A compact and light-weight modular robot for safe and reliable operations in unstructured environment

机器人技术目前正迅速扩展到人类和空间环境，随着机器人试图与人类互动、协助、服务和探索，产生了新的研究挑战。灵活和安全的机械臂与高性能移动平台的协同整合是应对挑战的关键。随着机器人技术的进步，拟议的紧凑型轻量级模块化机器人将支持研究，为移动机械手开发使能技术，能够在非结构化的人类或空间环境中安全有效地工作。将开发的新技术包括：1)智能多模式移动机械手开门控制的设计和控制方法；2)弹簧辅助灵活安全的车载机械臂开发和控制；3)移动机器人滑移估计和补偿、倾覆预测和预防；4)车载手臂辅助微漫游车控制用于空间样本采集；5)健康监测和故障检测，包括碰撞检测；6)混合运动系统，将宏移动机械手与微机械臂相结合，实现大范围精确运动控制。为了解决这些具有挑战性的研究问题，申请者、共同申请者和他们的研究小组将扩展和整合几种正在开发的基本机器人设计和控制策略，包括多模式控制、弹簧辅助操作、基于主动信标的导航和样本采集控制、基于力测量和平衡的倾覆预防，以及基于能效估计的健康监测。使用拟议机器人的研究活动有可能产生独特的方法来设计和控制在非结构化环境中工作的移动机械手，从而产生高质量的研究成果，并为加拿大工业和空间探索任务直接面临的问题提供解决方案。几名学生将参与拟议机器人的设计和建造，这本身就是一个重要的培训机会，除了拟议机器人将支持的研究活动之外。

Robotics is currently expanding rapidly to human and space environments, generating new research challenges as robots attempt to interact, assist, serve, and explore with humans. Synergetic integration of dexterous and safe robotic arms with high performance mobile platforms is essential in tackling the challenges. In concert with the robotics technology advancement, the proposed compact light-weight modular robot is to support research to develop enabling techniques for mobile manipulators that can work safely and efficiently in unstructured human or space environment. The new techniques to be developed include design and control methods for 1) intelligent multiple mode mobile manipulator control for door opening; 2) spring assisted dexterous and safe onboard robotic arm development and control; 3) mobile robot slippage estimation and compensation, and tip-over prediction and prevention; 4) onboard arm assisted micro rover control for space sample acquisition; 5) health monitoring and fault detection including collision detection; and 6) hybrid motion system that combines macro mobile manipulator with a micro robot arm for large range precise motion control. Tackling these challenging research issues, the applicant, co-applicant and their research groups will expand and integrate several fundamental robot design and control strategies being developed, including multiple mode control, spring assisted manipulation, active beacon based control of navigation and sample acquisition, force measurement and balancing based tip-over prevention, and power efficiency estimation based health monitoring. The research activities using the proposed robot has the potential to generate unique ways to design and control mobile manipulators for working in unstructured environments, leading to high quality research contributions and providing solutions to problems directly faced by Canadian industry and space exploration missions. Several students will be involved in the design and construction of the proposed robot, which itself represents significant training opportunities in addition to research activities to be supported by the proposed robot.