University of Pennsylvania Introduction to Roboticsweb.fsktm.um.edu.my/~yamani/waes3305/sem1_03/1b.pdfIntroduction to Robotics University of Pennsylvania 6 Human perception and control

Introduction to Robotics

University of Pennsylvania 1


Vijay KumarUniversity of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA



Outline

� What is Robotics

� Why Robotics

� History

� State of the Art

� Current Research



What is a robot?� Webster

An automatic apparatus or device that performs functions ordinarily ascribed to humans or operates with what appears to be almost human intelligence.

� Robotics Institute of AmericaA robot is a reprogrammable multifunctional manipulator designed to

move material, parts, tools or specialized devices through variable programmed motions for the performance of a variety of tasks.

� Hollywood





Which is the better definition? � Robotics Institute of America

A robot is a reprogrammable, multifunctional, manipulator designed to move material, parts, tools or specialized devices through variable programmed motions for the performance of a variety of tasks.

� WebsterA robot is an automatic apparatus or device that performs functions ordinarily ascribed to humans or operates with what appears to be almost human intelligence.

� Hollywood



Human perception and controlVisual system

Posterior parietal cortex

Motor cortex

Motor neurons

Muscles

Limb

Sensors, frame grabbers

Processing, task recognition,

decomposition

Servo controller

Actuators

Mechanical linkage

Planner

VISUO-MOTORGOAL

MOVEMENT GOAL, MOTOR COMMAND

MUSCLE COMMAND, CONTROL SIGNAL

PROPRIO-CEPTIVE

FEEDBACK

VISUALFEEDBACK

POTENTIALS, ELECTRIC CURRENT

FORCES, TORQUES



Why Robotics?

Automation in � Manufacturing� Service

Why Automation?



Reasons for AutomationShortage of labor

� The ratio of the number of workers to the number of retirees in the U.S. is expected to be 2 to 1 in 2000. Main reason in Japan.

High cost of labor� Low wages are also accompanied by lower productivity

[U.N. study comparing wages and productivity]� In 1990, hourly wages in Malaysia were approx. 15% of that of the U.S. Hourly

productivity was also comparable.� Labor costs are rising Country 1985 1995

Germany 9.6 31.88Japan 6.34 23.66France 7.52 19.34USA 13.01 17.20UK 6.27 13.17

Malaysia 1.08 1.59South Korea 1.23 7.40

China 0.19 0.25India 0.35 0.25



Reasons for AutomationIncreased productivity

� value of output per person per hour increases

Lower costs� reduced scrap rate� lower in-process inventory� superior quality� superior quality� shorter (compact) lines

Reducing manufacturing lead time� respond quickly to the consumers’ needs� rapid response to changes in design



Reasons for AutomationCompetition

� lower prices, better products� better image� better labor relations

Safety

Potential for mass customization

New process technologies require automation

� e.g., robot controlled thermal spray torch for coating engine blocks with atomized steel particles



Need Automation Even in Low-Wage Countries

Capital intensity is equally high� Fiat plant at Belo Horizonte, Brazil� Carplastic - manufacturer of car plastic components

Ford subsidiary in Monterrey Mexico



Case study: CARPLASTIC

A wholly-owned Ford subsidiary in Monterrey, MexicoProducts

� headlamps, polycarbonate instrument panels, radiator grill, consolesProduction

� 1800 pieces/day, failures 10-15 parts per million � main process is injection molding

� 200-4000 ton machines (Engel, Cincinnati Milacron, Huskies)� largest product is 6 kg. Expedition instrument panel (shot size 12 kg)� cycle-time 1 min to 1 min 45 secs.

� abrasive water-jet cutting� 200 workers, $1-2/hour

� compare with $17/hour in the US, $6/hour in Brazil)

� reasonably automated� material handling is not automated, main processes are automated (no option)



Case study: CARPLASTIC

Question:Can highly automated facilities be maintained and upgraded in “low-wage countries”?

� Hi-tech machinery maintenance and repair� Quality control, process control requires sophistication� Material handling costs versus other manufacturing costs



Robotics

Types of AutomationFixed automation

custom-engineered, special-purpose equipment to automate a fixed sequence of operations� high production rates, inflexible product design

Programmable automationequipment designed to accommodate a specific class of product changes� batch production, medium volume

Flexible automationdesigned to manufacture a variety of products or parts� low production rates, varying product design and demand



History: Fixed Automation� Eli Whitney, pioneer of mass production

Contracted to make 10,000 muskets in 28 months (1798, factory at New Haven). � Machines for producing interchangeable parts� Reduced skills required of operators, increased production rates� Assembly work was simplified

� Oliver Evans, automated “conveying” (1793)� Automated flour mill

� Elihu RootColt six-shooters (1849)� Divide the work and multiply the output� Assembly was reduced to short and simple unit operations which required very

little worker training and high efficiencies could be obtained.



Gillette South Boston PlantSensor Excel Cartridges

1.5 to 2 billion cartridges/year100 cartridges/minute/line

� Major processes:� injection molding

� 500 ton, 32 cavity molds ($ 1M) machines, 20 second cycle time� extrusion� others: grinding, stamping, welding, assembly� bottlenecks in assembly: injection molding and part feeding

Time to market: 24 monthsCapital cost: $200 millionEstimated life cycle: 6-8 years



Flexible Automation

Cars, motor cycles13 months from design to production

Group technology

Drug Discovery



Reasons for not automating� Labor resistance� Cost of upgraded labor

� Chrysler Detroit plant - 1 million hours of retraining� GM Wilmington assembly plant - $250 hours/person/year

� Initial investment� Management of process improvements

� Intellectual assets versus technological assets� Toyota versus Ford study

� Appropriate use of technology� A systems approach to automation is important� Equipment incompatibilities



Case study: Toyota versus FordToyota Georgetown Plant �Camry/Avalon�20 models�2 lines, 2 platforms/line�Workforce

� 25% college grads� 50% entered college

�Flexible automation� 20 models, 197,000 cars/year� 39,000 specifications � 23,000 one-of-a-kind specifications

Ford Atlanta Plant�Taurus�2 models�2 lines, 1 platform/line�Workforce

� 50% high school drop outs



Cost of Flexible AutomationCapital costs per car (1996)

Toyota� 480,000 cars/year, $3960/car

Nissan� 450,000 cars/year, $2670/car

Honda� 610,000 cars/year, $3300/year

Suzuki� 200,000 cars/year, $2150/year



HistoryOrigin of the word “robot”

� Czech word “robotnik”� 1920 play by Karel Capek � 1940s - Isaac Asimov’s science fiction

History of automation� Industrial revolution (late 18th century)� Mechanical looms

� Jacquard looms � Programmable looms

� Crane with motorized grippers (1892)� Mechanical arm for spray painting (1938)� Telecheric/teleoperators (World War II)� First industrial robot (1961)



Chinese Drawloom



Swedish Loom (1872)



Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer (1946)



HistoryAdvent of computers

� First large scale electronic computer (1946)� Eniac (University of Pennsylvania)� Whirlwind (MIT)

� Numerically controlled machine tool (1952)� Robot with playback memory (1954)� First industrial robot (1962)



History: Industrial Robots

GM and Robotics



History: ResearchWalking robots

� GE walking machine (1967)� Odetics’ Hexapod (1983)� Adaptive Suspension Vehicle (1985)� Ambler (1993)� Honda Humanoid (1997)



Adaptive Suspension Vehicle (1987)

� 3500 kgs, 500 kg payload� powered by a 550 cc 75 hp Kawasaki engine� 19 8086-based controllers



The Honda Humanoid (1997)P3-Clip2

Honda_P3_3.mov

Honda_p3.mov



State of the artIndustrial robotics

� $ 2 billion industry in the U.S. (1999)� $5.3 billion industry world wide (1997)� 15% growth rate (1997 - )

Robotics is a much bigger industry� entertainment� military/space technology� appliances

70 Industrial robots per human worker entering the US labor force in 2000.



Service RobotsPutzmeister

Honda

CRASAR/iRobotSearch and Rescue



Robots for Assistive Technology

Raptor



Service Robots



What is a robot?Definition of a robot revisited

� manipulate objects in the physical world� compare this to a PC manipulating data

� sense information about the physical world� make decisions based on available information or ask for additional

information� interface in a “friendly”manner with humans� mimic humans� reprogrammable by humans � safe

� Asimov’s laws of robotics



ApplicationsApplication in 4D environments� dangerous� dirty� dull� difficult

4A tasks� automation� augmentation� assistance� autonomous



Challenges

Automation

Aut

onom

y

PARTFEEDER

INDUSTRIALROBOT

LAWNMOWER

AGV

IT has had a greaterimpact on automation than on autonomy



Applications: 1. Biotechnology

� Sequencing Projects

� Research in gene expression� RNA expression� Protein interaction� Antibody library assays

� Combinatorial chemistry� New compounds

� High throughput screening� Targets that can be “hit”



Biotechnology: SequencingReduction of time and labor intensive DNA/RNA processing and analysis methods� Automation in cell assays� DNA amplification and purification� Plate management� Electrophoresis and quantitative imaging

Hardware� robotic arms, automated turntables and storage systems � pipettors� chromatography devices� thermal cyclers � imaging and detection systems



Microarray Techniques

A. 100 glass substratesB. Two multi-well plates and blot padC. Arm to deliver plates and de-lidD. 72 plate hotelE. Printing pinsF. Sonicator bathG. Rinse stationH. Drying station

A

B

CD

E

FG

H

Courtesy: J. Gregg and D. Baldwin

OmniGrid from GeneMachines



Biotechnology: HTS

Compounds

Number of Targets

O

O

N

NN

O

NN O

OH

O

O O

O

O

O

OO

O O

O

NO

N

NN S

O

N+ O

O

NN

O

>106

20 / month

A+B =AB



ELISA: Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay



Bead-Based Assays

Locator

Bead Mixer

Shakers

Washer/Filtration

384, 96 well plates



What goes where?Variety of block designs/layoutsVariety of reaction protocolsAnalysis protocols



007

Robotic Sample Processor



014

HTS: Sample Handling

MOL BANK™ plate storage unit

Handling samples



Automated analysis



Liquid Handling Systems

12.5ul with 384 well plates

384 pin adapters

TekCel PlateServerTM



Cold Store



Defrost Oven Feeder



Liquid Handling Cell



2. Military applications



3. Space RoboticsHuman operators on earth can control partially autonomous vehicles and manipulators on distant planets



Space Robotics



4. Entertainment IndustryEntertainment robot is more'byte' than bark (CNN)Sony AIBO

Honda ASIMO

Disney Robots



5. Personal Robots?

http://www.personalrobots.com



Domestic Companions?

Cog, MIT AI Lab



True Potential: 4D to 3A4D tasks

� dangerous� dirty� dull� dumb

Just as the personal computer is used for automated information management even in households, robots can be used to execute domestic tasks. � Manipulation of bits of information (PC)� Manipulation of physical objects (PR)

AutomationA

uton

omy

Augmen

tation

Documents

University of Pennsylvania Introduction to Roboticsweb.fsktm.um.edu.my/~yamani/waes3305/sem1_03/1b.pdfIntroduction to Robotics University of Pennsylvania 6 Human perception and control