A common problem in robotic assembly is that of mating tightly fitting parts when the locations and the dimensions of the parts are somewhat uncertain. It is necessary to be able to reason about these uncertainties in conjunction with the geometry of the parts involved in order to develop motion plans for assembly operations. In this paper we will present a method for the treatment of three typ...

Many researchers are interested in developing robust, skill-achieving robot programs. We propose the development of a sensorimotor primitive layer which bridges the gap between the robot/sensor system and a class of tasks by providing useful encapsulations of sensing and action. Skills can then be constructed from this library of sensordriven primitives. This reflects a move away from the separ...

views and conclusions contained in this document are those of the author and should not be interpreted as representing the official policies, either expressed or implied, of the funding agencies. Abstract This thesis addresses the problem of sensor-based skill composition for robotic assembly tasks. Skills are robust, reactive strategies for executing recurring tasks in our domain. In everyday ...

Different methods for simulating magnetic forces in Gazebo are analyzed. The most reliable approach is to link bodies connected by magnetic forces through the use of joints. Linking the bodies together through joints allows the entire structure to behave as one body, without the unexpected problems encountered in other methods of simulation. The ability to reliably identify and grasp simulated ...

Traditionally, fixtures have been required to be redesigned and remanufactured for every new product or manufacturing operation. Although this kind of fixturing practice might be economical for mass production, it would cause long lead times and high (fixture) manufacturing costs in small batch production. In today's flexible automation approach to small batch production, reconfigurable fixture...

We consider the following problem that arises in assembly planning: given an assembly, identify a sub-assembly that can be removed as a rigid object without disturbing the rest of the assembly. This is the assembly partitioning problem. Speciically, we consider planar assemblies of simple polygons and sub-assembly removal paths consisting of a single nite translation followed by a translation t...

This paper presents an integrated system for assembly planning and redesign, based on \Design for Assembly (DFA)" principles. DFA criteria are used in the generation of cost eeective assembly sequences for mechanical products, using a technique known as \Backward Assembly Planning". If the assembly cost can be further reduced by redesign, the system performs \Reverse Engineering", produces a de...