Adaptive Mechanical Systems for Physical Embodied Intelligence Robotics

用于物理体现智能机器人的自适应机械系统

• 批准号: RGPIN-2022-04488
• 负责人: Birglen, Lionel
• 金额: $ 2.33万
• 依托单位: École Polytechnique de Montréal
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2022-01-01 至 2023-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=754405
• 关键词: Adaptive; Mechanical; Systems; Physical; Embodied

In the last few years, robotics has achieved a remarkable breakthrough in human society. Robots are collecting data on Mars, delivering food to your hotel room or medicine in hospitals, exploring the oceans, and manufacturing a seemingly endless range of products. Tightly connected to robotics, Industry 4.0 and Artificial Intelligence (AI) are the focus of innumerable newspaper articles and the topic of many public policies. Yet, the mechanical design of modern robotic systems is often neglected and designers typically rely on complex control strategies (including AI) as well as sophisticated arrays of sensors and actuators. This application argues that this approach is often incomplete in the sense that it ignores the fact that mechanical systems can also solve problems by themselves. The smartest AI without a similarly smart mechanical embodiment is arguably nothing more than a brain in jar. In this research program, mechanical systems will be designed that complement AI or similarly high-level control systems with a physical embodied intelligence counterpart. The program stems from the applicant's earlier efforts in developing mechanically shape changing devices, and proposes to extend the discovered principles to exciting applications along three main research thrusts: variable stiffness robotic hands, adaptive mechanical walking machines, passive shape morphing wings. The first research thrust focuses on self-adaptive robotic fingers that are even "more" underactuated than usual. The applicant and his group have designed novel robotic fingers which are completely passive: the deformation of these fingers and the forces they produce are generated in reaction to contacts on objects and carefully controlled with the design parameters of the fingers. In this application and following the practical experimentation of these prototypes, we are proposing to develop variable stiffness versions of the fingers where one can switch from a very soft and gentle gripper to a stiff and precise one by varying its kinematic structure. The second research thrust deals with another limb of interest in robotics, namely the leg. In recent works, a self-adaptive robotic leg was demonstrated that could react to an unintended collision with an obstacle by changing its kinematics and produce a motion overcoming that obstacle. In this application, we propose to create a complete mechanically intelligent walking robot. Finally, the last research thrust applies lessons from the previous works to morphing wings. We propose to investigate a mechanical scheme where the shape changing of the wing is at least partially caused by aerodynamic forces. This program will have vast implications for the development of AI controlled robotic systems and for Canadian companies active in mobile robotics, autonomous manipulation, and aerospace by providing efficient robotic solutions with a true mechatronic intelligence, i.e. embodied both mechanically and electronically.

在过去的几年里，机器人技术在人类社会中取得了显著的突破。机器人正在火星上收集数据，把食物送到你的酒店房间或把药送到医院，探索海洋，并制造出似乎无穷无尽的产品。工业4.0和人工智能（AI）与机器人技术密切相关，是无数报纸文章的焦点和许多公共政策的主题。然而，现代机器人系统的机械设计往往被忽视，设计师通常依赖于复杂的控制策略（包括人工智能）以及复杂的传感器和执行器阵列。这个应用程序认为，这种方法往往是不完整的，因为它忽略了机械系统也可以自己解决问题的事实。最聪明的人工智能，如果没有同样聪明的机械体现，可以说只不过是一个装在罐子里的大脑。在本研究项目中，将设计机械系统，以补充人工智能或具有物理实体智能对应的类似高级控制系统。该计划源于申请人早期在开发机械形状改变设备方面的努力，并建议将发现的原理扩展到三个主要研究方向：可变刚度机械手，自适应机械行走机器，被动形状变形翅膀。第一个研究重点是自适应机器人手指，这种手指比平时“更”缺乏驱动。申请人和他的团队设计了一种完全被动的新型机器人手指：这些手指的变形和它们产生的力是对物体接触的反应，并通过手指的设计参数进行仔细控制。在这个应用程序中，在这些原型的实际实验之后，我们建议开发可变刚度版本的手指，人们可以通过改变其运动学结构从非常柔软和温和的夹具切换到僵硬和精确的夹具。第二个研究重点涉及机器人的另一个感兴趣的肢体，即腿。在最近的工作中，一种自适应机器人腿被证明可以通过改变其运动学来应对与障碍物的意外碰撞，并产生克服障碍物的运动。在这个应用中，我们建议创建一个完整的机械智能步行机器人。最后，最后的研究推力应用经验教训，从以往的工作，变形翼。我们建议研究一种机械方案，其中机翼的形状变化至少部分是由空气动力引起的。该计划将通过提供具有真正机电一体化智能的高效机器人解决方案，对人工智能控制机器人系统的发展以及活跃在移动机器人、自主操作和航空航天领域的加拿大公司产生巨大影响，即机械和电子体现。