NRI: Towards Dexterous Micromanipulation and Assembly

人们所熟悉的机器人都很大，大约和人类一样大。 用于开发这种宏观尺度机器人的理论和设计工具已经发展得很好。 相比之下，适用于微小或微型机器人的理论和设计工具几乎不存在。 该项目的目标是使机器人操作技术从宏观机器人过渡到微观机器人。 项目的预期成果是：i.）用于微型机器人操纵和组装的受控和可预测的环境; ii.）一类新的基于3D视觉的微力传感器和3D多分辨率视觉系统;以及iii.）通过新型触觉探针的人类微遥操作识别灵巧的微操作基元。 这些结果将使目前不可能的微型系统的组装成为可能。 这样的系统适用于广泛的领域，例如厘米到毫米级机器人、微传感器、可操纵导管、微流体和能量收集设备。 在微观尺度上，表面力主导着相互作用，导致不可预测的力。 该项目旨在为模拟器、运动规划器、控制器等工具奠定基础，为这种独特的微尺度环境而开发。 研究方法是减少微观世界中存在的力的不确定性，以实现灵巧的微操作和组装。 一类新的操纵基板，固定装置，微型零件和操纵工具，以控制和克服在微观世界中存在的粘附力的水平将被创建。 为了实现力控制，将开发基于三维视觉的微力传感探头沿着多分辨率三维视觉系统，以实时检测微力。 在增强现实系统中，灵巧微操作基元将从人对具有微力反馈的多探针微操作系统的遥操作中识别出来。 将研究人类执行不同任务需要多少和什么类型的微力反馈信息。 这些运动基元与基于物理的模拟器一起可以减少运动规划器中的不确定性。 这里获得的见解将决定未来自动化系统中实施的力控制算法。

Robots that people are familiar with are large, roughly, human-sized. The theory and design tools for developing such macro-scale robots is well developed. By contrast, the theory and design tools applicable to tiny, or micro-scale, robots is nearly non-existent. The goal of this project is to enable the transition of robot manipulation technology from macro-scale robots to micro-scale robots. The expected project outcomes are: i.) controlled and predictable environments for micro-robotic manipulation and assembly; ii.) a new class of 3D vision-based micro-force sensors and a 3D multi-resolution vision system; and iii.) the identification of dexterous micro-manipulation primitives via human micro-teleoperation with new novel haptic probes. These results will enable the assembly of micro-scale systems that are currently not possible. Such systems are applicable across a wide range of domains, such as cm-to-mm scale robots, micro-sensors, steerable catheters, micro-fluidic, and energy harvesting devices. At the micro-scale, surface forces dominate the interactions causing unpredictable forces. This project aims to lay the foundations for tools, such as simulators, motion planners, controllers, etc., to be developed for this unique micro-scale environment. The research approach is to reduce the uncertainty in forces present in the micro-world to enable dexterous micro-manipulation and assembly. A new class of manipulation substrates, fixtures, micro-parts, and manipulation tools to control and overcome the levels of adhesion forces present in the micro-world will be created. To enable force control, 3D vision-based micro-force sensing probes along with a multi-resolution 3D vision system to detect the micro-forces in real-time will be developed. Dexterous micro-manipulation primitives will be identified from a human tele-operating a multi-probe micro-manipulation system with micro-force feedback in an augmented reality system. How much and what types of micro-force feedback information is needed for the human to perform different tasks will be studied. These motion primitives together with physics-based simulators can reduce uncertainty in motion planners. The insights gained here will dictate the force-control algorithms implemented in future automated systems.