Player/Stage has become a de facto standard in the open source robotics community. We describe recent work on restructuring the Player robot device server into a system that more closely aligns with the idea of a robot framework. The general requirements for a robot framework are also discussed. Player 2.0 is a major improvement in two basic areas, simplicity and flexibility. The driver API has...

This chapter describes marketing strategies in concept for wireless broadband services in the Sri Lankan market. It also emphasizes different technologies offering fixed and mobile broadband services. Wi-Fi services which are mentioned here has been on offer for few years but actual marketing of such services are not actively done in Sri Lanka. Various marketing strategies that could be used to...

Depending on the autonomous capability of the robot and the familiarity of the robot system with the task and environment, the level of human intervention differs. This paper introduces a methodology which allows a human operator to seamlessly switch between the continuous control of motion using an analog input device and the discrete behavior control cooperating with the robot using symbolic ...

Jiang Shan, Fumio Nagashima Autonomous System Lab, Fujitsu Lab Abstract: A biologically inspired design strategy for humanoid robot locomotion control and its simulation implementation is presented in this paper. Firstly, the dynamics model of humanoid robot, biologically plausible spinal motor neural circuits, and virtual muscular module are constructed. Then, the control strategy for adaptive...

The trajectory-tracking control of a typical industrial robot with six revolute joints is studied, where the joint flexibility is taken into account. An explicit form of the control law is obtained by using the composite control technique. The stability of system is discussed. The global convergence of tracking error can be reached by tuning the controller parameters. This method has a unique a...

Purpose: This research is aimed at developing a surgical robot for spinal fusion and its control framework that provides higher operation accuracy, greater flexibility of robot position control, and improved ergonomics. Design/Methodology/Approach: A human-guided robot for the spinal fusion surgery has been developed with a dexterous end-effector that is capable of high-speed drilling for corti...

A rehabilitation robot plays an important role in relieving the therapists' burden and helping patients with ankle injuries to perform more accurate and effective rehabilitation training. However, a majority of current ankle rehabilitation robots are rigid and have drawbacks in terms of complex structure, poor flexibility and lack of safety. Taking advantages of pneumatic muscles' good flexibil...

The PUMA (Programmable Universal Machine for Assembly, or Programmable Universal Manipulation Arm) is an industrial robot arm developed at a pioneering robot company Unimation. Application engineering, design experience, and enhanced manufacturing techniques have resulted in a powerful robot line with long reach and heavier payload capabilities. The advanced design and flexibility of the robots...

Every industrial robot has a specific kinematics, which often results in anisotropic performance within its workspace in terms of force and velocity. A cable-driven system can be used to improve the force manipulability of a robot by introducing an actuation redundancy. Such system acts directly on the robot end-effector increasing its flexibility of use in applications where a higher and more ...

Animals demonstrate a level of agility currently unmatched in their robotic counterparts. The elasticity of muscles and tendons increase not only performance, but also the efficiency of movements. In contrast, robots are often constructed with rigid components connected by motors. However, recently compliant actuators and materials have been introduced to enhance robot designs, emulating the fl...