CAREER: Intelligent Planning and Control of Robotic Systems in a Perceptive Frame

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The objective of this research is to develop and experimentally test new methodologies for task scheduling, action planning and control of robotic and manufacturing systems. The new methodologies will be a combination of heuristic and analytical approaches and based on a direct algorithmic connection between simple on-line perception of not fully predictable geometric, dynamic and time events, and the desired actions of robotic or manufacturing systems. They will provide a robust and reliable method for handling local geometric and dynamic uncertainties as well as coping with unexpected events, so that the local disturbances do not become global ones causing the need for re- planning the operation. This development will help to eliminate or lessen some of the down-time of automated robotic or manufacturing systems caused by inflexible scheduling, planning, sensing and control methods. It will also help to substantially reduce the fixturing or set-up requirements of robotic or manufacturing systems. As an integral part of the research, the education activities include developing a Robotics Collaboratory Environment (RCE) which will provide a new instruction method and laboratory environment for teaching robotics, manufacturing automation and intelligent systems. As a result, more students from groups that have been traditionally underrepresented in science and engineering can be involved, and more opportunities for undergraduate students to incorporate research activities into their course work will be provided.