In this work an enhanced graphical simulator for the IBM 7545 robot running on the AML/E language was developed. The simulator provided two views with the facility to chose either one as the major view, and pan/zoom into that view. It gives the user the facility to define equipment and workcell setups, accepting data in the International Graphics Exchange Specification (IGES) Version 3.0 format. The user can interactively simulate either the complete program, partial program or any subroutine. The system was integrated including the facility to edit, compile, generate cross references, set system configuration, simulate and run the robot either continuously or interactively. The system was developed on an IBM Personal Computer using two monitors, text and enhanced graphics for maximizing the display surface for the graphics. The programs developed for this work can be broadly classified into the various menu programs, the definition programs to define and display the equipments and workcells, and the graphic programs for driving and displaying the graphics and altering the views. The limitations and assumptions made in developing this system along with the scope for further work are presented. / Master of Science

No description available.

Call number: LD2668 .T4 1985 S648 / Master of Science

Thesis (MScEng (Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering))--University of Stellenbosch, 2009. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The conceptual design of a fixtureless reconfigurable automated spot welding system for manufacturing subassemblies for residential circuit breakers was investigated. This research was aimed at developing a possible low cost automation alternative to a South African industrial manufacturer, which is presently heavily dependent on personnel for manual assembly of their core products. System reconfiguration allows for the assembly of a range of subassemblies with geometric component variation on a given system configuration, as well as the potential for the system to be reconfigured to assemble other ranges of circuit breaker subassemblies. The subassembly selected as focus consists of six different components, which vary geometrically from one product variant to another. A fixtureless approach was selected, to minimise reconfiguration down time and the need for reconfigurable fixtures since reconfigurable fixtures have not found significant acceptance in industry. This varies from a fixture-based approach, which was considered in related research. The conceptual assembly system presented here consists of the following modules: a flexible vision based part feeder, twin 6 DOF robotic manipulators each with a multipurpose gripper, and a stationary spot welding station. Critical conceptual design elements were further investigated to refine their selection and confirm feasibility with respect to the target industry application. This process ended with a preliminary cost estimate which served as a basis for comparison between the fixtureless, fixture-based and present manual assembly process. The fixtureless concept was overall more expensive than the fixture-based concept, primarily because of the limits to production throughput. The fixtureless concept was however cheaper than the present manual assembly approach but had a far longer payback period than desired by the industry. The complexity and possible uncertainties of the concept combined with the long payback period indicated that the fixtureless concept is not suitable for the target application. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die konsepsionele ontwerp van 'n setmaatlose herkonfigureerbare outomatiese puntsweisstelsel vir die vervaardiging van subsamestellings van huishoudelike stroombrekers is ondersoek. Hierdie navorsing is gemik op die ontwikkeling van 'n moontlike lae koste outomatiese alternatief vir 'n Suid Afrikaanse industriële vervaardiger, wat tans sterk afhanklik is van werkers wat die montering van hul kern produkte met die handsamestelling doen. Stelsel herkonfigurasie laat die samestelling van 'n reeks subsamestellings, met geometriese komponentvariasies, op 'n gegewe stelsel toe, asook die potensiaal om die stelsel te herkonfigureer om ander reekse van stroombreker-subsamestellings te monteer. Die subsamestelling wat as fokus gekies is, bestaan uit ses verskillende komponente met geometriese verskille van tussen produkvariante. 'n Setmaatlose benadering is gekies ten einde aftyd vir herkonfigurasie en die noodsaaklikheid van herkonfigureerbare setmate te minimeer, omdat laasgenoemde nie noemenswaardig deur die industrie aanvaar word nie. Hierdie benadering verskil van 'n setmaat-gebaseerde benadering wat in verwante navorsing ondersoek is. Die konsepsionele monteringstelsel wat hier aangebied word, bestaan uit die volgende modules: 'n plooibare, visiegebaseerde voerapparaat; dubbele sesvryheidsgraad robotiese manipuleerders, elk met 'n veeldoelige gryper; en 'n statiese puntsweisstasie. Kritiese elemente van die konseptuele ontwerp is verder ondersoek om hul keuses te verfyn en uitvoerbaarheid in die teiken industriële toepassing te bevestig. Hierdie proses is afgesluit deur 'n voorlopige kosteraming wat gedien het as 'n basis vir die vergelyking van setmaatlose, setmaat-gebaseerde en die huidige handsamestellingstelsels. Die setmaatlose konsep was oorhoofs duurder as die setmaat-gebaseerde konsep, hoofsaaklik as gevolg van beperkings op die produksie-deurset. Die setmaatlose konsep was egter goedkoper as die huidige handmonteringsproses, maar het 'n veel langer terugbetalingstydperk as wat deur die industrie verlang word. Die kompleksiteit en moontlike onsekerhede van die konsep, gepaard met die lang terugbetalingstydperk, dui daarop dat die setmaatlose konsep nie vir die teiken toepassing geskik is nie.

Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 1981. / MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND ENGINEERING. / Includes bibliographical references. / by William Daniel Hillis. / M.S.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 1982. / MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND ENGINEERING. / Bibliography: leaves 125-136. / by Matthew Thomas Mason. / Ph.D.

This thesis focuses on the task of dexterous manipulation of deformable objects, and in particular, clothing and garments. The task of manipulating deformable objects such as clothing can be broken down into a series of sub-tasks: (1) perceive and pick up garment, and then identify garment and recognize its pose; (2) using a manipulation strategy, regrasp the object to put it into a canonical state; (3) scan the surface of the object to find wrinkles, and use an iron to remove the wrinkles; (4) starting from the wrinkle-free state, fold the garment according to pre-planned sequence of manipulations with optimized trajectories; In this thesis, we will address all the phases of this process. A key contribution of the work is innovative use of simulation. We use offline simulation results to predict states of deformable objects (i.e. cloth, fabric, clothing) that are then recognized by a robotic vision/grasping system to correctly pick up and manipulate these objects. The recognition will use the simulation engine to deform the models in real time to find correct matches. The simulation will also be used to find the optimized trajectories for the manipulation of the garments, such as the garment folding.

The applications of robotics are changing. Just as computers evolved from the realm of research and extreme novelty tools to now becoming essential components of modern life, robotics is also making a similar transition. With the changes in applications come changes in the user base of robotics. These users will span a broad range of society, but there are some key properties that can be used to characterize them. First they, more often than not, will not be the designers of the robots. Second, they will not have robot control as their primary task while operating the robot. Third, they will not have the resources or the desire to provide all the training that the robot will require, yet they will have the need to fine tune robot performance to their specific needs. Fourth, they will want to use multiple modes of interaction to make the robot accomplish the primary task. Fifth, they will expect and demand that the robot remain safe at all times (safe to humans, pets, or personal property) and expect the robot to be a readily replaceable appliance (cheap). Sixth, they will expect that the robot will be intelligent, at least in the confines of the task at hand. These are some of the key properties that will exist for the new user base. To address some of the needs that will arise because of these properties, we propose work that enables behavior transfer from teacher to robotic student that is facilitated through observation and interaction. Many users in the projected user base will not have exposure to the technologies that enable robotic operation. These users will however have some degree of understanding of how they would like the robot to provide assistance in accomplishing the task. The goal of this work is specifically to enable the user to transfer this understanding to the robot, and have the robot acquire this understanding via interactive learning. To make interactive learning possible via interaction we believe that the robot will have to be able to perform some degree of self regulation. Further, since it is assumed that the user will not have access to the robot's internal machinations, the robot will also have to be able to properly manage the knowledge it acquires over time and to verify and validate its understanding periodically. Scaffolding, a method in which teachers provide support while the student learns to master portions of a task, is likely to be the primary method to facilitate this process. This research will undertake study of coherence and its relevance to learning by observation. It will also implement the components that would enable a robot to learn to perform a small set of tasks and demonstrate them in various settings. For this work a robot will be defined as a hardware platform upon which a software agent operates. It is our desire that this software agent will be equipped to operate on any platform and learn any task that a human could perform with the same resources.

Like computer architects, robot designers must address multiple, possibly competing, requirements by balancing trade-offs in terms of processing, memory, communication, and energy to satisfy design objectives. However, robot architects currently lack the design guidelines, organizing principles, rules of thumb, and tools that computer architects rely upon. This thesis takes a step in this direction, by analyzing the roles of heterogeneity and distribution in robot systems architecture. This thesis takes a systems architecture approach to the design of robot systems, and in particular, investigates the use of distributed, heterogeneous platforms to exploit locality in robot systems design. We show how multiple, distributed heterogeneous platforms can serve as general purpose robot systems for three distinct domains with different design objectives: increasing availability in a search and rescue mission, increasing flexibility and ease-of-use for a personal educational robot, and decreasing the computation and sensing resources necessary for navigation and foraging tasks.

published_or_final_version / Electrical and Electronic Engineering / Master / Master of Philosophy