Many interesting and useful robotic applications evolve in domestic environments. Most of them have been designed to cope with household tasks and to serve as assistance for physically disabled people.Author: Samuel Crinier
Date: 13 may 2002Master Thesis conducted at the Center for Autonomous Systems (CAS), Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden.
The Center for Autonomous System at the Royal Institute of Technology, in Sweden, investigates different possible applications. One of these applications, Obelix, is a mobile robot provided with grasping capabilities.
The purpose of this study is to examine the extent to which the provided tactile sensors can supply useful information, and to investigate a controller system that enables intelligent reactions in order to apply it to the grasping process. This paper shows that such tactile sensors and force-torque sensors yield relevant information, allowing the system to react to its environment. Moreover, the implemented behavior-based control permits the system to be flexible to deal with a wide range of different situations, ensuring the achievement of the grasping task. Finally the paper discusses some proposals to improve the accuracy and the reliability of the grasping process, based mainly on physical changes.
A swedish version (html) (pdf) of the present abstract is also available.