RI-Small: The design of fault-tolerant robotic systems for robust performance in hazardous/remote environments

在远程和/或危险环境中使用机器人系统需要软件方面的根本进步，以保证此类系统安全可靠地运行，即使在组件故障不可避免的情况下。 这项工作的目标是设计智能运动协调软件，灌输机器人的能力，使用有关组件故障的信息，以评估这些故障对他们的运动能力的影响，比较他们目前的能力与那些需要执行指定的任务，并实施适当的行为。 这种容错机器人系统的设计依赖于冗余的适当结合，及其智能控制。 操作标准包括：（a）故障必须是可预见的，（B）性能必须适度降低以响应组件故障，以及（c）在出现灾难性故障时行为必须是故障安全的。 该项目将开发能够：（1）评估机器人系统设计的容错程度，（2）提高现有机器人系统的容错能力或确定最佳容错设计，以及（3）在预期潜在故障的情况下以容错方式操作机器人系统，并无缝过渡到最佳故障后控制。

The use of robotic systems in remote and/or hazardous environments requires fundamental advances in software to guarantee that such systems will perform safely and reliably, even when component failures are inevitable. The goal of this work is to design intelligent motion coordination software that instills robots with the capability to use information about component failures to assess the impact of these failures on their motion capabilities, compare their current abilities with those required to perform an assigned task, and to implement appropriate behaviors. The design of such failure tolerant robotic systems relies on the proper incorporation of redundancy, and its intelligent control. The criteria of operation include: (a) failures must be anticipated, (b) performance must gracefully degrade in response to component failures and (c) behavior must be failsafe in the presence of catastrophic failures. This project will develop software that is capable of: (1) evaluating the degree of fault tolerance of a robotic system design, (2) improving the fault tolerance of existing robotic systems or determining optimally fault tolerant designs, and (3) operating robotic systems in a fault tolerant manner in anticipation of potential failures and seamlessly transitioning to optimal post-failure control.