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

机器人的研究重点正在迅速地从工业扩展到人类和空间应用，随之而来的是从结构化环境转移到非结构化环境。这带来了新的研究挑战，因为机器人试图与人类一起(和为人类)协助、服务和探索。为了应对这些挑战，研究人员必须开发与高性能移动平台集成的灵活机械臂，以便它们能够协同工作。随着焦点的转移，安全也成为一个令人担忧的问题，并呼吁采用新技术来制造安全的机器人。基于申请者研究小组的最新成果，拟议的研究计划是开发移动机械手的使能技术，能够在非结构化的人类或空间环境中安全有效地操作。申请人和他的团队将综合和实验研究移动机械手的设计和控制方法，用于1)智能多模式移动机械手开门控制；2)灵活安全的机载机械臂开发和控制；3)移动机器人滑移估计和补偿，以及倾覆预测和预防；4)机载ARM辅助微型月球车控制，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)移动机械手电源管理。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申请者研究组正在开发的几种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、基于微漫游车样本采集的主动特征控制、滑移补偿和防止倾覆，以及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在非结构化人类或空间环境中工作的移动机械手，导致高质量的研究贡献，并为地球和太空中的移动机械手问题提供实用解决方案。将为参与该研究计划的高素质人员提供丰富的培训机会。

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.