Robotics

1
Robotics

• Go over midterm
• Various topics
• Lab Parallel parking challenge
• Homework Post proposal for library research
  project!

2
Midterm

3
Home health care

• What are the tasks?
• Give reminders.
• Operate cell phonesmake emergency calls
• Remote monitoring (robot holds camera that
  transmits images)
• (direct) Monitoring of vital signs
• Fetch/deliver (and cook) food, books, medicines
• Other?
• Would you call a bed with various built-in
  features a robot?
• A house (alarms, locks, temperature) ?

4
Home health care

• Driven by aging population,
• Particularly in Japan
• Services AND companionship entertainment
• Interest of Joseph Engelberger, robotics pioneer
• Also uses in hospitals, nursing homes for minor
  chores

5
Health care issue

• To Be Almost Human Or Not To Be, That Is The
  Question
• http//www.elecdesign.com/Articles/Index.cfm?AD1
  AD1ArticleID14763
• One view must be as human-like as possible for
  acceptance
• Alternative view too human like would make
  robots unacceptable

6
Autonomous vehicle

• Driven by various competitions, involving
  different terrain for example, desert,
  underwater
• 2007 Competition is mock urban area
• http//www.darpa.mil/grandchallenge/index.asp
• Rules http//www.darpa.mil/grandchallenge/docs/Ur
  ban_Challenge_Rules_121106.pdf

7
On the road to autonomous

• In terms of early / not so early cars
• Self-start
• Automatic gears
• Cruise control
• GPS query AND can do some monitoring??

8
Car control vs Traffic

• Changing focus of problem (aka unit of analysis)
• EZ-pass
• Collects tolls AND monitors speeding
• Traffic lights with controls
• Congestion pricing (using cameras) is way of
  controlling traffic???
• ?

9
Space exploration

• Long history of moon rover, mars rover
• Local control and teleo-operator control
• Latest re-programming of Mars Rover
  http//www.cmu.edu/news/archive/2007/February/feb1
  3_rovers.shtml
• This software creates map so robot doesnt get
  stuck

10
Art installation

• My taxonomy
• Robots react to their environment, including
  people
• Produce / display generate art
• Move around
• Robotic devices (sensors, actuators) embedded in
  art (sculpture, scenery, etc.) and cause changes
• Viewers/participants/audience members can act
  purposefully to change things
• More or less random results

11
Sources

• Art Robotics Group http//www.interaccess.org/ar
  g/arg-knowledge/art.html
• SenseBus
• Physical Computing
• Others
• We make money not robots http//www.we-make-money-
  not-art.com/archives/cat_robots.php
• (from previous) Digital Media Class at
  Universitat der Kunste Berlin http//www.digital.u
  dk-berlin.de/en

12
Telepresence

• Ways of projecting someone
• into a meeting
• Video-conferencing exists. What additional
  functions would make a difference?
• As active participant in operation
• Geographic distance or
• Into the body

13
Robot soccer

• Robot vs peoplehttp//www.robocup.org/
• Robot vs robot http//www.fira.net
• Carnegie Mellon www.cs.com/edu/robotsoccer/main/
  includes small-size soccer, legged (Sony
  hardware, various software intefaces), Segway
  (modifed).
• Simulation? Co-evolutionary Robot Soccer
  http//legolab.daimi.au.dk/cerss/

14
Library project

• paper is 1 page
• Your name (printed)
• Date
• Title
• 1-3 paragraph summary
• at least 3 references in proper format.
  Presentation should synthesis information from
  sources!
• relevant picture

15
Lab Parallel Parking

• Include comment(s)
• Include MyBlock
• Why do MyBlock?
• Divide long program into smaller size chunks
• Encapsulate program that can/may/will be used
  more than one time
• Practice

16
Preview Building project

• Teams are okay from more, more is expected.
• Purposeful activity
• React to environment (i.e., use of sensors)
• Entertainment value good
• Scale up for practical use good
• Document
• 1 page summary
• Extra credit for video on YouTube!

17
sources

• forums.nxtasy.org
• www.nxtasy.com
• www.teamhassenplug.org/NXT/
• thenxtstep.blogspot.com
• http//mindstorms.lego.com/Overview/MTR_AlphaRex.a
  spx
• www.bnxt.com
• http//bricxcc.sourceforge.net/utilities.html
• Includes program to create NXT sound files

18
Future Possibilities

• Independent study in the Fall (can work during
  the summer)
• Tasks / Projects
• Field trips (labs, schools)
• Build large robots, multi-robot applications
• Investigate newer sensors
• Investigate other languages
• Create art installation using NXT
• Senior project

19
Homework

• Post proposal for library research project
• Due April 14 (after Spring break)
• Postings