Introduction to Robotics

1. Introduction to Robotics Dr. Ali Arsanjani

2. Part 1: the Engineering process

3. The Engineering Process: Part 1 : the Cycle of Progress software Decide if you have reached your goal, if so, choose another goal and its capabilities hardware GOAL Capabilities & Mechanisms; Strategies for using the above Record the results and reflect on what adjustments you need to make Add the sub-system you tested to the larger structure

4. Plan and Design • Scope the effort; • how much will you undertake in this iteration? • Plan : decide who will do what in what amount of time! • Roles, tasks, durations, finances • Design the capabilities and the system or sub-system that those capabilities form

5. The capabilities can be grouped into “systems” How do they interface? (connect) Collection system Deployment system Collect balls Deploy balls Trigger the Ball Chute Start Bush mechanism Reverse Bush mechanism Raise Loader Lower ramp Start motors A system: a cohesive group of capabilities working together towards a goal.

6. Prototype and test • Build a prototype for the set of capabilities (sub-system) you have chosen to focus on • Test the prototype • Change it until you are meeting your goals and objectives

7. Integrate and test • Integrate the capabilities (sub-system) you just built and tested into the whole system • Test how the new set of capabilities work in the context of the whole system

8. Record and reflect • Record results • Discuss and reflect on outcomes • Decide on changes for the next iteration

9. Integrating Hardware and Software • The Engineering Process is an iterative one • “Iterative:  involving repetition” • It takes several iterations to get something right • Don’t expect to get it right the very first time! • Design first, then prototype with basic materials (card board etc.) then prototype with more sturdy material (more realistic prototype)

10. Part 2: Goals and capabilities

11. Goals drive everything • In this module you will learn the relationship between hardware and software and goals • Hardware has features and mechanisms • Software provides capabilities • Goals are things you want to achieve • Often these goals rely on more detailed goals being achieved first • To achieve any goal, you need a capability

12. Start with the Goal you want to achieve and see what other sub-goals need to be achieved first • Goals • What are we trying to do? What objective(s) do we want to achieve? • Sub-goals Goal: to get this gear moving In order to do that, we need to get this gear to work first And before all else, we need to get this one going!

13. Capabilities and mechanisms allow you to achieve goals Capabilities Capabilities use mechanisms Goal

14. Mechanisms enable capabilities to achieve goals

16. Robotics Engineering Process <see Phase I slides>>

17. Principles • Start with Goals and Objectives; tie everything to goals • Why? • Decrease waste, time, false starts, changes, human discord • Design Before you Build or Code • Prototype/Test before you Build • Decide on an incremental set of functionality • Build up; get it working first, then enhance • Prototype with the simplest material first; prove it, then pay for the better material • As you approach the end game, freeze the changes • If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it! • Study scenarios and contingencies • Do parallel design and prototyping • Test and pick the best (the one that most easily gets you to your goal)

18. What are SCI principles related to the principles of robotic design? • List 3

19. Goal-Oriented • Goals • Capabilities • What can the robot do? • Usually tied to software controlled set of mechanisms working together • Features/Mechanisms • Hardware • Strategies • How you use the mechanisms and capabilities to achieve the goals

20. Context and Sensors • Sensing the environment gives you context • Programming Sensors give you contextual information • Building a robot is mechanics and only becomes robotics when you imbibe it with intelligence • Intelligence comes from awareness, which comes from using sensors

21. Don’t over-automate • “Leave the driving to us” – greyhound principle • Partially delegate driving to the robot itself, until it grows up • I.e., you add enough guard code to disallow the robot to hurt itself

22. Modified Asimov Laws of Robotics

23. Isaac Asimov's "Three Laws of Robotics" • A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm. • A robot must obey orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law. • A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

24. Rewrite the laws to fit our competition

25. The Practical Functions of a Design Part 4

26. A design's practical functions can include: • movement How will the robot move within its environment? If it were put in a different environment, would it still be able to move within this new space? • manipulation How will the robot move or manipulate other objects within its environment? Can a single robot move or manipulate more than one kind of object? • energy How is the robot powered? Can it have more than one energy source? • intelligence How does the robot "think?" What does it mean to say that a robot "thinks?" • sensing How will my robot "know" or figure out what's in its environment? If it were put in a different environment, would it be able to figure out this new environment