Haptic Object Recognition

科学文献中的共识是，开发更接近人类的触觉感知能力是设计面向高级应用的新一代智能机器人不可或缺的要求。迎接这一挑战，这项提案将研究和开发新的、更有效的实时机器人触觉对象识别方法，有助于提高机器人的触觉敏感度和敏锐度，使其更接近人类的水平。 这项研究的主要目的是开发新的计算智能算法，用于机器人对触摸对象表面拓扑的实时触觉感知和基于模型的纯触觉三维对象识别。更具体地说，将开发新的算法，用于整合通过机器人对3D对象的触觉探索收集的触觉传感器图像和动觉传感器数据。将研究任务驱动的主动感知方法，以允许有效地使用固有的有限的触觉感知能力。新的智能控制算法将被开发用于机器人操作手的位置和力的同时控制。还将开发新的计算智能方法，使用从触觉图像中恢复的拓扑特征来基于模型的触觉识别3D对象。 拟议的研究将贡献急需的科学知识和技术创新，通过提供实用的解决方案来帮助提高机器人在接近人类范围内的触觉敏感度和敏锐度，这些解决方案将最大限度地减少触觉探测的工作量，同时最大限度地提高对比目前可能的对象更广泛的对象的识别效率。所有这些都将使新一代智能机器人的开发能够在低能见度或不存在可见性条件下执行复杂的操作操作，例如水下、危险或高风险的操作环境-例如核电站的维护和爆炸装置的处置，或远程医疗-在这些环境中，触觉至关重要。

There is consensus in the scientific literature that the development of a more human-like haptic perception capability is an indispensable requirement for the design of a new generation of intelligent robots for advanced applications. Rising up to this challenge, this proposal will investigate and develop new and more efficient methods for real-time robotic haptic object recognition that can help raise the level of tactile sensitivity and acuity of robots closer to the human level. The main objective of the proposed research is to develop new computational-intelligence algorithms for real-time robotic haptic perception of touched object-surface topology and for model-based haptic-only 3D object recognition. More specifically, new algorithms will be developed for the integration of tactile sensor images and kinaesthetic sensor data collected through robotic haptic exploration of 3D objects. Task-driven active-sensing methods will be investigated to allow for an efficient use of inherently limited tactile sensing capabilities. New intelligent control algorithms for concurrent position & force control of the robot manipulator will be developed. Novel computational intelligence methods for model-based haptic recognition of 3D objects using topological features recovered from haptic images will be also developed. The proposed research will contribute much needed scientific knowledge and technological innovation to help raise the tactile sensitivity and acuity of robots closer to the human range by providing practical solutions that will minimize the haptic probing effort while maximizing the object recognition efficiency for a wider set of objects than possible today. All these will allow for the development of a new generation of intelligent robots able to perform complex manipulation operations under poor or nonexistent visibility conditions, such as underwater, in hazardous or high-risk operational environments - as for instance maintenance in nuclear plants and disposal of explosive devices, or in telemedicine - where touch feeling is of paramount importance.