Introduction to Robotics

Dept. of Computer Science

Technion
Winter Semester, 2004-5
 I2R Information Sheet

• Instructor: Hector Rotstein

• Phone: 054-2151054. Evenings only!
• Office hours: We: 17:30-18:30
Fri: 11:30 - 12:30
(appointment only)
• E-mail: hector@ee.technion.ac.il
 I2R Information Sheet
TA Name Evgeny Magid

Phone 4340

Office Hours

Email evgenue@cs

Mailbox
 Bibliography
• John Craig, “Introduction to robotics,”
Addison Wesley.
• G. Dudek and M. Jenkin, “Computational
Principles of Mobile Robotics,” Cambridge
University Press.
• Handouts
 Course Objectives

At the end of this course, you should be able to:

• Describe and analyze rigid motion.
• Write down manipulator kinematics and operate
with the resulting equations
• Solve simple inverse kinematics problems.
• Select sensors for performing robotic tasks
• Use sensors to compute robotics localization
 Syllabus
• A brief history of robotics. Coordinates and
Coordinates Inversion. Trajectory planning.
Sensors. Actuators and control. Why robotics?
• Basic Kinematics. Introduction. Reference
frames. Translation. Rotation. Rigid body motion.
Velocity and acceleration for General Rigid
Motion. Relative motion. Homogeneous
coordinates.
• Robot Kinematics. Forward kinematics. Link
description and connection. Manipulator
kinematics. The workspace.
 Syllabus (cont.)
• Inverse Kinematics. Introduction. Solvability.
Inverse Kinematics. Examples. Repeatability and
accuracy.
• Basic Dynamics and Control. Introduction.
Definitions and notation. Laws of Motion. Robot
control.
• Trajectory generation. Introduction. General
considerations. Path generation.
• Introduction to mobile robots. Mobile Robots hw.
• Sensing and localization
 Policies and Grades
• There will be six homework assignments, one
mid-term and project.
• Tests are open book. The homeworks will count
4% each towards the final grade, the project 40%
and the final 36%.
• The worst homework will be given 20% of the
normal weight, while the best will be given
180% of the normal weight.
 Policies and Grades (cont.)
• Collaboration in the sense of discussions is
allowed. You should write final solutions and
understand them fully. Violation of this norm will
be considered cheating, and will be taken into
account accordingly.
• Can work alone or in teams of 2
• You can also consult additional books and
references but not copy from them.
 Policies and Grades (cont.)
• Required homework will be due before the
beginning of practice, at the course mailbox.
• Late homework will be accepted up to one week
after the due date, will receive a maximum grade
of 80% and loose 10% for each delay day after
the first one. However, bonus problems must be
handed in on their due date.
Robot Examples
 The 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 the 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.
Zeroth law: A robot may not injure humanity, or,
through inaction, allow humanity to come to harm
Robot Demos
 A Brief History of Robotics
• The word robot introduced by Czech playwright
Karel Capek: robots are machines which
resemble people but work tirelessly.
• His view is still to be fulfill!

Best soccer player ever

Best robot player ever
 A Brief History of Robotics II
• Definition:
a robot is a software-controllable mechanical device that
uses sensors to guide one or more end-effectors through
programmed motions in a workspace in order to
manipulate physical objects.
• Today’s robots are not androids built to impersonate
humans.
• Manipulators are anthropomorphic in the sense that they
are patterned after the human arm.
• Industrial robots: robotic arms or manipulators
 History of Robotics (cont.)
• Early work at end of WWII for handling
radioactive materials: Teleoperation.
• Computer numerically controlled machine tools
for low-volume, high-performance AC parts
• Unimation (61): built first robot in a GM plant.
The machine is programmable.
• Robots were then improved with sensing: force
sensing, rudimentary vision.
 History of Robotics (cont.)
• Two famous robots:
– Puma. (Programmable Universal Machine for
Assembly). ‘78.
– SCARA. (Selective Compliant Articulated Robot
Assembly). ‘79.
• In the ‘80 efforts to improve performance:
feedback control + redesign. Research dedicated
to basic topics. Arms got flexible.
• ‘90: modifiable robots for assembly. Mobile
autonomous robots. Vision controlled robots.
Walking robots.
 Robot Classification
Robotic manipulator: a collection of links inter-
connected by flexible joints. At the end of the robot
there is a tool or end-effector.
• Drive Technology. Which source of power drives
the joints of the robot.
• Work-envelope geometries. Points in space
which can be reached by the end-effector.
• Motion control method. Either point-to-point or
continuous path
 The Course at a Glimpse:
Kinematics
F(robot variables) = world coordinates
x = x(1,, n)
y = y(1,, n)
z = z(1,, n)
• In a “cascade” robot, Kinematics is a single-valued
mapping.
• “Easy” to compute.
 Kinematics: Example
1= , 2=r
1 r  4.5
0   50o

x = r cos 

y = r sin 

workspace
 Inverse Kinematics
• G(world coordinates) = robot variables
1 = 1(x,y,z)

N = N(x,y,z)
• The inverse problem has a lot of geometrical
difficulties
• inversion may not be unique!
Inverse Kinematics: Example

Make unique by constraining

angles

2
1
 Trajectory Planning
• Get from (xo, yo, zo) to (xf, yf, zf)
• In robot coordinates: o  f
• Planning in robot coordinates is easier, but we
loose visualization.
• Additional constraints may be desirable:
– smoothness
– dynamic limitations
– obstacles