As the possible applications for personal robots increase and involve more complicated environments and tasks, they need more appropriate control architectures. Previous control architectures have fixed configurations that are optimized for specific applications or with limited flexibility. Consequently, they fail to provide the flexibility needed for various robot kinematical configurations as well as various tasks. To this end, we propose a new task-based control architecture called "supervised hybrid architecture (SHA)". SHA is based on supervised organization and distributed arbitration of hybrid controls of reconfigurable deliberative and reactive modules. It is composed of upper level hybrid control for high-level intelligence to interact with human and to plan tasks, as well as lower level hybrid control to allow low-level intelligence for prompt reaction in each robot configuration module. Through these double layers of the hybrid controller, we could provide the flexibility needed for so many different kinematical configurations and tasks. In addition, it is very easy to add or remove robot configuration modules. The proposed architecture are implemented and tested to show how it works successfully.

In principle, more than one routers are intervened between different IP subnets. IETF RFC1577 "Classical IP and ARP over ATM", which is specified to provide IP services on an ATM network, also requires that the router be used between different logical IP subnet (LISs). However, the intervention of the router is not always an effective solution on an ATM network. If there is a direct virtual channel connection between two endpoints on the ATM network, they can exchange their information directly without the help of routers. Actually, some groups of the IETF and ATM Forum are working on such tasks. As a result, the Next Hop Resolution Protocol (NHRP) or MultiProtocol Over ATM (MPOA) is being drafted. However, since those protocols are too heavy and complicated, they are not easy to implement. We propose a simple efficient solution for inter-LIS communication-LIS Information Protocol. Our solution is exactly compatible with RFC1577. We describe how RFC1577 can be used to provide inter-LIS communications and introduce our prototype systems and test-bed network.

The soccer robot system consists of multi agents, with highly coordinated operation and movements so as to fulfill specific objectives, even under adverse situation. The coordination of the multi-agents is associated with a lot of supplementary work in advance. The associated issues are the position correction, prevention of communication congestion, local information sensing in addition to the need for imitating the human-like decision making. A control structure for a soccer robot is designed and several behaviors and actions for a soccer robot are proposed. Modified zone defense as a basic strategy and several special strategies for fouls are applied to SOTY and MIRO teams for MIROSOT (Micro-Robot World Cup Soccer Tournament).

In principle, more than one routers are intervened between different IP subnets. IETF RFC1577 "Classical IP and ARP over ATM", which is specified to provide IP services on ATM network, also requires that the router be used between different LISs (Logical IP subnet). However, the intervention of the router is not always an effective solution on ATM network. If there is a direct virtual channel connection between two endpoints on ATM network, they can exchange their information directly without the help of routers. Actually, some groups of IETF and ATM Forum are looking on such tasks. As the results, NHRP (Next Hop Resolution Protocol) or MPOA (Multi-Protocol Over ATM) are being drafted. However, since those protocols are too heavy and complicate, it is not easy to implement. In this paper, we propose a simple efficient solution for inter-LIS communication. Our solution is exactly compatible with RFC1577. We describe how RFC1577 can be used to provide inter-LIS communications and introduce our prototype systems and test-bed network.

The authors discuss how to design a manipulator from a given task. While the ultimate goal is to design all kinematic and dynamic parameters of a manipulator, they consider only kinematic parameters. Optimal design of a manipulator even for a simple task is difficult because it involves a complex task description and constraints on possible manipulators and many design variables that lead to a combinatorial explosion. For the example of designing a space shuttle tile servicing robot, they introduce a formulation of a given task and manipulator constraints.

In this paper, we introduce a new algorithm called Multi-Population Genetic Algorithm (MPGA) as an effi- cient optimization technique for highly nonlinear problems. Our MPGA is a parallel implementation of a GA and shows its robustness for our problem domain (Task Based Design; TBD) where we design a manipulator which is best suited for a given task. The MPGA has the same number of optimization fuac- tions as the number of task points and maintains almost con- stant complexity and does not depend on the number of task points. In addition, we develop a framework called Progressive Design, in which we design progressively based on coarse-6ne approach.

A novel formulation of the artificial potential approach to the obstacle avoidance problem for a mobile robot or a manipulator in a known environment is presented. Previous formulations of artificial potentials for obstacle avoidance have exhibited local minima in a cluttered environment. To build an artificial potential field, the authors use harmonic functions that completely eliminate local minima even for a cluttered environment. The panel method is used to represent arbitrarily shaped obstacles and to derive the potential over the whole space. Based on this potential function, an elegant control strategy for the real-time control of a robot is proposed. Simulation results are presented for a bar-shaped mobile robot and a three-degree-of-freedom planar redundant manipulator.>

A formulation of the artificial potential approach to the obstacle avoidance problem for a mobile robot or a manipulator in a known environment is presented. Previous formulations of artificial potentials, for obstacle avoidance, have exhibited local minima in a cluttered environment. To build an artificial potential field, harmonic functions that completely eliminate the local minima even for a cluttered environment were used. The panel method was used to represent arbitrarily shaped obstacles and to derive the potential function over the whole space. Based on this potential function and elegant control strategy for the real-time control of a robot is proposed.>

Presents strategies for reducing the impact force resulting from the collision of a kinematically redundant manipulator with an object in its environment. The Premultiplier Diagram, a tool used to derive the impact force reduction strategies presented, is introduced and discussed. Two strategies for reducing impact force are then presented. The first strategy involves adding torques to the joints of the redundant manipulator to impede motion into the object with which it collides. The second strategy involves choosing the best configuration for the impact event. Simulated results from the testing of either strategy are presented and discussed.>

The authors investigate dexterity measures of a manipulator based on its Jacobian matrix. The goal is to derive dexterity measures which can be used for both design and control of a manipulator. Generally, a dexterity measure must be independent of the scale of a manipulator for design, and must be expressed analytically so that it can be used for real-time control. Every dexterity measure must bear a physical meaning. The measure of manipulability has an analytical expression, but it depends on the scale of a manipulator. On the other hand, the condition number is independent of the scale, but cannot be expressed analytically. These two main problems (scale dependency and analytical expression) of previous dexterity measures derived from the Jacobian matrix are solved and applied in design and control of manipulators. In addition, a dexterity measure called the measure of isotropy is introduced.>