Development of enabling techniques for mobile manipulators to operate safely and reliably in unstructured human and space environments

机器人技术的重点正在从工业应用迅速扩展和转移到人类和空间应用，随之而来的是从结构化环境向非结构化环境的转移。这创造了新的研究挑战，因为机器人试图帮助，服务和探索（和）人类。为了应对这些挑战，研究人员必须开发与高性能移动的平台集成的灵巧机器人手臂，以便它们协同工作。随着焦点的转移，安全性也成为人们关注的问题，并呼吁采用新技术来制造安全的机器人。根据申请人研究小组的最新成果，拟议的研究计划是开发移动的机械手的使能技术，使其能够在非结构化的人类或空间环境中安全有效地操作。申请人及其小组将综合和实验性地研究移动的机械手设计和控制方法，用于：1）用于开门的智能多模式移动的机械手控制; 2）灵巧和安全的机载机械臂开发和控制; 3）移动的机器人滑移估计和补偿，以及翻倒预测和预防; 4）用于空间样本采集的机载臂辅助微型漫游车控制; 5）健康监测和故障检测，包括碰撞检测;以及6）移动的操纵器功率管理。为了解决这些具有挑战性的研究问题，拟议的研究计划将扩展和整合几个基本的机器人设计和控制策略，正在开发的申请人的研究小组，包括多模式控制，弹簧辅助操纵，主动功能为基础的控制微漫游车样本采集，滑移补偿和翻倒预防，和基于功率效率估计的健康监测。拟议的研究计划将产生创新和实用的方法来设计和控制移动的机械手在非结构化的人类或空间环境中工作，导致高质量的研究贡献，并提供实际的解决方案，移动的机械手在地球和空间的问题。丰富的培训机会将提供给高素质的人员参与这项研究计划。

The focus of robotics is expanding and shifting rapidly from industrial to human and space applications, with an attendant move from structured to unstructured environments. This creates new research challenges as robots attempt to assist, serve and explore with (and for) humans. To tackle the challenges, researchers must develop dexterous robotic arms integrated with high-performance mobile platforms so that they perform synergistically. With the shift in focus, safety has also become a concern and calls for new technologies to build safe robots. Based on recent achievements in the applicant's research group, the proposed research program is to develop enabling techniques for mobile manipulators that can operate safely and efficiently in unstructured human or space environment. The applicant and his group will synthesize and experimentally investigate mobile manipulator design and control methods for 1) intelligent multiple mode mobile manipulator control for door opening; 2) 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) mobile manipulator power management. Tackling these challenging research issues, the proposed research program will expand and integrate several fundamental robot design and control strategies that are being developed in the applicant's research group, including multiple mode control, spring assisted manipulation, active feature based control of micro rover sample acquisition, slippage compensation and tip-over prevention, and power efficiency estimation based health monitoring. The proposed research program will generate innovative and practical ways to design and control mobile manipulators for working in unstructured human or space environments, leading to high-quality research contributions and providing practical solutions to mobile manipulator problems on earth and in space. Rich training opportunities will be provided to the highly qualified personnel involved in this research program.