multimedia robot remote control

3 rd International Conference "Optimization of the Robots and Manipulators" OPTIROB 2008- PREDEAL, 30 May- 1 June 2008 Organized by University "POLITEHNICA" of Bucharest ROMANIA

MULTIMEDIA ROBOT REMOTE CONTROL

Łukasz Kamieniecki1, Tadeusz Mikołajczyk2, Jolanta Kamińska1 Michał Rzytelewski1 UNIVERSITY of TECHNOLOGY and LIFE SCIENCE, POLAND Bydgoszcz, 7, Kaliskiego St. E-mail ([email protected])

Abstract Following text shows up remote control of multimedia robot with usage of computer. This kind of robots can be used to examine unfriendly to human environments, and supervising all objects where humans health can be risked.

Keywords: robot, remote control, didactics

1. Introduction

2. Facts

Remote controlled robots have been constructed for the first time to fulfill armies evacuations. This piece of technology gives great adoption potentialities in area of machines. Remote controls could be divided into two types: • one way, • two way. One way system sends information to the robot, which executes orders. Robot is able to gather information from its environment and modify original order comparing to them, but it sends them never back to the control device. Two way control has been supported to send information that comes directly from robot (like for example video stream) in addition to the orders it has received. Many robots about different degree of complexity be produced in a modern manner In paper features one way control device and control software multimedial robot constructed in Mechanical Students Scientific Division of University of Technology and Life Science in Bydgoszcz, Poland. This robot name „MEDIO” has been chosen because of multimedia skills of the robot.

Intelligent robots are constructed to be helpful in many aspects of life. For example robot Papero [2], (fig. 1) is a compact-size translation machine able to help foreign travelers on an airport. It is supported with local language database and technology of vocal translation prepared by NEC industries. Another example is Wakamaru robot [3], (fig. 2) produced by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. This one is able to recognize human faces, and around 10 000 words. Its function is to assist in private houses. Researchers of University of Pisa [5] have built working replica of R2D2 (fig. 3) – by George Lucas. It's somehow taller (1.5 mt) but walks (with 2 or 3 legs) and beeps like the original and comes with bluetooth and usb. The robot actually is the resulting prototype of a research project in creating a kind of slave or companion robot with a friendly interface. In researchers mind, this kind of robots could be used in museums, hospitals, or maybe even at home. One of most advanced robots – ASIMO [7] (Advanced Step in Innovative Mobility) has been constructed by Japanese company Honda. This robot can walk forward, backward, strafe, and even run. It is able to pass obstacles, turning back and

1 2

student, Mechanical Student Scientific Division, University of Technology & Life Science, POLAND DSc, Ass. Prof., Department of Production Engineering, University of Technology & Life Science, POLAND

MULTIMEDIA ROBOT REMOTE CONTROL Łukasz Kamieniecki, Tadeusz Mikołajczyk, Jolanta Kamińska, Michał Rzytelewski

Eyes

Camera

Matrix

Head

Engine 1

Fig. 1. Robot Papero [2]

Fig. 2 .Robot Wakamaru [3]

Engine 2

Fig. 3. R2D2 Replica [5]

proceeding into interactions with surrounding environment. Nowadays robots are supported with high advanced kinematics devices, many sensors and sophisticated control software including AI. Construction of such a devices are extremaly expensive and it needs a work of high qualified human personnel. In the same time another simple robots are constructed. Mobile robot Spykee [6] supported with wireless camera is controlled by internet, and it is able to send video transmission from every place.

Wheel

. Fig. 6. Scheme of robot 6

Fig. 7. Elementary moves of the robot for several engines activations Robot has been made from polymeric home accessories. Virtual model of the robot has been prepared in AutoDesk software – Inventor (fig. 8). This model gave a possibility to make analysis of the construction and finding best placement of engines and main drives.

4. Robot control system

Fig. 4. ASIMO Robot [7]

Fig. 5. Spykee robot [6]

3. Remote control robot idea The Mechanical Students Science Division University of Technology & Life Sciences has prepared multimedia robot with remote control system. The scheme of this robot is shown on a figure 6. Supplied two independent engines allow to perform advanced movements. It has been shown on examples for several moves (fig. 7.) There are 8 elementary moves that robot is able to perform: • turning left or right around wheel, • move forward and backward, • turning axial to left or to right. Further more there is a possibility of „stepping” forward and backward. Robot has been constructed as small multimedia object. Because of problems with its dimensions, we have chosen remote control system instead of onboard control system

Robots system can be divided into two cooperating subsystems: (fig. 9): • Control - contains: computer with LPT port, driver, transmitter. • Executing supplied with: power supply (accumulators), drive (3 engines), visualization and emotion set, multimedia camera, sound receiver with loudspeaker and amplifier. Robot has been supplied with one way wireless 8streams control system so it can receive cordless orders from the computer and execute them. In case of building control device driver and remotes control transmitter of toy-car model have been used. Driver has been connected to LPT port by special interface. With suitable software computer send massages to LPT port in understandable for the robot form. Two streams of control device have been used to control drive engines.


Fig. 8. Virtual model of MEDIO robot Computer LPT

USB

USB

Driver

Servo transmiter

Camera

Eng. 1

Voice transmiter

Radio receiver with driver Frequency 27/40 MHz

Head

Mouth

Speaker

Eng. 2

Fig. 9. Scheme of MEDIO robot control system The third one controls head position. In low range (cameras wire) exists possibility of two way control. Robot has been supplied with two motion engines and head-drive engine. Thanks to two independent engines stepping system has been constructed. When program gives an order to move forward or backward, robot activates alternatively first and second engine (once engine 1, once engine 2) (fig. 7). Among first and second engine activation, short brake has been set (because of moment of inertia in drive device). Time of this brake has been chosen with empirical methods, gives illusion of stepping. This is one of exertions on way to build humanoid droid – that looks and moves human alike. Thanks to this, machines could become more friendly to the user. Head-motion mechanism has to lead camera to the oriented point. Because of robots high movement possibilities on flat surfaces, head-control is one-axial (up, down) To become more friendly to the user presented robot has a possibility to show three emotions (fig. 10).

Fig. 10. Displayed emotions: a) neutral (0), b) sad (-1), c) happy (+1) Rightly interpreted orders are sent in impulse form to transmitters. Connection with robot is established using wireless protocols. Receiver interprets signals and controls installed in robot devices. Furthermore, because of installed camera robot had a possibility to recognize things, through link with computer [3]. Unfortunately video transmission system works only with wire connection. An optional equipment is remote sound transmission, which gives talk skill to robot. When the „talk” command is set in control program, voice synthesizer [2] changes text into voice and sends it using wireless protocols to the robot. Expressivo synthesizer has the four excellent voice: polish (man and women), english (woman) and romanian (woman)

5. Software To reach extremities of the robot, special software has been written in Visual Basic environment (fig.11).

Fig. 11. MEDIO robot control panel


Robot control consists on sending binary sequences to computers LPT port, which are interpreted by receiver and converted into orders for robot. Software has a possibility of manual and automatic control mode. During work in manual mode robot executes commands directly from user in real time. This mode was helpful during program writing and during work in automatic mode. Furthermore there is a possibility to set manually stepping frequency on which depends movement speed. Automatic mode has been prepared for fully automatic work. Operator is able only to stop the program. The program has been written in form of moves list, which should be executed step by step. For every single move the motion time, emotion display and heads position are set. An example program is shown on figure 12. The interface and programming method are very intuitive. It enables easy and problem-less work with the application to every user. Each symbol of program determines orders data. Example sequence: P N 0 1000, means: move forward with neutral emotion display, head locked on position zero and motion: 1000 ms

Fig. 12. An example orders set /

6. Conclusion Robots with its appearance and kinematics seem to be more and more humanlike. Because this way of robotics progress, machines becomes more friendly, and their users do not have to be engineers to work with them. It creates new possibilities of home robots construction. The introduced solution is useful to multimedia aided help for human. The presented robot MEDIO, equipped with database was used during CAX’2007 (Computer Aided Science & Technology) conference, as aid to the conference leading.

7. Acknowledgment We want to thank management Department of Production Engineering, University of Technology & Life Sciences, POLAND for financial support of robot construction.

8. References 1- Mikolajczyk T.: Modernisation of IRb60 industrial robot steering system. OPTIROB ’2007, University “POLITECHNICA” of Bucharest, Faculty IMST, Predeal Romania, pp 149-152 2- www.expressivo.com.pl 3- www.incx.nec.co.jp/robot/english/robotcenter_e. html 4- www.mhi.co.jp/kobe/wakamaru/english/ 5- www.spykeeworld.com/ 6- www.we-make-money-not-art.com/archives/ 2005/05 /a-prototype-of.php 7- www.world.honda.com/ASIMO