Computer Science, Prifysgol Cymru Aberystwyth University of Wales

CS36410 (1995-96 session)
Industrial Robotics

Brief Description

This course introduces the important elements of robotics through particular emphasis on automatic flexible assembly. The emphasis of the material is to provide an understanding of the software aspects of flexible automated assembly, though set in the wider context of general robotics and other computer-based automation. The particular challenges of this application area are presented along with the techniques currently available to tackle them.

Aims, Objectives, Syllabus, Booklist

Further Details

Number of lectures: 24
Number of seminars/tutorials: 0
Number of practicals: 5 hours
Coordinator: Dr. Fred Long
Other staff involved: Not yet known
Pre-requisites: CS21020 /C210
Co-requisites: CS36210
Incompatibilities: None
Assessment: Assessed coursework - 20%
Written exam - 80%
Timing: This module is offered only in Semester 1

Aims

This module presents:

an overview of robotics for software engineers;
the software issues in the discipline as examples and extensions of the concepts introduced in other modules;
the problems characteristic of the discipline;
the range of techniques and algorithms brought to bear on these problems.

Objectives

On successful completion of this module, students should

have an understanding of basic robotic equipment;
have an understanding of the basic functional requirements of a software system for robot task definition;
be familiar with the specifically robotics facilities of a range of robot programming languages and environments;
understand the range of planning problems in the field and have a knowledge of some representative techniques used to solve them;
understand the challenge which robotics and the `behaviours' model represent to traditional AI techniques.

Syllabus

Automated Flexible Assembly and its Context - 1 Lecture: The nature of the assembly problem; constraints and pressures on it.
Robot Systems - 4 Lectures: Overview of the components of a robot work cell; manipulator geometry; kinematics; drives; control regimes; end effectors; compliance; sensing; guarded movement. Manipulators; degrees of motion and freedom; joint, cartesian and relative cartesian motion; dextrous work envelopes and singularitues. Gripper mechanisms.
Explicit Robot Programming - 4 Lectures: Levels of task description. Teach mode and explicit programming. the languages VAL and AML. An example implementation of a trivial task in an end effector level language. Consideration of the nature of the development process.
Offline Programming Assistance - 2 Lectures: Robot modelling; solid body systems; simulation.
Implicit Robot Programming - 4 Lectures: Task specification; path planning; grasp planning; sequencing; program synthesis. The AL, RAPT and AUTOPASS systems.
Sensing - 3 Lectures: Sensory modalities; smart sensors; software implications; the perception problem.
Case Study - 1 Lecture: Study of the InFACT machine as an example of a market driven flexible automatic assemble machine.
The error problem - 2 Lectures: The practical requirements for error handling.
Behaviour Based Robot Programming - 3 Lectures: Outline of the concept; consideration of its benefits; examination of its contribution.