun Peng, Weirong Liu, Jing Wang, Wentao Yu","doi":"10.1109/RAM.2013.6758569","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/RAM.2013.6758569","url":null,"abstract":"This paper presents an efficient analytic method for a mobile robot to determine a collision-free trajectory with unified optimization. The robot kinodynamic constraints and the geometric constraints due to obstacles are addressed by considering a set of constrained inequalities from parameterized trajectories model. Two optimal performance matrices are employed to assess optimization problems. Particularly, both the constraints and performance functions are incorporated by similar forms in terms of trajectory parameters, which thereby can be considered in a uniform way. A parameter space of adjustable trajectory parameters is constructed to solve the unified optimization problem with constraints and results in more flexible and better optimal performance. The proposed approach is complete and enhances methods of deterministic real-time planning by overcoming typical drawbacks as intermediate configuration, curvature discontinuities, vertical singularities and incomplete optimization. Simulation results verify the validity and superiority of the proposed method.","PeriodicalId":287085,"journal":{"name":"2013 6th IEEE Conference on Robotics, Automation and Mechatronics (RAM)","volume":"44 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2013-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"114650698","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Experimental study of anti-windup adaptive tracking control for Euler-Lagrange systems with actuator saturation","authors":"M. Kanamori","doi":"10.1109/RAM.2013.6758573","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/RAM.2013.6758573","url":null,"abstract":"The anti-windup adaptive law that has been previously proposed is verified by experiments on a two-link robot arm. It is confirmed that windup of the control input is restrained very well by the proposed anti-windup adaptive law and the transitional control performance is improved effectively.","PeriodicalId":287085,"journal":{"name":"2013 6th IEEE Conference on Robotics, Automation and Mechatronics (RAM)","volume":"3 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2013-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"125082520","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Autonomous car in path following control under side wind effect by laguerre function","authors":"F. Yakub, Y. Mori","doi":"10.1109/RAM.2013.6758560","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/RAM.2013.6758560","url":null,"abstract":"In this paper, the Laguerre functions in model predictive control approach for active front and rear steering for path following of autonomous car vehicle is developed and presented. The method is based on three degree of freedom linear bicycle model with linear tire model approximation. The controller based on Laguerre functions is designed to follow the desired trajectory by stabilizing the vehicle while rejecting the side wind effects. The vehicle is performing at middle and high speed maneuvers for double lane change scenario in order to see the effect of adding rear wheel steering. The simulations results showed that the predictive control based on Laguerre functions have a potential to eliminate the unmeasured disturbance compared to delta-function which is the conventional method. It also demonstrated that the disturbance effect on the vehicle in high speed maneuvers can be stabilized by utilizing the rear wheel steering rendering undisturbed movement along the desired path along the desired path.","PeriodicalId":287085,"journal":{"name":"2013 6th IEEE Conference on Robotics, Automation and Mechatronics (RAM)","volume":"44 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2013-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"133186663","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"3D point cloud segmentation: A survey","authors":"A. Nguyen, H. Le","doi":"10.1109/RAM.2013.6758588","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/RAM.2013.6758588","url":null,"abstract":"3D point cloud segmentation is the process of classifying point clouds into multiple homogeneous regions, the points in the same region will have the same properties. The segmentation is challenging because of high redundancy, uneven sampling density, and lack explicit structure of point cloud data. This problem has many applications in robotics such as intelligent vehicles, autonomous mapping and navigation. Many authors have introduced different approaches and algorithms. In this survey, we examine methods that have been proposed to segment 3D point clouds. The advantages, disadvantages, and design mechanisms of these methods are analyzed and discussed. Finally, we outline the promising future research directions.","PeriodicalId":287085,"journal":{"name":"2013 6th IEEE Conference on Robotics, Automation and Mechatronics (RAM)","volume":"26 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2013-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"126053718","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Tailoring the ratios between eigenfrequencies of tapping mode atomic force microscope probe using concentrated masses","authors":"Jiandong Cai, M. Wang, Qi Xia","doi":"10.1109/RAM.2013.6758585","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/RAM.2013.6758585","url":null,"abstract":"Higher harmonics signal in tapping mode atomic force microscope (AFM) topography imaging process is verified to be an evidence for material mapping in sample surface. Due to low amplitude and rapid decay of higher harmonics, structure design focused on cantilever probe is proposed to optimize the frequency response performance of probe. Here, we utilize concentrated masses to tune the ratio between eigenfrequencies for tip attached probe. Euler-Bernoulli beam theory is the fundamental for analysis. We figure out that adding masses can realize the tailoring of eigenfrequency ratios, and two concentrated masses will produce more frequency combination candidates than one concentrated mass. Probe with integer ratios between eigenfrequencies generates high sensitive responses at corresponding higher harmonics.","PeriodicalId":287085,"journal":{"name":"2013 6th IEEE Conference on Robotics, Automation and Mechatronics (RAM)","volume":"49 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2013-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"123616428","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Stanislas Brossette, Joris Vaillant, François Keith, Adrien Escande, A. Kheddar
{"title":"Point-cloud multi-contact planning for humanoids: Preliminary results","authors":"Stanislas Brossette, Joris Vaillant, François Keith, Adrien Escande, A. Kheddar","doi":"10.1109/RAM.2013.6758553","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/RAM.2013.6758553","url":null,"abstract":"We present preliminary results in porting our multi-contact non-gaited motion planning framework to operate in real environments where the surroundings are acquired using an embedded camera together with a depth map sensor. We consider the robot to have no a priori knowledge of the environment, and propose a scheme to extract the information relevant for planning from an acquired point cloud. This yield the basis of an egocentric on-the-fly multi-contact planner. We then demonstrate its capacity with two simulation scenarios involving an HRP-2 robot in various environment before discussing some issues to be addressed in our quest to achieve a close loop between planning and execution in an environment explored through embedded sensors.","PeriodicalId":287085,"journal":{"name":"2013 6th IEEE Conference on Robotics, Automation and Mechatronics (RAM)","volume":"41 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2013-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"129453145","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"An efficient programming framework for socially assistive robots based on separation of robot behavior description from execution","authors":"C. Jayawardena, I. Kuo, B. MacDonald","doi":"10.1109/RAM.2013.6758575","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/RAM.2013.6758575","url":null,"abstract":"One of the main challenges in socially assistive robotics is providing flexible and easy-to-use programming tools for users. Unlike other robots, designing socially assistive robots includes the subject-matter-experts (SMEs) from non-engineering disciplines. Therefore, the provided tools should be suitable for users with less programming experience. On the other hand, socially assistive robotic research involves field trials and user-centric studies, in which user and subject matter expert comments are used to improve the robot applications. Therefore, field programmability and customizability are key requirements. This paper presents a programming framework for socially assistive robots, which satisfies the above requirements; programmability by non-experts, field programmability and customizability. The proposed framework has been successfully implemented, deployed, and tested. Some robots with the framework presented in this paper are already in the commercialization pathway.","PeriodicalId":287085,"journal":{"name":"2013 6th IEEE Conference on Robotics, Automation and Mechatronics (RAM)","volume":"104 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2013-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"122552818","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Dynamic maneuverability through voluntary morphosis in a four-legged robot","authors":"F. I. Sheikh, Shams Syed","doi":"10.1109/RAM.2013.6758558","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1109/RAM.2013.6758558","url":null,"abstract":"Dynamic maneuverability is an inherent skill of any legged animal locomotion. Thus it is useful and challenging for a physical four-legged robot that runs in open-loop control. This paper presents a concept of dynamic maneuverability in a four-legged system that can alter its morphology through leg reconfiguration, i.e., voluntary morphosis1. By exploiting this unique feature of the robot body, we designed a dynamic maneuverability control in open-loop that changes the leg length of the ipsilateral pairs of legs to smoothly control the turning of the robot on a particular gait. We verified our control approach on trot gait locomotion. Our results demonstrate that the maneuverability in a four-legged robot is mainly the result of an active change in robot morphology.","PeriodicalId":287085,"journal":{"name":"2013 6th IEEE Conference on Robotics, Automation and Mechatronics (RAM)","volume":"15 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2013-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"114295186","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}