Download Robots at Work

Call 5 Preparatory Workshop on Collaborative Working Environments
Brussels, Wednesday 13th April 2005
Robots at Work
Dr Gerard McKee
Active Robotics Laboratory
School of Systems Engineering
The University of Reading, UK
[email protected]; http://www.arl.rdg.ac.uk
Overview
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Background - Active Robotics Laboratory
Robotics is integrative
Open Source Community
Online Robot Laboratories
E-Cradle (OR + OS)
Networked Robotics
Research Issues
Conclusions
Author Background
• Areas of research:
– Networked Robotics; Teleoperation/Telerobotics;
– Robot architectures; Cooeprative Robotics
– Educational Robotics
• Projects
– NETROLAB - Networked Robotics Laboratory
– Visual Acts - intelligent assistance for remove viewing during
teleoperation
– Cooperative Robotics - multi-robot payload transportation
– TORUS - online robots for robotics education
Active Robotics Laboratory (ARL)
• Netrolab (1994-1998)
– networking & multimedia technology
• TORUS - student projects
– (Toys Operated Remotely for Understanding
Science)
• Digger Intelligence I
– Student Assignments
• MVideo
– image services for online robot projects
8000
7000
6000
Frequency
• Digger Intelligence II - Digger Arena
9000
control server
image server
5000
4000
3000
2000
1000
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
control server
7808
3735
1821
950
491
258
158
55
23
7
5
1
image server
8279
4320
2222
1263
710
332
183
72
22
7
2
Number of concurrent logins
Netrolab (Networked Robotics Laboratory)
A resource-based laboratory model for teaching
topics in AI & Robotics
Sensors and Controls are resources
Manipulator & Mobile Robot resources
Video servers provide multiple streaming video
channels from separate cameras
Robotics is Integrative
• Systems Engineering
– mechanics, materials, drives & controls, sensors, electronic
systems, computer systems, robotics science, artificial intelligence,
cognitive science
• Robotic Architectures & Intelligence
– sensing, perception, representation, reasoning, planning, action;
– reactive, behaviour-based, deliberative & hybrid architectures
– localisation, mapping, navigation, etc.
• Small-systems development hardware dominated.
• Large-systems development software dominated.
Open Source Software
• Open Source:
– a successful model for large-scale collaborative
software developoment
• Characterstics of success:
– benign leadership with the ability to ‘recognise good
design ideas from others’ [Raymond, 2001]
– modularity, allowing collaborators to work in parallel,
largely independently of each other
– a running prototype early on
Open Source & Robotics
• Assumption:
– The Open Source Model can be applied to software development
for robotics
– Large-scale Robot systems require significant software and
hardware development effort and, hence, can benefit from
collaboration
• Robotics system development requires HANDS-ON
experience with robot components and systems:
– subsystems (e.g. sensors)
– systems (e.g. the robot system)
– task model and architectures
Online Robots
• Robot demonstrations on the Internet
– Mercury Project, Tele-Garden (Goldberg)
– Mobile robots - Xavier & others
• Educational projects
– Netrolab (McKee), PumaPaint (Stein)
• These motivate robotics technology
• telerobotics, mobile robotics, map-building, path planning, etc.
Online Robot Laboratory
User
User
Applications
User
Robot Systems
& Task
User
Including point-andclick controls, data
modelling/visualisation
tools and displays;
simulations
User
User
Offering services: sensor
and control servers,
management, booking
services and access control.
Application
Programmer
Interface
Levels of Interaction: manual, semi-automated, automated
Distributed Expertise -
Task
Integration
Comuter
Vision
Site Integration
Software
Components &
Systems
Electronics
Mechanics &
Materials
Mobile
Robotics
Manipulator
Robotics
Distributed Online Robot
Laboratory Environment
(ORE)
Knowledge
Extended Open Source
Collaborative Development
Environment (CDE)
E-Cradle (Open Source Robotics)
Virtual Labs. (VL)
Collaboratories
(USA)
Science
Robotics Community
Education
Science &
Education
Real Lab.
Env (RL)
E-Science
(UK & Europe)
Communications & Information Technologies
Commerce &
Education
Prob. Solv.
Env. (PSE)
Virtual Teams (VT)
Online Robot
Env. (OR)
Science
The
Community
at Large
E-CRADLE
CSCW
(Europe & Japan)
Commercial
Tools
CSCL
(Europe)
Course Man.
Tools
Coll. Dev.
Env. (CDE)
Open Source Comm.
An E-Cradle is an online
“Community Research & Development Laboratory Enterprise”
Networked Robotics
• Straddes robotics and network technology
– The network is a design issue, but offers possibilities for
integrating robotics with other technologies
• Direct and related areas of networked robotics:
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Online robots (remote access)
Internet robotics (remote control - telemanipulation)
Distributed robot architectures (network-enabled modules)
Talk Networks (e.g. distributed robotics)
Field robotics (network performance)
Integrating Ambient (embedded) and robot (embodied) intelligence
Sensor networks; embedded systems
Distributed Robot Architectures
Name Server
Robot platforms are clusters
of Robotics resources
(sensors, effectors,
algorithmic units)
Robotic resources are
encapsulated as
modules that provide a
defined functionality +
local/remote
connectivity options.
Robot architectures can be
created through the
interconnection of networkenabled modules distributed
across fixed and mobile robot
platforms.
PC – GNU \ Linux
Processor Nodes
Workstation
NeRCS
Network
Backbone
Robot 1
Robot 2
Location 1 (laboratory)
Module Pool
Robots as Resources
Effector modules
Algorithmic modules
Sensor modules
Task scenario
Modularity
Module pool
Resources configured to create
robotic agents
Higher-order
manipulator
Higher-order
sensor
Effector modules
Algorithmic modules
Sensor modules
Module pool
Control architecture distributed
about multiple computing &
mobile robot platforms
Networked Robot
Research Objectives
• Build an E-Cradle for open research &
development in the domain of robotics
• Pursue an open collaborative development of a
solution to a specific robot task
• Study growth and development of the E-Cradle
• Assess its potential for open collaborative research
and development in robotics and related domains.
Research Challenges
• Gain large-scale collaboration in the domain
of robotics
• Gain collaborators from outside the
traditional institutional boundaries
• Disseminate knowledge sufficient for this
wider participation
• I.e. A proof of concept
Some Technical Requirements
• Integrate CDEs with OREs
• Modularity
– networked robotics - distributed robot architectures
• Hands-on interaction
– Internet robotics (telemanipulation, control)
• Prototype robot task deployed early on
– have a solution of some form up and running early, so
that collaborators can evaluate and refine it.
Some Community Requirements
• Diverse ways to contribute:
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task level
systems level
infrasturcture
tools
knowledge
• Local (component) views and global (task-level)
views.
• Scope for play and program
Possible Research Method
Planning
ORE
CDE
Modules
Reflection
Planning
Reflection
Action &
Observation
Action &
Observation
Project Cycle I
Project Cycle II
Architecture
Establish the
E-Cradle
Call
Call
Development
Demo & Review
Participatory Action Research (PAR)
Users participate early in the project.
Development
Demo & Review
Conclusions
• Robotics is integrative - merging technology at
multiple levels; metaphor for systems engineering
• Open Source Development & Online Robots
Laboratories can be integrated to create an
innovative environment for collaboration;
• Networked Robotics provides a network-centred
framework for enabling collaboration