Advanced Robotics
ENGG5402 Spring 2024
Fei Chen
Topics:
• Introduction to robotics
Readings:
• Siciliano: Chpt. 1
Definition of
Robots
• A machine that resembles a
human and does mechanical,
routine tasks on command
([Link])
• Mechanical or virtual artificial
agent (Simulation), usually an
electromechanical machine
that is guided by a computer
program (from Wikipedia)
• Machine capable of carrying
out a desired task semi- or
fully- automatically
2
Basic Components of a Robot
• Mechanical elements to interact
with the environment
• Electronics (include sensors,
actuator, computing hardware)
to sense, actuate and process
information
battery
• Software to enable the system
to be autonomous
IIT Centauro Robot 3
Beginning of Modern Robotics
Master-Slave Tele-Manipulator
After World War II (1945),
• The early work leading up to Today’s robots began in the development of remotely controlled mechanical manipulators
to handle radioactive materials at Argonne Oak Ridge National Laboratories, USA
• They defined the concept of Master-Slave teleoperation system, later on force feedback was also added in 1949
• General Electric and General Mills were also involved in this project
• A complex mechanical mechanism without any programmability
• The technology later on become the foundation of tele-robotic surgery
Question: What was the need or reason
that drove this robot development ?
4
Beginning of Modern Robotics
Master-Slave Tele-Manipulator
[Link]
Question: What was the need or reason
that drove this robot development ?
5
Beginning of Modern Robotics
Computer Numerically Controlled (CNC) machine
A bit later, around early 1950s,
• Started to develop the Computer Numerically Controlled (CNC) machine
tools for accurate milling of low volume, high performance aircraft parts
• The first robots, developed by George Devol in 1954, has the
programmability of CNC machine tool controller. It was called
“programmed articulated transfer device”
• The programmability was the key for the next wave of robotic
development...
• The patent rights were bought by Joseph Engelberger, who formed the first
robotic company called Unimation in Connecticut, 1956
• Japanese company, Kawasaki started their robot development via an
acquisition of a patent from Unimation
• Later on, in 1978, Unimation introduced a robot named the Programmable
Universal Machine for Assembly (PUMA)
Video source: [Link]
Question: What was the need or reason
that drove this robot development ?
6
Robotics Timeline
Academia started to involve actively
The beginning of Modern Robotics started around late 50s and 60s:
• 1959: Artificial Intelligence Laboratory formed at MIT (Founder: Marvin Miskey)
• 1961: Heinrich Ernst develops the MH-1 computer operated hand
Video source: [Link]
7
Robotics Timeline
Academia started to involve actively
The beginning of Modern Robotics started around late 50s and 60s:
• 1963: Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (SAIL) formed at Stanford (Founder: John McCarthy)
• 1966: Stanford Research Institute creates Shakey, the first mobile robot to reason about its actions
• 1969: Stanford AI Laboratory (SAIL) creates the Stanford Arm, the first computer-controlled arm
8
Robotics Timeline
In 1970s, people started to use robots in manufacturing extensively…
• 1971: Invention of the microprocessor
• 1973: Kuka built the first six electric motor FAMULUS
• 1973: Wabot-1 first anthropomorphic humanoid robot
• 1974: ABB created the first microcontroller controlled electric industrial robot IRB 6 from
• 1978: Unimation introduced a robot named the PUMA robot
• 1979: Prof. Hiroshi Makino created SCARA robot
• 1979: Robotics Institute at CMU established
The first Kuka robot: Famulus WABOT-1: First fun-scale anthropomorphic robot Programmable Universal Machine for Assembly (PUMA)
9
Robotics Timeline
In 1980s, researchers started to focus more on robot intelligenc.
• 1981: Prof. Asada from MIT created the first direct drive arm
• 1984: Douglas Leant started Cyc, common sense database for AI
• 1984: Wabot-2 is capable of playing the organ
• 1985: LEGO began sponsoring the MIT Media Lab
• 1986: Honda begins its humanoid R&D program (Honda E0)
• 1988: LEGO tc Logo released
• 1989: Chess playing programs defeated chess-masters
• 1989: Hexapod robot Genghis (4 microprocessors, 22 sensors and 12 servo motors)
Wabot-2 playing the keyboard Genghis robot: a six legged hexapod robot LEGO tc Logo kit Honda E0 robot
10
Robotics Timeline
In 1990s, researchers started to apply robotics beyond manufacturing.
• 1994: Dr. John Adler invented the Cyberknife
• 1993: Honda P1 humanoid robot
• 1996: Prof. Stuart Wilkinson invented Gastrobot
• 1996: Dr. David Barrett built the RoboTuna (fish) Lego Mindstorm
• 1996: Honda P2 humanoid robot
• 1997: Honda P3 humanoid robot
• 1998: LEGO Mindstorms first introduced
• 1999: Sony AIBO dog released
Sony AIBO
Cyberknife RoboTuna Honda P-series, from P1 (most left), P2, P3 and P4
(most right)
11
Robotics Timeline
The 2000s saw robotics found other applications…
• 2000: Honda ASIMO humanoid robot
• 2000: FDA approved the Da Vinci Surgical System
• 2001: FDA clears the CyberKnife for tumour removal anywhere in the body
iRobot Roomba
• 2001: iRobot PackBot searches at the US WTC
• 2002: iRobot released the Roomba vacuum cleaner
• 2003: NASA launches the MER-A “Spirit” for Mars, the 1st rover to Mars
… iRobot PackBot
Honda ASIMO Spirit Da Vinci Surgery Robot Locomat – Robotic Treadmill
12
Robotics Timeline
The 2010s/2020s robotics technologies are moving forward rapidly, meeting AI.
• More areas reached: Medical, Service, Manufacturing, Military, Agriculture, Entertainment
• Medical: surgery, rehabilitation, prosthetic hand, etc
• Service: humanoid, mobile robots
• Manufacturing: robot arms, KUKA, UR, Franka Emika
• Military: wearable robotics
• Agriculture: harvesting, weeding, etc
• Entertainment and education: little humanoids, droves, legged robots
• Research: highly dynamic robots, legged robots
Collaborative robot arms Agility Robotics: Digit
Boston Dynamics: IIT: Prosthetic hand Agriculture robots
UBTECH: Walker
Atlas & Spot
13
Classification of Robots
There are many ways to classify robots, such as:
• By form
• By function
Form refers to the way it looks
• Robot arm vs humanoid vs bird vs mobile robot
Function refers to its use/application
• Industry vs medical vs agriculture
14
Classification of Robots
By Form – Arm and Hands
Kuka LWR (KUKA Lightweight robot) Universal Robotics UR3 Barrett Hand Shadow Robotics hand
15
Classification of Robots
By Form – Parallel Manipulators
Lufthansa using Stewart platform ABB FlexPicker delta robot Laval University Agile Eye Fraunhofer IPA cable simulator
16
Classification of Robots
By Form – Humanoid Robots
Honda ASIMO Devanthro Roboy JSK Kojiro RobotCub iCub AIST HRP-4 TORO Rollin’ Justin CURI
(Japan) (Switzerland) (Japan) (EU-IIT-Italy) (Japan) (DLR, Germany) (DLR, Germany) (CUHK, Hong Kong)
Biped Mobile
17
Classification of Robots
By Form – Humanoid Robots
182.88 cm
152.4 cm
18
Classification of Robots
By Form – Bio-Inspired Robots
MIT Cheetah robot
CMU snake robot EPFL salamander robot
Harvard
RoboTuna
Microfly
19
Classification of Robots
By Form – Mobile Robots
iRobot PackBot
EPFL Alice swarm robot TU Eindhoven soccer robots
Softbank
Pepper
Cambridge Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
20
Classification of Robots
By Function – Industrial Robots
• Good at addressing the routine (or dangerous) tasks that require precision: painting, assembly, welding,
cutting, vision inspection, monitoring
• Are we saturated in this field?
• What are the remaining challenges in this field?
Industrial robots working in car factory
21
Classification of Robots
By Function – Agriculture Robots
• Agri-Robots help automate tasks at farms
• Shoot weeds, monitor and tend crops
• Challenges in environment sensing
• How to localise and manoeuvre within such a large space
• How to sense at the farms and react, vision, soil sensors etc.
• Just observed some commercialization activities recently, still have some time to prove their usability…
Australian Centre of Field Robotics: RIPPA Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM): Rosphere UAV at vineyards
22
Classification of Robots
By Function – Hazardous and Rescue
• Take advantage of robots to operate in environments that humans cannot operate
in or are dangerous to
• Small environments
• Large spaces
• Extreme hazardous environments
• Some challenges include:
• How to design robots to operate in such unstructured environments
• How to localise effectively in the environment
• How to operate as a team to improve search efficiency
• How to manipulate and interact with the environment
Okayama University Autonomous Underwater Vehicle
RoboCue (Japan) Battlefield Extraction-Assist Robot (US)
Nuclear Plant Inspection Robots (Toshiba, Japan)
23
Classification of Robots
By Function – Entertainment Robots
Music playing robots by Toyota Disney Research: human motion replication using motion capture
24
Classification of Robots
By Function – Medical Robots
• An area that has great impact to the society
• Rehabilitation robotics and prosthetics
• Surgical robotics
• Micro/nano manipulation for cell-manipulation
Vanderbilt University: steerable needle
ETHZ: Nanomag on an
inverted microscope for
cell manipulation
MIT Newman Laboratory for Biomechanics and Human Rehabilitation MIT Media Lab: bionic ankle-foot IIT – Rehab Robots
25
Classification of Robots
By Function – Military Robots
DARPA Big Dog Foster-Miller TALON Raytheon’s Sacros XOS 2 military exoskeleton
26
Classification of Robots
By Function – Service Robots
• Another very promising field that fits the society’s needs
• Aging population increasing
• Robots will become more common in the society
Softbank Pepper UVD-Robots fight covid-19 Fraunhofer IPA: Care-O-bot 4
27
Are We There
Yet?
28
Advanced Robots
The Era of AI!
Are We There Yet?
AlphaGo is a computer program that plays the board game G
30
Are We There Yet?
Nvidia Isaac Gym Enables Robot to Learn Dexterous Manipulation
[Link]
31
Are We There Yet?
Autonomous Driving
32
Are We There Yet?
The most agile running ever ?
[Link] [Link]
Animal v.s. Robot
33
Are We There Yet?
The best flip ever ?
[Link] [Link]
Human v.s. Robot
34
Are We There Yet?
ATLAS – Boston Dynamics
28 hydraulic joints
1.5 meters per second
1.5 meters height
89 KG weight
[Link]
35
2023 and Beyond
GPT
Loco-Manipulation -> Embodied Intelligence
[Link] [Link]
36
Robotics is Advanced Technology
Yet Still Hard!
[Link]
[Link]
37
It’s Your
MISSION!
To Advance the Robotic Technologies
ENGG5402
Tend to Offer Necessary Knowledges for Advanced Robotics
Q&A
