Study Contact States and Compliant Motion Between General Objects Critical to Real and Virtual World Applications

机器人和计算机视觉程序摘要提案#:0328782标题：研究接触状态和柔顺运动之间的一般对象对现实和虚拟世界的应用至关重要对于现实世界中涉及接触或柔顺运动的机器人操作，以及某些虚拟世界应用，如动态仿真和触觉交互，关于一般对象（包括机器人）之间接触信息的两个重要且相关的问题在很大程度上尚未解决：(1)如何有效和高效地获取接触状态知识，以处理涉及复杂接触的运动；(2)如何在存在现实世界不确定性或虚拟环境中的数字逼近误差的情况下，自动在线（实时）识别几何上有效的接触状态，以确保有效的后续动作或响应。问题(1)对于涉及大量复杂接触情况和高维运动的任务尤为关键和具有挑战性，问题(2)对于包括机器人装配、操纵、动态仿真、虚拟样机和某些触觉应用在内的高精度任务尤为关键。该项目旨在通过系统研究与一般物体（包括曲面物体、铰接物体和某些可变形物体）的接触状态和柔顺运动相关的一些基本问题，找到这些问题的原则性解决方案。作为这一基础研究的组成部分或衍生部分，本项目将进一步研究：虚拟环境中接触状态的物理精确触觉显示和现实世界中一般柔性运动规划与执行及其相关应用。在这个项目中解决的一般问题（如上所述）对于推进几个相关领域及其许多应用的最新技术至关重要，包括机器人技术，触觉学和动态模拟，但对这些问题的原则和系统研究很少。PI研究了仅限于多面体之间接触的问题的各个方面。因此，该项目代表了一个非常重要的，具有新的和实质性挑战的多维扩展，但并非没有在PI之前相关工作的基础上建立的相当大的基础。项目研究活动除了预期对基础研究和广泛的有关应用作出贡献外，还将对学生教育和研究训练产生重大影响。研究活动的跨学科广度涵盖了机器人和控制，人工智能和智能系统，计算几何，几何和物理建模和仿真，触觉，计算机图形学和虚拟环境，以及人机交互和虚拟协作的许多领域。该项目还包括理论和算法组件以及实验和系统集成组件。因此，它将提供一个丰富而平衡的环境，可以容纳各个层次的学生（从博士到本科生）在各个相关领域获得知识和研究培训。该研究项目还将为以下方面提供一个极好的机会：(a) PI与她在北卡罗来纳大学夏洛特分校新成立的信息技术学院（COIT）的同事之间的跨学科研究合作，以及(b) PI的小组与欧洲一个领先的柔性运动控制研究小组之间的密切国际合作。这种合作将有助于提高新的COIT的研究能力和研究基础设施。这项计划显然会丰富学生的教育，并对COIT的特殊目标作出重大贡献，即在广泛的资讯科技领域为学生提供跨学科的学习和研究经验。

Robotics and Computer Vision ProgramABSTRACTProposal #: 0328782Title: Study Contact States and Compliant Motion between General Objects Critical to Real and Virtual World ApplicationsPI: Xiao, JingU of NC CharlotteFor real-world robotic operations involving contacts or compliant motion as well as for certain virtual-world applications such as dynamic simulation and haptic interaction, two important and related problems regarding information of contacts among general objects (including robots) remain largely unsolved: (1) how to obtain knowledge of contact states effectively and efficiently for handling motion involving complex contacts, and (2) how to enable automatic on-line (real-time) identification of geometrically valid contact states in the presence of real-world uncertainties or digital approximation errors in virtual environments to ensure valid subsequent action or response. Problem (1) is particularly crucial and challenging for tasks involving a large number of complex contact situations and high-dimensional motion, and Problem (2) is especially critical to tasks with high accuracy requirement, including robotic assembly, manipulation, dynamic simulation, virtual prototyping, and certain haptics applications. This project seeks to find principled solutions to these problems through systematic investigation of a number of fundamental issues related to contact states and compliant motion involving general objects, which include objects with curved surfaces, articulated objects, and certain deformable objects. As an integrated part or derivative of such basic investigation, the project will further study: physically accurate haptic display of contact states in virtual environments, and general compliant motion planning and execution in real world, as well as their related applications. The general problems addressed in this project (as introduced above) are crucial to advancing the state of the art in several related areas and their many applications, including robotics, haptics, and dynamic simulation, and yet there has been little principled and systematic research towards these problems. The PI has studied aspects of the problems restricted to contacts between only polyhedral rigid bodies. Hence, the project represents a very significant, multi-dimensional extension with new and substantial challenges, but not without the considerable foundation built upon the PI's related previous work. The project research activities, aside from its expected contributions to both basic research and a wide range of related applications, will also have a significant impact on student education and research training. The interdisciplinary breadth of the research activities spans many areas in robotics and control, AI and intelligent systems, computational geometry, geometrical and physical modeling and simulation, haptics, computer graphics and virtual environments, as well as human-machine interaction and virtual collaboration. The project is also comprehensive with both theoretical and algorithmic components and experimental and system integration components. It will thus provide a rich and balanced environment that can accommodate students from all levels (from Ph.D. to undergraduate) to obtain knowledge and research training in the various related areas. The research project will also provide an excellent opportunity for (a) cross-discipline research collaboration between the PI and her colleagues at the newly established College of Information Technology (COIT) at UNC Charlotte, and (b) close international collaboration between the PI's group and a leading research group on compliant motion control in Europe. Such collaborations will be instrumental to enhancing research capabilities as well as research infrastructure at the new COIT. The project will clearly enrich student education and contribute significantly to the special goal of COIT of providing students an interdisciplinary learning and research experience in the broad spectrum of Information Technology.