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Undergraduate Robotics at Roger Williams University

Undergraduate Robotics at Roger Williams University. Matthew Stein Roger Williams Unversity. Never Heard of it?. Just 20 minutes south. Undergraduate Institution. B.S. General Engineering. One elective course in Robotics. Employ 1-2 students on internally funded Research projects.

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Undergraduate Robotics at Roger Williams University

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  1. Undergraduate Robotics atRoger Williams University Matthew Stein Roger Williams Unversity

  2. Never Heard of it? • Just 20 minutes south • Undergraduate Institution • B.S. General Engineering • One elective course in Robotics • Employ 1-2 students on internally funded • Research projects

  3. The Robotics Class • 3 Credits • Sr/Jr engineers and computer scientists • 21 Students Fall 2006 • Entertaining video

  4. Research projects?Like What? • PumaPaint 1998-2008 • 50,000 users - thousands of paintings • Allows user to perform 2D task • Limited to a plane ( canvas) • Internet surfers control robot through a graphical user interface. • Limited to simple camera feedback

  5. Most Recent Project • J.P Brice • 2008 Graduate • On to U. of Utah • Slides from his ASME DETC presentation

  6. Objective • 3D manipulation • Let users manipulate object instead of drawing on a canvas • Provide more information to the user. • Provide touch feedback • True haptic feedback using a force feedback controller or sensory substitution through a GUI

  7. iHands • Robotic hand that let internet users manipulate objects • Platform mounted on a linear stage with 1 foot of displacement • Two pair of fingers • Sensors provide touch feedback • A pneumatic thumb • Hardware and circuitry controlled by Galil Inc. DMC motion controller • Online 24x7: http://ihands.rwu.edu

  8. Right now

  9. Fingers • Provide touch feedback • Skin over skeleton • Sensors to detect touching. • Reproduce open-close motion of actual finger • Lead screw linear actuator • 12V dc motor

  10. Skin structure • Four segments for upper finger • First two segments cover first and second phalanges • Rigid and used for pressing and gripping • Three segments for lower fingers • First segment is also rigid and covers first phalanx.

  11. Skin structure (continued) • Third and fourth segment cover the third phalanx • Retractable skin • PVC piece with ½ inch linear displacement • Sensors • Spring • Rotating tip

  12. Third Phalanx

  13. Finger control • Switch at each end of linear actuator • To eliminate drift over long term operation • To prevent motor from over heating at end of travel • Encoder on motor shaft • Allows position control • Encoder feedback automatically handled by Galil Software

  14. Motor control • Use of motor command signal from DMC panel • Linear transistor circuit to amplify signal current from 3mA.

  15. Finger motion

  16. Sensory Substitution • Detect contact • Skin retracts and obstruct optical sensor • Op amp circuit to decide when touching or not • Display contact through graphical user interface • Red arrows are displayed on the GUI

  17. Thumb Design • 3 state opposable thumb • Pneumatic actuator moves thumb up and down • Transistor circuit control valve • Output port on DMC panel used to activate thumb • All the way up • All the way down • Touching and applying quick pressure

  18. Drawings of Thumb

  19. The Graphical User Interface

  20. Conclusion / future work • Users have manipulated balloons and clay • Slow access ( about 2 users per day) • System is robust. Operated without need to reset for six months • GUI an interesting research issue

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