An electrostatic potential field (EPF) path planner is combined with a two-layered fuzzy logic inference engine and implemented for real-time mobile robot navigation in a 2-D dynamic environment. The environment is first mapped into a resistor network; an electrostatic potential field is then created through current injection into the network. The path of maximum current through the network corresponds to the approximately optimum path in the environment. The first layer of the fuzzy logic inference engine performs sensor fusion from sensor readings into a fuzzy variable, collision, providing information about possible collisions in four directions, front, back, left and right. The second layer guarantees collision avoidance with dynamic obstacles while following the trajectory generated by the electrostatic potential field. The proposed approach is experimentally tested using the Nomad 200 mobile robot.

Proposes a solution to the two-dimensional (2-D) collision fee path planning problem for an autonomous mobile robot utilizing an electrostatic potential field (EPF) developed through a resistor network, derived to represent the environment. No assumptions are made about the amount of information contained in the a priori environment map (it may be completely empty) or the shape of the obstacles. The well-formulated and well-known laws of electrostatic fields are used to prove that the proposed approach generates an approximately optimal path (based on cell resolution) in a real-time frame. It is also proven through the classical laws of electrostatics that the derived potential function is a global navigation function (as defined by Rimon and Koditschek, 1992), that the field is free of all local minima and that all paths necessarily lead to the goal position. The complexity of the EPF generated path is shown to be O(mn/sub M/), where m is the total number of polygons in the environment and n/sub M/ is the maximum number of sides of a polygonal object. The method is tested both by simulation and experimentally on a Nomad200 mobile robot platform equipped with a ring of sixteen sonar sensors.

This paper presents an analytical model of a flat surfaced robotic gripper designed to automate the process of reliable, rapid and distortion-free limp material handling. The designed gripper prototype is integrated with an industrial robot manipulator. The gripper geometry and its grasp stability are justified. Performance of the overall system is experimentally tested, based on a set of industry dictated operational constraints. It is found that the gripper system has high reliability, grasp stability, and that it is capable of rapid rates of manipulation.

Focuses on the hierarchical, sensor based control structure for the robotics gripper system designed for handling deformable, materials. The hardware and software implementation of the designed system are used to prototype and test the system. From the presented results, it can be concluded that the robotic gripper system integrated with the implemented control architecture, performs at its fullest potential, with highest performance when using both visual and non-visual proximity sensors to assist the process of object manipulation. While the reliability is tremendously high when using vision and proximity sensors for manipulation, the number of panels manipulated per minute decreases significantly, as the speed of the belt increases. It is concluded that if the speed of the belt were to be kept below 50% of its maximum, using both vision and proximity sensors (robot speed of 100%) results in a highly reliable manipulation of about 13-15 panels of fabric per minute, thus exceeding the system requirements of 8-10 panels per minute.

The objective of this paper is to present the design, analytical modeling and performance evaluation of a flat surfaced robotic gripper designed to automate the process of reliable, rapid and distortion-free limp material handling. The geometric model of the gripper and its grasp stability are analyzed leading to justification of the overall system design. The paper reviews the existing state-of-the-art technology in limp material handling, and presents the design and modeling of the robotic gripper system. Finally, the experimental results are presented.