Robot path planning is about finding a collision free motion from one position to another. Efficient algorithms for solving problems of this type have important applications in areas such as: industrial robotics, computer animation, drug design, and automated surveillance. In this paper, a modified A~* algorithm is used for optimizing the path. Different from the approaches that only choose the shortest routes, this method estimates the energy consumption and chooses the most energy efficient routes. As mobile robots are powered by batteries, their energy is limited. Therefore, how to minimize energy consumption is an important problem. The basic idea is to minimize unnecessary stops and turns for mobile robots that cause acceleration and deceleration and consumes significant energy. Simulation results are presented on various environments with different levels of complexity depending on the density of the obstacles. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is evaluated in terms of number of movement steps, path length, energy consumption, number of turns and time. The experimental results show that our approach can provide effective path by reducing the number of turns compared to A~*, thus saving energy. All paths generated were optimal in terms of length and smoothness.

关键词：机器人；路径规划；移动机器人；A~ *算法；能源消耗

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In this chapter, three types of Gorilla Robots developed as the Multi-Locomotion Robot were described. Gorilla Robot was designed to be able to perform biped locomotion, quadruped locomotion, and brachiation etc. The hardware configuration of each Gorilla Robot and control system architecture were presented. In the subsequent chapters, Gorilla Robot is employed in some experiments.

关键词：机器人；硬件；复杂移动

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A talking and singing robot which adaptively learns the vocalization skill by an auditory feedback learning is being developed. The fundamental frequency and the spectrum envelope determine the principal characteristics of a sound. The former is the characteristics of a source sound generated by a vibrating object, and the latter is operated by the work of the resonance effects. In vocalization, the vibration of vocal cords generates a source sound, and then the sound wave is led to a vocal tract, which works as a resonance filter to determine the spectrum envelope. The paper describes the construction of vocal cords and a vocal tract for the realization of a talking and singing robot, together with the control algorithm for the acquisition of singing performance by mimicking human vocalization and singing voices. Generated voices were evaluated by listening experiments.

关键词：机器人；性能模仿；说话唱歌

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This paper provides an approach to integrating geometric motion planning with logical task planning for long-horizon tasks in domains with many objects. We propose a tight integration between the logical and geometric aspects of planning. We use a logical representation which includes entities that refer to poses, grasps, paths and regions, without the need for a priori discretization. Given this representation and some simple mechanisms for geometric inference,we characterize the pre-conditions and effects of robot actions in terms of these logical entities. We then reason about the interaction of the geometric and non-geometric aspects of our domains using the general-purpose mechanism of goal regression (also known as pre-image backchaining). We propose an aggressive mechanism for temporal hierarchical decomposition, which postpones the pre-conditions of actions to create an abstraction hierarchy that both limits the lengths of plans that need to be generated and limits the set of objects relevant to each plan. We describe an implementation of this planning method and demonstrate it in a simulated kitchen environment in which it solves problems that require approximately 100 individual pick or place operations for moving multiple objects in a complex domain.

关键词：机器人；几何；运动；规划

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The work described in this report outlines the design and testing of a low-cost, single frequency, carrier phase positioning system. Furthermore, aiding sensor accuracy requirements are analyzed to improve the robustness of the carrier phase system after emerging from signal outages. The applications of interest are ones with safety-of-life implications such as driver assist systems for enhancing lane keeping performance in narrow lanes or during inclement weather when lane markings are obscured. In these applications, frequent GPS outages due to obstructions from buildings and highway overpasses often require solving for the integer ambiguities. The single frequency GPS receiver used for this work was the Hemisphere Crescent. Processing carrier phase data from this receiver was only intermittently successful. Even for data sets collected under ideal static and open-sky conditions, the integer ambiguity estimation process was often unsuccessful. Much effort was made to identify the source of the problem, but no conclusive reason was identified. Despite this setback, sensor accuracy requirements were studied analytically. and it was determined that aiding sensors capable of providing baseline vector position estimates with a standard deviation of less than 0:8 m have potential to improve the integer ambiguity resolution time. This requirement, especially for signal outages lasting longer than several seconds, limits the candidate aiding sensors to higher-cost systems. Therefore low-cost, carrier phase based driver assist systems, using currently available receivers and sensors, continues to be a challenging problem. However, this may be overcome in the next decade as the second and third GPS civilian signal, L2C and L5, become fully avialable by 2019.

关键词：传感器；GPS

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Vertical external cavity surface emitting lasers (VECSELs) have proven themselves to be a suitable semiconductor answer to many solid-state lasers. Their simplicity makes them a very versatile platform for accessing wavelengths from the UV through the THz through direct and frequency-converted emission. This wavelength flexibility, combined with an optical cavity accommodating additional tuning or nonlinear elements, make the VECSEL a uniquely suited solution to a variety of applications. We will present recent Air Force Research Laboratory progress in VECSELs and potential applications for these lasers.

关键词：传感器；激光器

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In the DESIRE project an autonomous robot capable of performing service tasks in a typical kitchen environment has been developed. The overall system consists of various loosely coupled subcomponents providing particular features like manipulating objects or recognizing and interacting with humans. To bring all these subcomponents together to act as monolithic system, a high-performance planning system has been implemented. In this paper, we present this system's basic architecture and some advanced extensions necessary to cope with the various challenges arising in dynamic and uncertain environments like those a real world service robot is usually faced with.

关键词：机器人；自治服务；任务计划

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The function of the infrared gas transducer used during extravehicular activity in the current space suit is to measure and report the concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the ventilation loop. The next generation portable life support system (PLSS) requires next generation CO2 sensing technology with performance beyond that presently in use on the Space Shuttle/International Space Station extravehicular mobility unit (EMU). Accommodation within space suits demands that optical sensors meet stringent size, weight, and power requirements. A laser diode spectrometer based on wavelength modulation spectroscopy is being developed for this purpose by Vista Photonics, Inc. Two prototype devices were delivered to NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) in September 2011. The sensors incorporate a laser diode-based CO2 channel that also includes an incidental water vapor (humidity) measurement and a separate oxygen channel using a vertical cavity surface emitting laser. Both prototypes are controlled digitally with a field-programmable gate array/microcontroller architecture. The present development extends and upgrades the earlier hardware to the Advanced PLSS 2.0 test article being constructed and tested at JSC. Various improvements to the electronics and gas sampling are being advanced by this project. The combination of low power electronics with the performance of a long wavelength laser spectrometer enables multi-gas sensors with significantly increased performance over that presently offered in the EMU.

关键词：红外气体传感器传感器；光学；舱外活动；宇航

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In this paper we give a general overview of the development process carried out in the DESIRE project. This process can be roughly split up into four main phases, from specification in the beginning over two integration phases up to optimisation in the end. With a large variety of technologies and expertises involved, the development of a complex service robot system such as the DESIRE technology platform proved to reveal many challenges on technical as well as organisational level. Several of these issues are highlighted in this paper with the goal to derive useful guidelines for other robotics projects.

关键词：机器人；开发；DESIRE

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The Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS) is one of two instruments on the Landsat Data Continuity Mission (LDCM), which is scheduled to launch in February of 2013. The TIRS instrument was officially added to the mission later in the flow, which led to a highly aggressive schedule that became one of the main drivers during instrument development. The thermal subsystem design of the TIRS Sensor Unit is comprised of five thermal zones which range in temperature from less than 43 Kelvin to 330 Kelvin. Most zones are proportional heater controlled, and all are within a volume of 35 cu.ft. A two-stage cryocooler is used to cool the cold stage; including three QWIP detectors to less than 43 Kelvin, and cool the warm stage; to 105 Kelvin. The excess power dissipation from the cryocooler is rejected via ammonia transport heat pipes to a dedicated Cryocooler Radiator with embedded ammonia heat pipes. The cryogenic subsystem includes a series of shells used to radiatively and conductively isolate the cold stage from the warmer surroundings. The Optical System (telescope) is passively cooled to 180-190 Kelvin using a thermal link; (comprised of a Flexible Conductive Thermal Strap and an APG Bar) which couples the telescope stage to a dedicated radiator with embedded ethane heat pipes. The Scene Select Mechanism, which is responsible for moving the Scene Select Mirror to three distinct positions (including Nadir, Space, and On-board Black Body Calibrator pointing), runs nominally at 278 Kelvin and is thermally isolated from the cryogenic thermal zones. The On-board Black Body Calibrator requires a dedicated radiator which allows for a temperature range of 260-330 Kelvin at the Source. The detectors are powered by the FPE Box, which is mounted to the nadir external surface of the composite honeycomb structure. There are two additional electronics boxes which are wet-mounted directly to the spacecraft shear panel, the Main Electronics Box and Cryocooler Electronics Box; thermal control of these boxes is the responsibility of Orbital Sciences Corporation, the spacecraft developer. The TIRS thermal subsystem design was successfully verified during months of testing campaign, from component & subsystem level to two instrument-level thermal vacuum tests. The Instrument, despite an aggressive schedule, was delivered to the spacecraft vendor in February of 2012 and is currently undergoing the final stages of spacecraft environmental testing in preparation for launch.

关键词：热红外传感器；TIRS仪器

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