| 24th May 2011 |
Title: Control and obstacle avoidance of a mobile platform used as robotic Assistant for elderly and disabled
(Paper)Authors:
Alina Voda, Adrian Filipescu, Ion Susnea, Eugenia Minca (GIPSA lab, Grenoble)
Abstract:
In this paper a fuzzy control and an obstacle avoidance system, together with a distributed system of embedded microcontrollers, are presented. In the real-time control, a wheeled mobile robot (WMR), Pioneer 3-DX, from Mobile Robots, has been used. The solution adopted can be easily ported for the implementation of an intelligent wheelchair, capable either to carry an elderly or disabled person, or to move independently in a smart environment, as a sensorial extension of the assisted individual. A number of control modules are located on the mobile robot, while others are deployed in an intelligent environment. This solution can significantly reduce the cost of developing a robotic assistant for the elderly and disabled. The structure of the real-time setup is described in detail, as well as the main algorithms used for each individual task: path following, obstacle avoidance, data acquisition. Also, an obstacle avoidance system, based on ricochet method, named “the bubble rebound method”, is presented. This method is tested only by simulation.
Title: Translation Control of a Fleet Circular Formation of Vehicles under Communication Constraints
Authors:
Lara Briñón Arranz, Alexandre Seuret, Carlos Canudas de Wit (NECS INRIA, Grenoble)
Abstract:
This work proposes a control algorithm to stabilize a circular formation of vehicles tracking a time-varying center. We also consider the
problem of uniform distribution of all the agents along the circle from two approaches: all-toall and limited communication. We tackle with
this communication constraint using a cooperative control strategy which includes the Laplacian matrix of the communication graph (fixed
or distance-dependent). The system was implemented in computer simulation, accessible though Web.
Title: Control of a team of micro-robots for non-invasive medical applications
Authors:
Christophe Perrard, Nicolas Andreff (FEMTO-ST, Besançon)
Abstract:
This paper deals with the control and the synchronisation of a team of micro-robots that performs a non-invasive surgical act into a human body. These micro-robots are very small sized (from ten to some hundred microns). A single unit embeds the minimum of computing power and memory (minimalist electronics) to run a very light program, such as a finite-state machine. The mass effect of the joined micro-robots will allow to achieve the mission through a satisfactory way. The originality of this work being to consider a micro-robot as a disposable unit, which has to be as simple as possible, we need to combine reduced computing power with recent architectures. Some kinds of mission are described and the most promising is detailed. Preliminary simulations support our approach.
Title: Leader-based multi-agent consensus: robust control design and stability analysis
Authors:
José Alfredo Guerrero (HEUDIASYC, Compiègne)
Abstract:
In this paper, the robust absolute stability property of multi-agent systems by transforming the original system into a Lur’e system is presented. Different configurations of multi-agent systems are considered, which they include parametric uncertainty. These systems are primarily stabilized by applying robust design techniques to further verify the absolute stability property of the closed loop system, taking into account the parametric uncertainty. To solve the problem of robust absolute stability, the strict positive realness property (SPR)
of a fictitious transfer function needs to be verified. Sufficient conditions to verify the robust absolute stability property of leader-based multi-agent systems with parametric uncertainty using a sign decomposition technique that guarantees the positivity of multivariable polynomials are presented. Therefore, the aim of this work is to present a method to analyze the robust absolute stability of uncertain leader-based multi-agent systems.
Invited Speaker Talk
Title: SensLAB: Very large scale open wireless sensor network testbed
Authors: Dr. Antoine Fraboulet
Title: Evolution of the robotic control frameworks at INRIA Rhône-Alpes
Authors:
Soraya Arias, Amaury Nègre, Nicolas Turro (INRIA, Grenoble)
Abstract:
Intense e fforts have been carried out in the last decades to de ne and implement frameworks to ease the development of robotic applications. This led each research group to propose their own solution, well suited for their needs, however no common framework has been adopted. But today we have the feeling that a peculiar framework has some of the qualities required to meet with general acceptance as far robotics research is concerned : the open source robotics platform ROS developed by Willow Garage. At INRIA Rhône-Alpes, we are such a research group that developed its own framework, Hugr. In this paper, we present the requirements that ruled its design and how we now envision migrating to ROS.
Title: Control architecture for cooperative mobile robots using multi-agent based coordination approach
Authors:
Mehdi Mouad, Lounis Adouane, Pierre Schmitt, Djamel Khadraoui, Philippe Martinet (LASMEA, Clermont-Ferrand)
Abstract:
This paper is about a Multi-Agent based solution to control and coordinate team-working mobile robots moving in unstructured environments. Two main contributions are considered in our approach. The first contribution of this paper is about the MAS2CARarchitecture (Multi-Agents System to Control and Coordinate teAmworking Robots), a new architecture to control a group of coordinated autonomous robots in unstructured environments. MAS2CAR covers three main layers: (i) the Physical Layer (ii) the Control Layer and (iii) the Coordination Layer. The second contribution of this paper is about the MAS (multi-agent system) organisational models aiming to solve the key cooperation issues in the coordination layer, the software components designed based on Utopia a MAS framework which automatically build software agents, thanks to a multi-agent based organisational model called MoiseInst. We provide simulation results that exhibit robotics cooperative behavior related to our scenario, such as multi-robots navigation in presence of obstacles (including trajectory planning, and reactive aspects) via a hybrid control.
Title: Towards a communication free coordination for multi-robot exploration
(video)Authors:
Antoine Bautin, Olivier Simonin, François Charpillet (MAIA LORIA, Nancy)
Abstract:
Frontier-based exploration method are known to be efficient for multi-robot exploration systems. In this paper, we propose a novel, computationally inexpensive, frontier allocation method favoring a well balanced spatial distribution of robots in the environment. It is based on the computation of a position criteria. The position of a robot towards a frontier is defined by the number of robots closer to the frontier. Distances to frontiers are computed using a wavefront propagation from each frontier. The local minimum free potential fields, thus created, are also used for navigation achieved by descending the potential field gradient. Comparisons with existing approaches in simulation demonstrated the efficiency of our algorithm and experiments on robots validated the navigation method.
Title: CoreBot M : Le robot de la Team CoreBots préparé pour l’édition 2011 du défi Carotte
Authors:
Bruno Steux, Laurent Bouraoui, Sylvain Thorel, Louis Bénazet (ENSMP, Paris)
Abstract:
La deuxième édition du défi CAROTTE, organisé par l’ANR et la DGA, aura lieu fin juin à Bourges. Son objectif : vérifier la capacité de petits robots terrestres pour des missions de reconnaissance en environnement intérieur. Après avoir remporté l’édition 2010, la Team CoreBots présente son nouveau robot dédié à l’édition 2011. Sans en révéler tous les secrets, ce papier expose les grandes lignes de notre architecture et de notre stratégie.
Title: Modulowatt : description d’un système innovant de recharge de véhicule électrique
Authors:
Samer Ammoun, Clément Boussard, Laurent Bouraoui (Modulowatt – IMARA INRIA, Paris)
Abstract:
Ce papier présente l’architecture d’un système innovant de recharge de véhicules électriques. Ce système tente de répondre d’une façon systémique aux éléments freins à l’introduction du véhicule électrique dans l’espace urbain. Basé sur le concept de connexion automatique mains libres, le système Modulowatt (infrastructure de recharge + système embarqué dans les véhicules) propose un domaine d’applications à plusieurs innovations étudiées dans le cadre des systèmes de transports intelligents comme la conduite autonome, la communication V2I et V2V, la perception, etc. Ce papier présente une partie de ces innovations réalisée dans le cadre d’un démonstrateur présentée au salon de l’automobile 2010 de Paris.
| 25th May 2011 |
Title: Software architecture for an exploration robot based on Urbi
Authors:
Jean-Christophe Baillie, Akim Demaille, Guillaume Duceux, David Filliat, Quentin Hocquet, Matthieu Nottale (Gostai SA – ENSTA ParisTech, Paris)
Abstract:
We present the software architecture of a mobile robot whose goal is to autonomously explore an unknown indoor environment and to build a semantic map containing high-level information. This robot was developed under the Panoramic and Active Camera for Object Mapping (PACOM) project whose goal is to participate in the French exploration and mapping contest CAROTTE. The software architecture puts together a large set of software components that deals with mapping, planning, object recognition and exploration. This architecture is based on the Urbi framework. We present the main functionalities of Urbi that were used for this project and show in detail how these capabilities make it possible to integrate all these modules.
Title: Recent developments of the GenoM robotic component generator
Authors:
Anthony Mallet, Matthieu Herrb (LAAS, Toulouse)
Abstract:
This paper presents recent developments of the LAAS architecture for autonomous systems: the GenoM3 component generator for
functional components design. The GenoM tool was originally designed for autonomous and terrestrial mobile robots. This tool remains fairly general and is supported by a consistently integrated set of tools and methodologies, in order to properly design, integrate, test and validate a complex autonomous system. GenoM3 intends to grant middleware independance to robotic software components so that a
clear separation of concerns is achieved between highly reusable algorithmic parts and integration frameworks. Such a decoupling let middlewares be used interchangeably, while fully benefitting from their specific, individual features.
Title: Robot development: from components to systems
Authors:
Sylvain Joyeux, Jan Albiez (DFKI, Germany)
Abstract:
Two main trends exist in these integration frameworks: communication layers and component-based frameworks. The purpose of this paper is to get back one step and consider the bigger picture of a system, regardless of the actual underlying integration layer. This discussion will be conducted through the prism of the Robot Construction Kit (Rock1) that has been developped in the last years on top of the Orocos/RTT component layer at the DFKI Robotics Innovation Center in Bremen.
Title: CONTRACT: a software environment for developing control architecture
Authors:
Robin Passama, David Andreu (LIRMM, Montpellier)
Abstract:
The paper will expose present state of the CONTRACT environment dedicated to the development of robot control architecture.
Title: Hardware-in-the-loop test-bed of an unmanned aerial vehicle using Orccad
Authors:
Daniel Simon (NECS INRIA, Grenoble)
Abstract:
During the development of control systems, hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) takes place between design level simulations and costly experiments with the real plant. In this particular experiment the controller is designed under Orccad, as a set of multi-rate tasks, allowing for testing weakly hard scheduling schemes. The controller is embedded on a microcontroller synchronized via a CAN bus to a mini-drone simulator. Observing the simulation traces helps to tune the control design, and avoid crashing down the real system in early testing.
Title: Validation of real-time properties of a robotic software architecture
Authors:
Charles Lesire, David Doose, Hugues Cassé (ONERA – IRIT, Toulouse)
Abstract:
In this paper, we propose a mechanism allowing to evaluate the schedulability of a robotic software architecture, and then validate its real-time properties. The robotic software architecture is described through a Domain Specific Language (DSL), MAUVE, that allows to model communicating components. The evaluation of schedulability of the architecture consists in first computing the Worst-Case Execution Time (WCET) of the elementary functions of the components. Then the Worst Case Response Time (WCRT) of the component is computed from the elementary WCET and the component models, allowing to validate the schedulatiblity of the architecture. We illustrate our methodology on the evaluation of a control architecture for a ground mobile robot.
Title: A generic framework for anytime execution-driven planning in robotics
Authors:
Florent Teichteil-Königsbuch, Charles Lesire, Guillaume Infantes (Onera, Toulouse)
Abstract:
Robotic missions require to implement various functionalities in order to link reactive functions at actuators and sensors level to deliberative functions like vision, supervision and planning at decisional level. All these functionalities must be versatile and generic enough to interact differently according to the missions while minimizing recoding effort. Moreover, deliberative functions like automated planning consume lots of memory and CPU time and usually complete in time incompatible with robotic missions’ durations. Thus, we present a new generic and anytime planning concept for modular robotic architectures, which manages multiple planning requests at a time, solved in background, while allowing for reactive execution of planned actions at the same time. Different planners based on various formalisms and data structures can be plugged to the planning component without changing its behavior nor its code, facilitating reusability and validation of the component. We highlight the versatility of our concept on different use cases; then we demonstrate the efficiency of our approach in terms of mission duration and success, compared with traditional plan-then-execute approaches ; we finally present a search and rescue mission by an autonomous rotorcraft solved with our paradigm, that cannot be tackled by traditional approaches.
Title: Control architecture concepts and properties of an ontology devoted to exchanges in mobile robotics
Authors:
Saadia Dhouib, Nicolas du Lac, Jean-Loup Farges, Sebastien Gerard, Miniar Hemaissia-Jeannin, Juan Lahera-Perez, Stéphane Millet, Bruno Patin, Serge Stinckwich (PROTEUS project)
Abstract:
A specific ontology is proposed in the scope of the development of a platform devoted to exchanges between academics and industrials of the robotic domain. This paper presents the tools used for knowledge elicitation, the concepts and properties linked with control architecture, the use of the resulting ontology for description of some scenarios and the tracks for the development of a domain specific language grounded on the ontology. Knowledge elicitation is performed in web ontology language thanks to Protégé ontology editor. The ontology is structured as a set of modules organized around a kernel. Modules addressing systems, information, robot and mission include concepts and properties for control architecture description. The expressivity of the ontology is demonstrated describing architectures for a set of scenarios; urban robotic scenario, air-ground scenario, landmark search scenario and military unmanned aerial vehicles scenario. Finally some tracks for the use of the ontology for developing a domain specific language are given.