CURVATURE-CONSTRAINED PATH PLANNING
1 Introduction
1.1 Problem statement
1.2 Previous work
1.3 Outline and Results
2 The Approximation Scheme
2.1 Canonical Trajectories
2.2 States and Transitions
2.3 Algorithm and Correctness
3 The Decision Scheme
3.1 States and Transitions
3.2 Computing Visibility
3.3 Path Smoothing
3.4 The Width-Dependent Algorithm
4 Discussion and Open Problems
Acknowledgments
References
PLANNING OF FAST AND SECURE PATHS IN COMPLEX CONFIGURATION SPACES USING SIMPLE PRIMITIVES
1 Introduction
2 Clearance of the Robot
3 Welding Robots
4 The Algorithm
4.1 Expanding Vertices
4.2 Weighting Vertices
4.3 Improved weight functions
5 Informal Advantages
6 An Experiment
7 Discussion
Using Competition between Task Constraints to Scale the Dynamical Systems Approach to Planning and C
1 Introduction
2 The Dynamical Systems Approach to Planning and Control
2.1 Behavioral Dynamics
2.2 Superposition of Task Constraints and Spurious Attractors
2.3 Competition Among Task Constraints
3 Solving the Spurious Attractor Problem for the Two Constraint Case
3.1 Stability Analysis
3.2 Competitive Interaction
3.3 Competitive Advantage
3.4 Examples
4 Discussion
5 Future work
6 Bibliography
Navigation and Sensing
MOBILITY COMPONENTS FOR UNMANNED GROUND VEHICLES
1 Introduction
2 Behavior-Based Architecture
3 Sensing
3.1 Stereo
3.2 Night Stereo
3.3 Drive-By-Feel
3.4 Terrain Classification
4 Obstacle Detection and Mobility Planning
4.1 Obstacle Avoidance Behaviors
4.2 Stereo Obstacle Detection
4.3 Dynamic Route Planning and Obstacle Map Sharing
4.4 Turnaround Behavior
4.5 Hill Cresting
5 Road Following
6 Teleoperation
7 Conclusion
VISUALLY GUIDED NAVIGATION
1 Introduction
2 Visual Servoing
2.1 Kinematic Model of the Mobile Camera Platform
2.2 Wall following
2.3 Door Servoing
2.4 Discussion
3 Relational Model
3.1 Environment Partitioning
3.2 Place Graph
4 Conclusions
Acknowledgments
References
Handling Sensing Failures with Partial Causal Models
1 Introduction
2 Previous Work
3 Approach
4 Implementation
4.1 SFX
4.2 SFX-EH
5 Demonstrations
6 Discussion
Acknowledgments
References
Localization and Visibility
GENERAL VISIBILITY
1 Introduction
2 General Visibility
3 Hierarchical Blocker Trees
3.1 Blocker Trees
3.2 Hierarchical Combination of Blocker Trees
3.3 Queries to Hierarchical Blocker Trees
4 Experiments
5 Discussion and Related Work
References
EFFICIENT ROBOT SELF-LOCALIZATION IN SIMPLE POLYGONS
1 Introduction
2 Definitions
2.1 Basic Geometric Definitions
2.2 The Robot Model
2.3 Localization Strategies and Measures
3 Minimum Distance Localization
4 A Different Formulation of Strategy MDL
4.1 The Overlay Tree
5 Implementing Steps I-IV
5.1 Computing the Overlay Tree
5.2 Testing for Completeness of a Leaf
6 Simplifications
7 The Competitive Ratio of Robot Localization
8 Conclusions
Acknowledgements
Vision, Shape, and Object Recognition
TOWARDS (QUASI) REAL-TIME RANGE IMAGE SEGMENTATION
1 Introduction
2 Scan line approximation technique
3 Edge detection by means of scan line approximation
3.1 Edge detection and classification
3.2 Optimality analysis
4 Region-based segmentation by means of scan line approximation - general aspects
5 Segmentation into planar surface patches
6 Segmentation into planar and curved surfaces
7 Experimental results
8 Performance evaluation
9 Conclusion
Acknowledgments
References
USING CYCLIC STRING MATCHING TO FIND ROTATIONAL AND REFLECTIONAL SYMMETRIES IN SHAPES
1 Introduction
2 Boundary matching by string edit distance
2.1 Definitions
2.2 Shape representation using strings
2.3 The string matching algorithm
3 String-matching for symmetry detection
3.1 Rotational symmetries
3.2 Reflectional symmetries
4 Experimental results
5 Conclusion
References
REPRESENTING AND REASONING ABOUT OBJECT FUNCTIONALITY: TOWARDS AN INTEGRATED APPROACH
1 Introduction
2 Function From X
2.1 Function from Shape
2.2 Function from Motion
2.3 Function from Robot Manipulation/Navigation
3 Experimental Platform for GRUFF-I
3.1 System Setup and Coordination
3.2 Overview of the GRUFF-I System Components
4 Experimental Results
5 Scalability and the Future of the GRUFF-I System
6 Conclusion
Acknowledgments
References
Environment Modeling
ENVIRONMENT MODELLING WITHOUT INTERPRETATION
1. Introduction
2. The Robot ALICE and its Environment
3. Connectionistic Approach
3.1. Sensor Situations
3.2. Typical Situations
3.3. Correcting for Drifts
3.4. Exploration Strategy
4. Results
5. Summary and Outlook
6. References
2D AND 3D WORLD MODELLING USING OPTICAL SCANNER DATA
1 Introduction
2 The robot vehicle and the optical scanner
3 Building 2D map
3.1 Edge detection
3.2 Matching and fusion of edges
3.3 Reconstruction of obstacles
4 Building 3D map
4.1 Determination of layers
4.2 Extraction and matching of edges
5 Simulations and experimental studies
5.1 Simulations
5.2 Experiments
6 Conclusion
References
Distance Signatures: Distributed Spatial Relations
1 Introduction
2 A Computational Model for Distributed Spatial Relations
2.1 The Computation of Distance Fields
2.2 Distance Signatures
2.3 Description of Spatial Scenes
2.4 Identifying Objects Using Distance Signatures
3 Experimental Results: Matching of 2D Range Images
3.1 Chamfer Matching
3.2 Decomposition of Range Images, Valid Regions, and Useful Distance Fields
3.3 Experimental Results
4 Concluding Remarks
Appendix
References
Incorporating Spatial Representations at Multiple Levels of Abstraction in a Replicated Multilayered
1 Introduction
2 The ATLAS Architecture
2.1 Robot Architectures
2.2 ATLAS: A Multilayered Replicated Architecture
3 Lattice-Based Spatial Representations
3.1 Stochastic Tesselated Representations
3.2 The Occupancy Grid
3.3 The Inference Grid
4 Computing Spatial Representations at Varying Levels of Abstraction
4.1 Geometric Maps
4.2 Shape and Topological Maps
5 Incorporating Spatial Representations in ATLAS
5.1 Layers and Spatial Representations
5.2 Robot Skill Acquisition
6 Conclusions
Acknowledgments
References
Fixture Design and Grasping
Fixture Design with Edge-Fixels
1 Introduction
2 Form closure and its geometric interpretation
3 Fixture models and fixturability
3.1 Fixture models
3.2 Fixturability
4 Modular Fixtures
4.1 Four point-contacts
4.2 One edge-contact and two point-contacts
4.3 Two edge-contacts and one point-contact
5 Extensions
USING TABU SEARCH TO FIND OPTIMAL GRASPS IN SCENES REPRESENTED BY TRIANGULAR MESHES
1 Introduction
2 Tabu Search
2.1 Generalities
2.2 A simple example
2.3 Another simple example
3 Finding optimal grasps with tabu search
3.1 Solutions or states
3.2 Neighborhood
3.3 Moves
3.4 Objective function
3.5 Constraints Based on Global Features
3.6 Move attributes and tabu function
3.7 Diversification
3.8 Initial solution
3.9 Tabu search algorithm
3.10 Results
4 Conclusions
Acknowledgments
References
Distributed Systems
AGREEMENT ON A COMMON X-Y COORDINATE SYSTEM BY A GROUP OF MOBILE ROBOTS
1 Introduction
2 Definitions and Basic Assumptions
3 Convergence and Formation Problems for a Point
4 Discovery of the Initial Distribution
5 Agreement on a Common x-y Coordinate System
5.1 Agreement on the Origin
5.2 Agreement on Unit Distance
5.3 Agreement on Direction
6 Formable Geometric Patterns
7 Robots with Limited Visibility
7.1 Problem
7.2 Algorithm
7.3 Correctness
7.4 Agreement Problems for Synchronous Robots
8 Conclusion
Acknowledgments
References
DISTRIBUTED CONTROL OF MICROROBOTS FOR DIFFERENT APPLICATIONS
1 Introduction
2 Agent Model and Communication Mechanism
2.1 Agent Model
2.2 Communication Mechanism
2.3 Agent Model for Multi-Agent Robot System
3 Task Negotiation in KAMARA
3.1 The Task Distribution Problem
3.2 Task Description
3.3 Selection of the Mediator
3.4 State Transition Diagram for the Agent Head
4 Dead-Locks in KAMARA
4.1 Causes of Dead-locks
4.2 Protocol for Dead-Lock-Freeness
5 Applying KAMARA Concepts for a Micro-Robot System
5.1 The Micro-Robot MINIMAN
5.2 Applications
5.3 Agents in the micromanipulation station
5.4 Micromanipulation-specific problems
6 Conclusion
Acknowledgement
References
Types of Cooperation in the Distributed Robot System CoMRoS
1 Introduction
2 World Model
3 Asynchronous Cooperation
3.1 Time-based mutual exclusion
3.2 State-based mutual exclusion
3.3 Comparison between time-based and state-based mutual exclusion
4 Synchronous Cooperation
4.1 Deadlock dependency graphs
4.2 Deadlock detection
4.3 2-phase-command protocol for deadlock resolution
4.4 Deadlock resolution
5 Implementation
5.1 Sensor tuning
5.2 World Model
5.3 Intersection passing
5.4 Deadlock handling
6 Discussion and Outlook
Acknowledgments
References
Behavior-Based Cooperative Robotics Applied to Multi-Target Observation
1 Introduction
2 Problem Description: CMOMMT
3 Related Work
4 Approach
4.1 Observe Known, Nearby Targets
4.2 Seek Out Targets
5 Experiments
6 Conclusions and Future Work
Acknowledgements
References
Ecological Systems, Learning, and Robot Control
Ecological Robotics: A Schema-theoretic Approach
1 Background and Motivation
1.1 Neuroscience and Ethology
1.2 Frameworks for Expression
1.3 Robotic Embodiment
2 Ongoing Research
1. Distributed implementation of ASL on a network of heterogeneous workstations.
2. Integration of ASL with NSL (giving a new meaning to the name NSL to stand for the unified system
3. Integration of ASL/NSL with MissionLab to provide for a tightly integrated software environment.
4.Development of a meta-level architecture to optimize run-time execution, including considerations
3 Schema-based Praying Mantis Modeling
4 Summary
Acknowledgments
References
ISSUES IN SKILL ACQUISITION VIA HUMAN DEMONSTRATION
1 Introduction
2 Human Skill Acquisition
2.1 Bottom-Up Skill Acquisition
2.2 Top-down Skill Acquisition
2.3 Skill Acquisition via Trial and Error
2.4 Lessons learned from Human Skill Acquisition
3 Learning tasks
4 The Role of the User
4.1 Human Performance vs. Optimal Execution
4.2 The Process Model of Skill Acquisition
5 Methods for Skill Acquisition
5.1 Evaluation and Preprocessing of Demonstration Data
5.2 Initial Skill Learning
5.3 Skill Optimization
6 Experiments
6.1 Force control
6.2 Peg-into-hole Insertion
6.3 Docking
7 Discussion
8 Summary and Conclusion
Acknowledgement
CIRCUIT-THEORETIC MODULE-BASED MODELING AND CONTROL OF ROBOTIC SYSTEMS
1 Introduction
2 Passivity of Robot Dynamics
3 Importance of Physical Scales
4 Dynamics under Holonomic Tool Endpoint Constraint
5 Friction Compensation
6 Gravity/Friction-free Robots
7 Conclusions
References
Applications
TECHNOLOGY REQUIREMENTS FOR ADVANCED SERVICE ROBOTS
1 Introduction
2 Tasks for Advanced Service Robots
2.1 Performance
2.2 Cost
3 Technology Requirements
3.1 Object identification, localization and approach
3.2 Following the surface of an object and grasping an object
3.3 Obstacle avoidance of the robot arm
4 Informal opinion poll
5 Conclusions
Appendix A
Appendix B
References
INTEGRATION OF AUTOMATED GUIDED VEHICLES INTO MANUFACTURING PLANTS
1 Introduction
2 Conveying Systems
2.1 Material Flow
2.2 The Basic Components
3 Data Processing
3.1 Administration Computers and Control Computers
3.2 The Hierarchy
4 The AGV System
4.1 Advantages and Applications
4.2 The Vehicles
4.3 The Supervisor
4.4 The Communication
4.5 Summary of Problems

Rapid advances in sensors, computers, and algorithms continue to fuel dramatic improvements in intelligent robots. In addition, robot vehicles are starting to appear in a number of applications. For example, they have been installed in public settings to perform such tasks as delivering items in hospitals and cleaning floors in supermarkets; recently, two small robot vehicles were launched to explore Mars.This book presents the latest advances in the principal fields that contribute to robotics. It contains contributions written by leading experts addressing topics such as Path and Motion Planning, Navigation and Sensing, Vision and Object Recognition, Environment Modeling, and others.