UNMANNED VEHICLES  ROBOTARIUM  LAB

Driven by the goal to develop tools to enhance trust and acceptance of AuRoS this project is developing a set of movement (e.g., via multi-point contact control) and intelligent tools to balance human and machine, opportunities and risks, automation and augmentation to build humanoid robots that Sense-Think-Act in real-time. The particular goals are to enhance the robot’s motion (locomotion, stability, speed), and sense mechanisms via a combination of machine deep learning, improved spatial cognition, and behavior libraries coupled with kinematic/dynamic modeling of compliant robotic systems. The specific goal is to enable AuRoS to be deployed in complex confined unstructured environments via effective navigation, high action speeds, and safe maneuvering / cooperation abilities. The project aims at a qualitative jump forward in robotic motor skills towards biological richness.

Biological walking systems (e.g., birds, dogs) can adaptively use their interlimb coordination for locomotion to deal with different situations such as flying through varying geometries small openings or crawling inside confined spaces. Achieving this on humanoids remains a challenge. We are developing revolutionary autonomous motion control, and cooperative strategies to meet human comparable efficiency.

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This will be achieved using the robot's available resources (e.g., knees, arms, elbows) and kinematic/dynamic motion characteristics to maximize the robot’s agility/adaptability in all phases of its motion & interaction with humans.

Based on previous AuRoS developments conducted in our laboratory will are developing a set of robotic modules targeted to enable humanoids to autonomously move at high speeds within confined unstructured GPS-denied spaces where effective real-time sense and avoid as well as sophisticated locomotion tasks must be performed, a key for enhancing the capabilities of humanoids to be deployed without a predefined set of control instructions to be followed. 

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The project is working on extending the motion characteristics of articulated robots (humanoids) and extending such abilities to include the use of the robot’s appendages and body parts to aid in the maneuvering phases.

The work will comprise experimental tests via the develpment of a state-of-the-art live-size humanoid robot. The mechanisms being developed are targeting complex confined spaces including moving at high speeds on moving surfaces (e.g., tilting platforms) and increasing the speed at which current humanoids are able to perform simple tasks, such as going up and down typical stairs and going through doors, and maneuvering through complex spaces (e.g., climbing ladders, or crawling through tight complex openings.