Dynamically Stable Single Wheeled Robots in Human Environments

这项拟议的研究建立在从国家科学基金会拨款IIS-0308067获得的结果的基础上。这项研究的目标是更深入地了解如何在移动机器中实现动态敏捷性，这些机器与人互动，并在正常的家庭和工作环境中操作。这项工作利用并进一步开发了一种新型的动态稳定的轧钢机研究平台，称为“球型机器人”。本着极简主义的精神，这台机器只使用一个球形轮子来平衡和运动。这使得机器又高又窄，重心高，对轻推做出顺从的反应，并向任何方向快速移动。其目的是阐明在人类环境中围绕敏捷机器操作的许多问题；特别是在狭小、杂乱的房间中穿行的能力，以及在人在场的情况下稳健地工作的能力。该项目的一个关键方面是研究增加了一对具有动力学意义的两自由度手臂。这将允许开发通过手臂的动态摆动来移动球体的控制策略。将仅使用固有的传感能力来研究从与各种障碍类型的意外碰撞中自动恢复以及有目的地操纵人类环境，例如，在平衡时承载未知负载，以及打开/关闭抽屉和门。将获得对敏捷动机平台的开发的见解，这些平台可以与研究界在感知、导航和认知方面正在进行的工作相结合，以生产真正有能力的智能移动机器人，用于与人的身体接触。这种机器人如果能够实现并且在经济上可行，将起到帮助老年人或残疾人的作用；在公共场所提供指导和帮助；帮助教育和娱乐；执行家务清洁和家务；或取走和搬运日常物品

The proposed research builds on results obtained from NSF grant IIS-0308067. The goal of the research is to gain deeper understanding of how dynamic agility can be achieved in mobile machines interacting with people and operating in normal home and workplace environments. The work utilizes and further develops a novel dynamically stable rolling machine research platform referred to as a "ballbot." In the spirit of minimalism, the machine balances and locomotes using only a single spherical wheel. This enables the machine to be tall and narrow, have a high center of mass, respond compliantly to nudges and shoves, and rapidly move in any direction. The purpose is to illuminate many of the issues surrounding the operation of agile machines in human environments; in particular the ability to traverse narrow, cluttered rooms and to function robustly in the presence of people. A key aspect of the project is to investigate the addition of a pair of dynamically significant two-degree-of-freedom arms. This will allow the development of control strategies for movement of the ballbot body by dynamic swinging of the arms. Automatic recovery from unplanned collisions with a spectrum of obstacle types as well as purposeful manipulation of the human environment, e.g., carrying unknown loads while balancing, and opening/closing drawers and doors will be investigated using only intrinsic sensing abilities. Insights will be gained toward the development of agile motive platforms that can be combined with the research community's ongoing work in perception, navigation, and cognition, to yield truly capable intelligent mobile robots for use in physical contact with people. Such robots, if realizable and economically viable, would function as aids to elderly or disabled persons; provide guidance and assistance in public spaces; help with education and entertainment; perform domestic cleaning and housekeeping; or fetch and carry everyday objects