scholarly journals Toward Pleomorphic Reconfigurable Robots for Optimum Coverage

Complexity ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
S. M. Bhagya P. Samarakoon ◽  
M. A. Viraj J. Muthugala ◽  
Mohan R. Elara ◽  
Selva kumaran
Keyword(s):  
Maximum Size ◽  
Area Coverage ◽  
Optimum Size ◽  
Performance Factors ◽  
Reconfigurable Robots ◽  
Cleaning Robot ◽  
Cleaning Robots ◽  
Novel Concept ◽  
Industrial Needs ◽  
And Behavior

Buildings are constructed for accommodating living and industrial needs. Floor cleaning robots have been developed to cater to the demand of these buildings. Area coverage and coverage time are crucial performance factors of a floor cleaning robot. Reconfigurable tiling robots have been introduced over fixed shape robots to improve area coverage in floor cleaning applications compared to robots with fixed morphologies. However, area coverage and coverage time of a tiling robot compromised one another. This study proposes a novel concept that considers the ability of a tiling robot to configure both its morphology and size according to the environment. This concept is inspired by the pleomorphism that could be seen in bacteria. In this regard, P-hTetro, a pleomorphic tiling robot that can reconfigure its morphology and size, is considered. A novel coverage strategy for realizing the size reconfiguration is also proposed. According to this strategy, the robot covers obstacle-free areas with its maximum size, while an obstacle cluster is covered after shrinking to an optimum size. The optimum size for reconfiguration is determined by the genetic algorithm based on the arrangement of the environment. The performance and behavior of the proposed P-hTetro have been compared against that of an existing tiling robot which has a fixed size. According to the statistical outcomes, a tiling robot with the ability to reconfigure its size can significantly improve the performance in the aspects of area coverage and coverage time compared to a tiling robot with no ability to reconfigure its size.

scholarly journals Design and Experiment of a Novel Façade Cleaning Robot with a Biped Mechanism

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (12) ◽  
pp. 2398 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shunsuke Nansai ◽  
Keichi Onodera ◽  
Prabakaran Veerajagadheswar ◽  
Mohan Rajesh Elara ◽  
Masami Iwase
Keyword(s):  
Polynomial Interpolation ◽  
Area Coverage ◽  
Glass Panel ◽  
High Rise ◽  
Cleaning Robot ◽  
Glass Panels ◽  
Glass Facade ◽  
Cleaning Robots ◽  
Real Scenario ◽  
Glass Façade

Façade cleaning in high-rise buildings has always been considered a hazardous task when carried out by labor forces. Even though numerous studies have focused on the development of glass façade cleaning systems, the available technologies in this domain are limited and their performances are broadly affected by the frames that connect the glass panels. These frames generally act as a barrier for the glass façade cleaning robots to cross over from one glass panel to another, which leads to a performance degradation in terms of area coverage. We present a new class of façade cleaning robot with a biped mechanism that is able overcome these obstacles to maximize its area coverage. The developed robot uses active suction cups to adhere to glass walls and adopts mechanical linkage to navigate the glass surface to perform cleaning. This research addresses the design challenges in realizing the developed robot. Its control system consists of inverse kinematics, a fifth polynomial interpolation, and sequential control. Experiments were conducted in a real scenario, and the results indicate that the developed robot achieves significantly higher coverage performance by overcoming both negative and positive obstacles in a glass panel.

scholarly journals Design of sTetro: A Modular, Reconfigurable, and Autonomous Staircase Cleaning Robot

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Ilyas ◽  
Shi Yuyao ◽  
Rajesh Elara Mohan ◽  
Manojkumar Devarassu ◽  
Manivannan Kalimuthu
Keyword(s):  
Autonomous Navigation ◽  
Controller Design ◽  
Mechanical Design ◽  
Recognition Algorithm ◽  
Controlled Environment ◽  
System Modelling ◽  
Flat Surfaces ◽  
Cleaning Robot ◽  
Surrounding Environment ◽  
Cleaning Robots

The mechanical, electrical, and autonomy aspects of designing a novel, modular, and reconfigurable cleaning robot, dubbed as sTetro (stair Tetro), are presented. The developed robotic platform uses a vertical conveyor mechanism to reconfigure itself and is capable of navigating over flat surfaces as well as staircases, thus significantly extending the automated cleaning capabilities as compared to conventional home cleaning robots. The mechanical design and system architecture are introduced first, followed by a detailed description of system modelling and controller design efforts in sTetro. An autonomy algorithm is also proposed for self-reconfiguration, locomotion, and autonomous navigation of sTetro in the controlled environment, for example, in homes/offices with a flat floor and a straight staircase. A staircase recognition algorithm is presented to distinguish between the surrounding environment and the stairs. The misalignment detection technique of the robot with a front staircase riser is also given, and a feedback from the IMU sensor for misalignment corrective measures is provided. The experiments performed with the sTetro robot demonstrated the efficacy and validity of the developed system models, control, and autonomy approaches.

scholarly journals Cascaded Machine-Learning Technique for Debris Classification in Floor-Cleaning Robot Application

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (12) ◽  
pp. 2649 ◽  
Author(s):  
Balakrishnan Ramalingam ◽  
Anirudh Lakshmanan ◽  
Muhammad Ilyas ◽  
Anh Le ◽  
Mohan Elara
Keyword(s):  
Binary Classification ◽  
Support Vector ◽  
Single Shot ◽  
Machine Learning Technique ◽  
Cleaning Robot ◽  
Svm Model ◽  
Learning Technique ◽  
Essential Function ◽  
Cleaning Robots

Debris detection and classification is an essential function for autonomous floor-cleaning robots. It enables floor-cleaning robots to identify and avoid hard-to-clean debris, specifically large liquid spillage debris. This paper proposes a debris-detection and classification scheme for an autonomous floor-cleaning robot using a deep Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) and Support Vector Machine (SVM) cascaded technique. The SSD (Single-Shot MultiBox Detector) MobileNet CNN architecture is used for classifying the solid and liquid spill debris on the floor through the captured image. Then, the SVM model is employed for binary classification of liquid spillage regions based on size, which helps floor-cleaning devices to identify the larger liquid spillage debris regions, considered as hard-to-clean debris in this work. The experimental results prove that the proposed technique can efficiently detect and classify the debris on the floor and achieves 95.5% percent classification accuracy. The cascaded approach takes approximately 71 milliseconds for the entire process of debris detection and classification, which implies that the proposed technique is suitable for deploying in real-time selective floor-cleaning applications.

scholarly journals Multi-Sensor Orientation Tracking for a Façade-Cleaning Robot

Sensors ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (5) ◽  
pp. 1483 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manuel Vega-Heredia ◽  
Ilyas Muhammad ◽  
Sriharsha Ghanta ◽  
Vengadesh Ayyalusami ◽  
Siti Aisyah ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Orientation Angle ◽  
Position Estimation ◽  
Measurement Unit ◽  
Vision Sensor ◽  
Window Frame ◽  
Cleaning Robot ◽  
Heading Angle ◽  
Glass Facade ◽  
Cleaning Robots ◽  
Glass Façade

Glass-façade-cleaning robots are an emerging class of service robots. This kind of cleaning robot is designed to operate on vertical surfaces, for which tracking the position and orientation becomes more challenging. In this article, we have presented a glass-façade-cleaning robot, Mantis v2, who can shift from one window panel to another like any other in the market. Due to the complexity of the panel shifting, we proposed and evaluated different methods for estimating its orientation using different kinds of sensors working together on the Robot Operating System (ROS). For this application, we used an onboard Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU), wheel encoders, a beacon-based system, Time-of-Flight (ToF) range sensors, and an external vision sensor (camera) for angular position estimation of the Mantis v2 robot. The external camera is used to monitor the robot’s operation and to track the coordinates of two colored markers attached along the longitudinal axis of the robot to estimate its orientation angle. ToF lidar sensors are attached on both sides of the robot to detect the window frame. ToF sensors are used for calculating the distance to the window frame; differences between beam readings are used to calculate the orientation angle of the robot. Differential drive wheel encoder data are used to estimate the robot’s heading angle on a 2D façade surface. An integrated heading angle estimation is also provided by using simple fusion techniques, i.e., a complementary filter (CF) and 1D Kalman filter (KF) utilizing the IMU sensor’s raw data. The heading angle information provided by different sensory systems is then evaluated in static and dynamic tests against an off-the-shelf attitude and heading reference system (AHRS). It is observed that ToF sensors work effectively from 0 to 30 degrees, beacons have a delay up to five seconds, and the odometry error increases according to the navigation distance due to slippage and/or sliding on the glass. Among all tested orientation sensors and methods, the vision sensor scheme proved to be better, with an orientation angle error of less than 0.8 degrees for this application. The experimental results demonstrate the efficacy of our proposed techniques in this orientation tracking, which has never applied in this specific application of cleaning robots.

scholarly journals Tradeoff Between Area Coverage and Energy Usage of a Self-Reconfigurable Floor Cleaning Robot Based on User Preference

IEEE Access ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. 76267-76275 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. A. Viraj J. Muthugala ◽  
S. M. Bhagya P. Samarakoon ◽  
Mohan Rajesh Elara
Keyword(s):  
Area Coverage ◽  
User Preference ◽  
Energy Usage ◽  
Cleaning Robot

scholarly journals Tackling Area Coverage Problems in a Reconfigurable Floor Cleaning Robot Based on Polyomino Tiling Theory

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 342 ◽  
Author(s):  
Veerajagadheswar Prabakaran ◽  
Rajesh Mohan ◽  
Vinu Sivanantham ◽  
Thejus Pathmakumar ◽  
Suganya Kumar
Keyword(s):  
Area Coverage ◽  
Cleaning Robot ◽  
Coverage Problems

scholarly journals PERFORMANCE OF GILLNET-MESH SIZE SELECTIVITY FOR THREE FLYINGFISH SPECIES IN AMBON WATERS, MOLUCCAS PROVINCE

2010 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 39-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara Grace Hutubessy ◽  
Augy Syahilatua
Keyword(s):  
Black Spot ◽  
Mesh Size ◽  
Maximum Size ◽  
Yellow Spot ◽  
Optimum Size ◽  
Size Selectivity ◽  
Flying Fish ◽  
Direct Applicability

The gillnets' performance for capturing flying fish was obtained from the selectivity parameters of each mesh size. Gillnet selectivity parameters for flying fish were estimated using multi-panel drift gillnets with four different mesh sizes in southern Ambon Island. The black-spot flying fish Cheilopogon suttoni reached peak selectivity at 20.34 cm for mesh size of 1.25", 24.37 cm (1.5") and 28.47 cm (1.75"). Peak selectivity occurred at 22.16 cm for the 1,25" mesh size in the yellow-spot flying fish Cheilopogon abei, with the maximum size selectivity at 31.61cm for the 1.75" mesh. The optimum size for the black-plain flying fish Hirundichthys oxycephalus was 18.67 cm for the 1.25" mesh size, and 22.37 cm for 1.50" mesh size. Selectivity was highest at 26.12 cm for the 1.75" mesh size. Gillnet used in this study was constructed specifically for targeting flying fish suggesting that information on mesh selectivity examined here should has direct applicability to local flying fish fishery.

scholarly journals Design of a Reconfigurable Wall Disinfection Robot

Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (18) ◽  
pp. 6096
Author(s):  
Ash Wan Yaw Sang ◽  
Chee Gen Moo ◽  
S. M. Bhagya P. Samarakoon ◽  
M. A. Viraj J. Muthugala ◽  
Mohan Rajesh Elara
Keyword(s):  
Public Spaces ◽  
Test Cases ◽  
Cleaning Robot ◽  
Risk Areas ◽  
Cleaning Robots ◽  
Cleaning And Disinfection ◽  
Indoor Spaces ◽  
Wall Following ◽  
Logic System ◽  
Robot Platform

During a viral outbreak, such as COVID-19, autonomously operated robots are in high demand. Robots effectively improve the environmental concerns of contaminated surfaces in public spaces, such as airports, public transport areas and hospitals, that are considered high-risk areas. Indoor spaces walls made up most of the indoor areas in these public spaces and can be easily contaminated. Wall cleaning and disinfection processes are therefore critical for managing and mitigating the spread of viruses. Consequently, wall cleaning robots are preferred to address the demands. A wall cleaning robot needs to maintain a close and consistent distance away from a given wall during cleaning and disinfection processes. In this paper, a reconfigurable wall cleaning robot with autonomous wall following ability is proposed. The robot platform, Wasp, possess inter-reconfigurability, which enables it to be physically reconfigured into a wall-cleaning robot. The wall following ability has been implemented using a Fuzzy Logic System (FLS). The design of the robot and the FLS are presented in the paper. The platform and the FLS are tested and validated in several test cases. The experimental outcomes validate the real-world applicability of the proposed wall following method for a wall cleaning robot.

scholarly journals Modelling and Control of a Reconfigurable Robot for Achieving Reconfiguration and Locomotion with Different Shapes

Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (16) ◽  
pp. 5362
Author(s):  
S. M. Bhagya P. Samarakoon ◽  
M. A. Viraj J. Muthugala ◽  
Raihan E. Abdulkader ◽  
Soh Wei Si ◽  
Thein T. Tun ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
State Of The Art ◽  
Area Coverage ◽  
Reconfigurable Robots ◽  
Proposed Model ◽  
Small Set ◽  
Different Shapes ◽  
Reconfigurable Robot ◽  
High Level ◽  
Inspection Robots ◽  
And Control

Area coverage is a crucial factor for a robot intended for applications such as floor cleaning, disinfection, and inspection. Robots with fixed shapes could not realize an adequate level of area coverage performance. Reconfigurable robots have been introduced to overcome the limitations of fixed-shape robots, such as accessing narrow spaces and cover obstacles. Although state-of-the-art reconfigurable robots used for coverage applications are capable of shape-changing for improving the area coverage, the reconfiguration is limited to a few predefined shapes. It has been proven that the ability of reconfiguration beyond a few shapes can significantly improve the area coverage performance of a reconfigurable robot. In this regard, this paper proposes a novel robot model and a low-level controller that can facilitate the reconfiguration beyond a small set of predefined shapes and locomotion per instructions while firmly maintaining the shape. A prototype of a robot that facilitates the aim mentioned above has been designed and developed. The proposed robot model and controller have been integrated into the prototype, and experiments have been conducted considering various reconfiguration and locomotion scenarios. Experimental results confirm the validity of the proposed model and controller during reconfiguration and locomotion of the robot. Moreover, the applicability of the proposed model and controller for achieving high-level autonomous capabilities has been proven.

Motion analysis of screw drive in-pipe cleaning robot

2022 ◽  
pp. 095440622110612
Author(s):  
Zheng Zhang ◽  
Linghui Hu ◽  
Xiuhong Li ◽  
Xinyu Hu
Keyword(s):  
Complex Structure ◽  
Stable Operation ◽  
Force Analysis ◽  
Screw Drive ◽  
Curved Pipes ◽  
Cleaning Robot ◽  
Kinematics Modeling ◽  
Simulation And Experiment ◽  
New Type ◽  
Cleaning Robots

In-pipe cleaning robots often need to carry cleaning tools, and their tails are connected with cables such as water pipes and air pipes. Especially when cleaning vertical straight pipes and curved pipes, a greater traction is required. Therefore, a new type of screw drive in-pipe cleaning robot was designed in this paper. The robot solves the problems of small traction, complex structure, and unstable motion of the in-pipe cleaning robot. The kinematics modeling was carried out on the screw drive in-pipe cleaning robot’s screw module for generating traction, and the force analysis was performed on this basis. The function model of the torque, air pressure, and traction of the screw module was established, which was verified by the simulation and experiment. The results show that the screw in-pipe cleaning robot has a large traction, stable operation, and can be well adapted to the vertical straight pipes and curved pipes.

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