Venerdì 26 Aprile
h. 11.00
Sala Riunioni del Centro "E.Piaggio"
KAMILO MELO
KM-Robota sas Bogotà D.C. - Colombia
MODULAR SNAKE ROBOTS
Research on Locomotion and Open Platforms Hard/Software Developments and Integration
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ABSTRACT
After describing the robotic system used, the first part of the research is centered in the open loop locomotion generation based on cyclic gaits. These gaits are programmed via sinusoidal functions that parameterize the robot motion, reducing the high dimensionality of the robot configuration space (16-DOF), to a simple set of function parameters (the parameterized space). Locomotion characteristics of these robots can be described by several spaces and the mapping between them, leading to define different constraints of the parameterized space. This constrains are used as a basis for the execution of experiments to provide a mathematical definition of a set of repeatable core gaits.
The second part of the research proposes a locomotion model of velocity and heading for modular snake robots. First, solving the problem of defining a floating frame of reference that captures the macroscopic robot shape geometry during sustained locomotion with a core gait, due the lack of a static point in the robot's body. Then, the locomotion model is proposed formally, based on the floating body frame of reference and the introduction of a "virtual wheel" concept, that captures the wheeled/wave behavior of this type of robotic locomotion. This model is tested in simulation and validated through experiments with the real robot. The third and last part, corresponds to the development of metrics related to modular snake robots locomotion. Grouped as performance (Traffic-ability, Maneuverability and Terrain-ability) and energy efficiency metrics, these metrics serve as base to define a locomotion state observer. Several experiments were carried out to validate these metrics.
As experimental platform, the robot called Lola-OP (TM) was used. Simulations were performed using a GNU-Octave Open Source Toolbox, fully compatible with Matlab. Currently, parallel developments aim to consolidate a simulation and control framework architecture that includes a ODE-based Simulator, several snake robots and ROS integration as middleware.
The second part of the research proposes a locomotion model of velocity and heading for modular snake robots. First, solving the problem of defining a floating frame of reference that captures the macroscopic robot shape geometry during sustained locomotion with a core gait, due the lack of a static point in the robot's body. Then, the locomotion model is proposed formally, based on the floating body frame of reference and the introduction of a "virtual wheel" concept, that captures the wheeled/wave behavior of this type of robotic locomotion. This model is tested in simulation and validated through experiments with the real robot. The third and last part, corresponds to the development of metrics related to modular snake robots locomotion. Grouped as performance (Traffic-ability, Maneuverability and Terrain-ability) and energy efficiency metrics, these metrics serve as base to define a locomotion state observer. Several experiments were carried out to validate these metrics.
As experimental platform, the robot called Lola-OP (TM) was used. Simulations were performed using a GNU-Octave Open Source Toolbox, fully compatible with Matlab. Currently, parallel developments aim to consolidate a simulation and control framework architecture that includes a ODE-based Simulator, several snake robots and ROS integration as middleware.
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KAMILO MELO
Kamilo Melo, recieve his B.Eng on Electronics Engineering from the Universidad Javeriana (2004). A M.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering from Universidad de los Andes in Colombia (2005), and a Ph.D. on Engineering (Robotics) from Universidad Javeriana, also in Colombia (2013). He worked as a research intern under the supervision of Prof. Raja Chatila at ISIR in the Pierre et Marie Curie University in Paris, France (2012). He is CEO/CTO of KM-RoBoTa sas, a research and development based company in Colombia, focused on the creation and improvement of Snake Robots Open Platforms. Currently he is also working under the supervision of Prof. Antonio Bicchi at the Universita di Pisa in Italy.