<div>Wherever we go, we need resources. Finding those resources in unmapped areas is an ever-present challenge. Nature provides many examples of systems that manage to nd the resources they need for growth, despite having little to no information about their environment. Emulating the resource-finding strategies of animals and insects has been, and continues to be, attempted in robotic systems, to varying degrees of success. However, borrowing strategies from plants is much less explored. This dissertation explores an attempt at distilling the resource-hunting methods of plant roots into a collective robotic system.</div><div><br></div><div><div>Utilizing low-power computing and wireless communication, the robots attempt to locate "resources" (radio beacons, in this case) in an unmapped area. They work collectively via extending and branching from each other. The results of this experiment show limited success, with the limitations primarily stemming from the wireless communication. Nonetheless, it is shown that a collective robotic system, emulating plant roots, can feasibly locate resources that display a gradient, with no map of the environment.</div></div>

There is a significant amount of ongoing research on developing multi-agent algorithms for mobile robots. Moving those algorithms beyond simulation and into the real world requires multi-robot testbeds. However, there is currently no easily accessible source of information for guiding the creation of such a testbed. In this thesis, we describe the process of creating a testbed at Purdue University involving a set of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). We discuss the components of the testbed, including the software that is used to interface with the UAVs. We also describe the challenges that we faced during the setup process, and evaluate the UAV platforms that we are using. Finally, we demonstrate the implementation of a multi-agent task allocation algorithm on our testbed.

Abstract Bachelor thesis, Degree of Master of Science in Business and Economics, School of Business and Economics at Linnaeus University in Växjö, Spring 2019, 2FE24E. Title: Robotics Process Automation - Important factors to take into consideration in a decision basis Authors: Linn Duàn och Lisa Strömvall Examiner: Pia Nylinder Advisor: Elin Funck Background and problem discussion: Robotics Process Automation (RPA) is a form of automation that has become a tool for achieving increased efficiency and quality improvements. In this study, we have chosen to investigate which factors that are important to take into consideration in a decision basis when implementing RPA. Increased efficiency, shorter lead times, increased customer satisfaction and improved job satisfaction are some of the many benefits that RPA can offer a company. However, it is important that the implementation is done on well-adapted processes and that previous documentation is available for evaluation. To know if an RPA is a profitable project, companies can use an ABC calculation or an investment analysis. Regarding the employees, RPA can cause concern among employees who are afraid that robotization will lead to a reduction of jobs in the future. But in relation with RPA taking over repetitive tasks, employees can apply excess time on more qualified tasks. Purpose: The purpose of the study is to highlight relevant parts of a decision basis by evaluating RP A. By highlighting important elements in a profitability analysis, identifying qualitative effects and obstacles that arise in connection with RPA, the study will present essential factors that should be taken into consideration in a decision basis. Method: A qualitative research approach has been used where we started from an evaluation study to answer our purpose. The insurance companies Folksam and If have been used for empirical collection. During six semi-structured interviews, questions have been asked about the reasons behind the implementation, how RPA is used, positive and negative effects, and issues concerning the employees' experiences at the implementation phase. Finally, all data have been transcribed, analyzed and sent back to the respective respondent for validation. It also explains the quality criteria’s and ethical considerations that permeate the work. Conclusion: The study results in important factors that should be taken into consideration when a decision basis is presented. The factors are presented as components in an investment analysis, lost/added activities in an ABC-calculation, and identification of qualitative effects as well as obstacles that limit the desired efficiency. Furthermore, it is explained how the different parts of the decision basis are interdependent and that they should be used as a complement to constitute a well-founded basis, to determine whether an implementation of RPA is appropriate or not. Key words: Robotics Process Automation, automation, efficiency, qualitative effects, calculation, decision basis.

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Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), when paired with an onboard camera, have proven to be useful tools in many applications, including aerial photography, precision agriculture, and search and rescue operations. Likewise, UAVs capable of physically interacting with the environment have shown great potential to help people perform dangerous, or time-consuming tasks more safely and efficiently than they could on their own. However, due to onboard computation and battery life limitations and complex flight dynamics, using UAVs to physically interact with the environment is still a developing area of research. Considering these limitations, the primary goals of this work are to (1) develop a new UAV platform for aerial manipulation, (2) develop modular hardware and software for the platform to enable specific tasks to be performed autonomously, and (3) develop a visual target tracking method to enable robust performance of autonomous aerial manipulation tasks in unstructured, real-world environments. To that end, the design of the Interacting-BoomCopter UAV (I-BC) is presented here as a new platform for aerial manipulation. With a simple tricopter frame, a single additional actuator for generating horizontal forces, and lightweight, modular end-effectors, the I-BC aims to balance efficiency and functionality in performing aerial manipulation tasks, and is able to perform various tasks such as mounting sensors in hard-to-reach places, and opening small doors or panels. An onboard camera, force and distance sensors, and a powerful single board computer (SBC) enable the I-BC to operate autonomously in unstructured environments, with potential applications in areas such as large-scale infrastructure inspection, industrial inspection and maintenance, and nuclear decontamination efforts.

<div>Path planning is the generation of paths for the robots to navigate based on some constraints. Coverage path planning is where the robots needs to cover an entire work space for various applications like sensing, inspection and so on. Though there are numerous works on 2D coverage and also coverage using a single robot, the works on 3D coverage and multi-agents are very limited. This thesis makes several contributions to multi-agent path planning for 3D structures.</div><div><br></div><div>Motivated by the inspection of 3D structures, especially airplanes, we present a 3D coverage path planning algorithm for a multi-UAV system. We propose a unified method, where the viewpoints selection and path generation are done simultaneously for multiple UAVs. The approach is scalable in terms of number of UAVs and is also robust to models with variations in geometry. The proposed method also distributes the task uniformly amongst the multiple UAVs involved and hence making the best use of the robotics team. The uniform task distribution is an integral part of the path planner. Various performance measures of the paths generated in terms of coverage, path length and time also has been presented. </div>

Background: Businesses today are transforming its financial and operative processes in order to survive on the market. The human interaction of the standardised work tasks is being replaced by Robotics Process Automation (RPA) in order to make the finance processes less costly and more time efficient. Thus, human employees are delegated more qualitative work tasks and their behaviour as well as knowledge are in need to be changed. In this process, barriers may occur, and managers need to make their employees adapt in a comprehensive way to overcome these.  Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to find adaptation barriers that occur when the finance professionals are adapting to more qualitative work tasks, and how the managers will make their employees do so in a comprehensive way.  Method: In order to carry out relevant information for this thesis, an abductive single case study was used. The qualitative data was conducted through semi-structured interviews with finance professionals at Volvo Group to retrieve appropriate data and valid information.  Findings: What was found from this research is a lack of the helicopter view among finance professionals today, which becomes the main barrier when they adapt to more qualitative work tasks. There are several steps which can be acknowledged from the two models McKinsey 7S and ADKAR in order to make the employees attain the helicopter view. Summarising these steps, it is clear that the main purpose for a successful adaptation process is to keep the employees involved and updated.

<p>High precision magnetic levitation control methodologies during the manufacture of Organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays are designed, manipulated, and experimentally validated in this thesis. OLED displays have many advantages over conventional display technologies including thinner, lighter, lower power consumption, higher resolutions, and greater brightness. However, OLED displays require tighter environmental conditions of the manufacturing processes without the introduction of vibration and contamination. For this reason, magnetic levitation is used to transport the displays attached on the carrier during the manufacturing process. This thesis addresses several critical problems related to implement the levitation control performance of the carrier's motion during the manufacturing process. </p> <p>Attractive magnetic levitation requires measurement of the airgap between the carrier and the levitation electromagnets. An algorithm for modeling the gap sensor installation errors was developed and subsequently used for controller development. A levitation controller only was initiated as the stationary point for optimal state feedback controller-observer compensator developed in this study. This optimal state feedback controller-observer compensator allows the carrier to be passed from support fixtures without the introduction of vibration. This controller was designed, and its levitation control performance confirmed with both simulation and experimental validation. To implement the levitation control performance of the carrier's motion, a second order notch filter and a first order low pass filter are designed to minimize the mechanical resonance and noise from the gap sensor, respectively. To reduce the sudden change of the levitation forces owing to the discrete allocation of the levitation electromagnets, a section control algorithm is developed; the sum of the levitation forces is equal to the weight of the carrier and the sum of the moment along the propulsion axis is equal to zero. </p> <p>Using the developed control strategies, the peak to peak variation of the carrier’s motion at a standstill was 50 µm. This same motion at low-speed 30 mm/s was 250 µm. While at high speed 300 mm/s was 430 µm. The relative improvement in the levitation control performance of optimal state feedback controller-observer compensator over the levitation controller only was a peak to peak attenuation of 50 µm at low-speed and 270 µm at high-speed. Most significantly while using optimal state feedback controller-observer compensator could be passed from support fixture to support fixture, i.e., through the deadzone, without mechanical contact or other manufacturing processes, inhibiting vibration. </p> <p>Having comparative simulation and experimental validation, the proposed control strategies were validated to improve the levitation control performance of the carrier under uncertain disturbance and sensor installation error, and it is expected to manufacture OLED displays with high productivity and low defect rate.</p>

<div>Sediment has a significant impact on social, economic, and environmental systems. With the need for an effective sediment management and monitoring system growing more important,</div><div>a method for precisely and reproducibly obtaining sediment samples that represent the actual environment is essential for water resource management and researchers across aquatic domains (such as lakes, rivers, reservoirs, mine drainage ponds, and wastewater lagoons).</div><div>Sediment sampling is usually carried out less frequently than water sampling because of the cost and labor involved. However, more frequent sediment sampling and an increase in the</div><div>range of the sampling area are necessary to more effectively monitor the ecosystem and water quality.</div><div>To fill this gap, robotic approaches for sediment sampling have been introduced. However, they are not tailored to a sediment sampling method and do not focus on the quality of</div><div>the sediment sample. Moreover, there are many challenges involved in developing such a sediment sampling system for the surface water of rivers, streams, lakes, ponds reservoirs, and lagoons. Thus, this study can be conducted to investigate to design and develop an uncrewed sediment sampling system for surface-water environments based on marine robot platforms that are capable of collecting intact sediment samples from a range of sediment types. As part of this study, an unmanned surface vehicle (USV) was used to deploy the underwater sediment sampler (USS) at the sampling locations. The USS adopted a core sampling method to collect the sediment samples. The specific requirements were integrated, taking into consideration the challenges posed by surface water and underwater environments, to design and develop an unmanned sediment sampling system.</div><div>The USV has two missions - deploying and positioning. Users can deploy the USV with the USS to the desired sampling area. Once the USV arrives, it has to maintain its position while launching the USS and during the sampling process. The USS also has two missions — launching and sampling. The USS must be a negative-buoyancy platform so it can reach the bottom and maintain its stability during sampling. To sample the sediment, the USS has to generate a sampling pattern. We defined and formulated challenges based on the missions of each platform.</div><div><div>The USV consists of three sub-systems; propulsion, launching, and monitoring system to accomplish missions. The propulsion system and launching system are necessary to accomplish deploying and positioning missions. The propulsion system is consists of two thrusters to navigate the USV. The launching system is to launch anchors for positioning and the USS for sampling. The monitoring system is to monitor and control other systems on-board via online video. The USS can generate sampling patterns based on three motions; linear, rotational, and hammering motion. We integrated servos, sensors, and mechanical components to generate three motions. The main system of the USS is completely waterproof, even for linear and rotational motion with enclosures, O-rings, and rubber bellows. Since the USS operates underwater, the water pressure causes the pressure difference between inside and outside the enclosure. We designed a pressure-equalizing system to compensate for the volume change because of sampling motions and pressure differences. Extensive field experiments were conducted to evaluate the proposed system. Users can monitor and control the system from the base station based on all data and images from each platform. The evaluation of the system is based on the data from sensors installed on each platform. Deploying and positioning missions of the USV can be shown based on the trajectory data. Launching and sampling missions of the USS can be validated based on depth, orientation, and reaction force data.</div><div>Contributions of the proposed unmanned sediment sampling system are, 1) It is the first unmanned system with a novel design to collect the less disturbed sediment samples even</div><div>from the inaccessible area and remove the potential risks of human-based sampling tasks, 2) We proposed and integrated a new sediment sampling pattern based on the sediment</div><div>sampling pattern analysis to increase the quality of sediment samples by minimizing disturbances, and 3) The proposed unmanned sediment sampling system is the first step toward the autonomous environmental monitoring system for more effective environmental monitoring.</div><div>This proposed system has many potential elements that can be a total solution for robotic environmental monitoring in addition to other features such as water sampling system, and various types of sensing system.</div></div>

<div>Cyber-Physical Systems (CPSs) consist of physical and computational components usually interconnected through the internet. This type of systems have found applications in robotic surgery, smart medical services, driverless cars, smart power grids as well as in modern homes and offices. For a CPS to function properly, a reliable and secure communications between the system physical and cyber elements is of utmost importance. Malicious attacks during control signals and output measurements transmission between the physical plant and the control center must be addressed, which is the main research problem studied in this thesis.</div><div><br></div><div>A novel robust observer was proposed to synthesize a combined controller-observer compensator for a class of CPSs with sparse malicious attacks and arbitrary disturbances. The compensator consists of a controller, a norm approximator, and an unknown input observer (UIO). The proposed observer was compared with a norm-based observer given in the literature to show its advantage. To further enhance the proposed observer's performance against arbitrary disturbances, design methods were given that use fictitious output measurements and error correcting code (ECC) approach. The design of the UIO was extended to a bank of UIOs in order to improve the observer's performance against sparse malicious attacks.</div><div><br></div><div>The proposed observer can be used in the design of UIO-based fault detection and isolation (FDI) algorithms as well as in the distributed fault-tolerant control of large-scale interconnected systems. The results of this thesis can be applied to the design of controller-observer compensators for CPSs with modeling uncertainties.</div>