Market Assessment for an innovative method to self-calibrate manipulator kinematic and sensor extrinsic**parameters

协作机器人（Collaborative robots）是设计用于在共享空间中与人类一起工作的机器。许多协作机器人都是移动的，并结合了轻便的、对人安全的机器人手臂来执行操作任务。这些 **（移动的）机械手需要正确校准，以确保准确可靠的操作。校准 ** 通常涉及确定传感器外部参数（即，相对于操纵器基座的外部传感器姿态）和操纵器运动学参数（例如，关节偏置和连杆长度偏移）。校准参数 ** 在机器人的使用寿命中经常会发生变化，例如，一般的磨损。我们已经开发出一种创新的方法，机械手自校准使用接触传感。基于点云配准的方法可用于传感器外参数和机械手运动学参数的确定。所需的点云地图由外部视觉或深度相机数据生成，并通过使用力-扭矩或触觉传感器和 ** 阻抗控制器 ** 监测末端执行器与环境中表面的接触。该过程仅使用板载硬件，不依赖任何外部 ** 测量设备、基准标记或校准装置;此外，在一般情况下，它是全自动的。**这种自校准方法将通过减少或消除对人在回路维护和调整的需要，大大降低部署人员安全、协作式机械手系统的成本。从制造业到服务业，广泛的机器人应用领域将受益于该技术的部署。该提案寻求为市场评估提供资金，以确定商业化（在加拿大境内）的机会，提高加拿大在具有巨大增长潜力的新兴关键市场 ** 部门的竞争力。

Collaborative robots, or cobots, are machines designed to work alongside humans in shared spaces. Many**cobots are mobile, and incorporate lightweight, person-safe robotic arms for manipulation tasks. These**(mobile) manipulators need to be correctly calibrated to ensure accurate and reliable operation. Calibration**typically involved determining sensor extrinsic parameters (i.e., external sensor pose relative to the manipulator**base) and manipulator kinematic parameters (e.g., joint biases and link length offsets). Calibration parameters**will often change over a robot's lifetime due to, for example, general wear and tear.**We have developed an innovative method for manipulator self-calibration using contact sensing. The method,**based on point cloud registration, can be applied to determine sensor extrinsic and manipulator kinematic**parameters. Requisite point cloud maps are generated from external visual or depth camera data, and by**monitoring end-effector contact with surfaces in the environment using a force-torque or tactile sensor and an**impedance controller. The process uses on-board hardware exclusively and does not rely on any external**measurement devices, fiducial markers, or calibration rigs; further, it is fully automatic in the general case.**This self-calibration method will very substantially reduce the costs of deploying person-safe, collaborative**manipulator systems, by decreasing or eliminating the need for human-in-the-loop maintenance and**adjustment. A wide range of robot application domains, from manufacturing to services, will benefit from**deploying the technology. This proposal seeks funding for a market assessment, to identify opportunities for**commercialization (within Canada), improving Canadian competitiveness in an emerging, critical market**sector with tremendous growth potential.