Robot navigation in complex crowd service scenarios,such as medical logistics and commercial guidance,requires a dynamic balance between safety and efficiency,while the traditional fixed reward mechanism lacks environ...Robot navigation in complex crowd service scenarios,such as medical logistics and commercial guidance,requires a dynamic balance between safety and efficiency,while the traditional fixed reward mechanism lacks environmental adaptability and struggles to adapt to the variability of crowd density and pedestrian motion patterns.This paper proposes a navigation method that integrates spatiotemporal risk field modeling and adaptive reward optimization,aiming to improve the robot’s decision-making ability in diverse crowd scenarios through dynamic risk assessment and nonlinear weight adjustment.We construct a spatiotemporal risk field model based on a Gaussian kernel function by combining crowd density,relative distance,andmotion speed to quantify environmental complexity and realize crowd-density-sensitive risk assessment dynamically.We apply an exponential decay function to reward design to address the linear conflict problem of fixed weights in multi-objective optimization.We adaptively adjust weight allocation between safety constraints and navigation efficiency based on real-time risk values,prioritizing safety in highly dense areas and navigation efficiency in sparse areas.Experimental results show that our method improves the navigation success rate by 9.0%over state-of-the-art models in high-density scenarios,with a 10.7%reduction in intrusion time ratio.Simulation comparisons validate the risk field model’s ability to capture risk superposition effects in dense scenarios and the suppression of near-field dangerous behaviors by the exponential decay mechanism.Our parametric optimization paradigm establishes an explicit mapping between navigation objectives and risk parameters through rigorous mathematical formalization,providing an interpretable approach for safe deployment of service robots in dynamic environments.展开更多
Mobile robots represented by smart wheelchairs can assist elderly people with mobility difficulties.This paper proposes a multi-mode semi-autonomous navigation system based on a local semantic map for mobile robots,wh...Mobile robots represented by smart wheelchairs can assist elderly people with mobility difficulties.This paper proposes a multi-mode semi-autonomous navigation system based on a local semantic map for mobile robots,which can assist users to implement accurate navigation(e.g.,docking)in the environment without prior maps.In order to overcome the problem of repeated oscillations during the docking of traditional local path planning algorithms,this paper adopts a mode-switching method and uses feedback control to perform docking when approaching semantic goals.At last,comparative experiments were carried out in the real environment.Results show that our method is superior in terms of safety,comfort and docking accuracy.展开更多
Taking modern indoor building construction as an example,this study analyzes the path planning and navigation of a smart plastering robot.It includes a basic introduction to smart plastering robots,an analysis of mult...Taking modern indoor building construction as an example,this study analyzes the path planning and navigation of a smart plastering robot.It includes a basic introduction to smart plastering robots,an analysis of multi-sensor fusion localization algorithms for smart plastering robots,and an analysis of path planning and navigation functions for smart plastering robots.It is hoped that through this analysis,a reference is provided for the path planning and navigation design of such robots to meet their practical application needs.展开更多
Small-scale magnetic soft robots are promising candidates for minimally invasive medical applications;however,they struggle to achieve efficient locomotion across various interfaces.In this study,we propose a magnetic...Small-scale magnetic soft robots are promising candidates for minimally invasive medical applications;however,they struggle to achieve efficient locomotion across various interfaces.In this study,we propose a magnetic soft robot that integrates two distinct bio-inspired locomotion modes for enhanced interface navigation.Inspired by water striders’superhydrophobic legs and the meniscus climbing behavior of Pyrrhalta nymphaeae larvae,we developed a rectangular sheet-based robot with hydrophobic surface treatment and novel control strategies.The proposed robot implements two locomotion modes:a bipedal peristaltic locomotion mode(BPLM)and a single-region contact-vibration locomotion mode(SCLM).The BPLM achieves stable movement at 20 mm/s through coordinated front-rear contact points,whereas the SCLM reaches an ultrafast speed of 52 mm/s by optimizing surface tension interactions.The proposed robot demonstrates precise trajectory control with minimal deviations and successfully navigates confined spaces while manipulating objects.Theoretical analysis and experimental validation demonstrate that the integration of triangular wave control signals and steady-state components enables smooth transitions between locomotion modes.This study presents a new paradigm for bio-inspired design of small-scale robots and demonstrates the potential for medical applications requiring precise navigation across multiple terrains.展开更多
Artificial intelligence is currently achieving impressive success in all fields.However,autonomous navigation remains a major challenge for AI.Reinforcement learning is used for target navigation to simulate the inter...Artificial intelligence is currently achieving impressive success in all fields.However,autonomous navigation remains a major challenge for AI.Reinforcement learning is used for target navigation to simulate the interaction between the brain and the environment at the behavioral level,but the Artificial Neural Network trained by reinforcement learning cannot match the autonomous mobility of humans and animals.The hippocampus–striatum circuits are considered as key circuits for target navigation planning and decision-making.This paper aims to construct a bionic navigation model of reinforcement learning corresponding to the nervous system to improve the autonomous navigation performance of the robot.The ventral striatum is considered to be the behavioral evaluation region,and the hippocampal–striatum circuit constitutes the position–reward association.In this paper,a set of episode cognition and reinforcement learning system simulating the mechanism of hippocampus and ventral striatum is constructed,which is used to provide target guidance for the robot to perform autonomous tasks.Compared with traditional methods,this system reflects the high efficiency of learning and better Environmental Adaptability.Our research is an exploration of the intersection and fusion of artificial intelligence and neuroscience,which is conducive to the development of artificial intelligence and the understanding of the nervous system.展开更多
BACKGROUND Computer-assisted systems obtained an increased interest in orthopaedic surgery over the last years,as they enhance precision compared to conventional hardware.The expansion of computer assistance is evolvi...BACKGROUND Computer-assisted systems obtained an increased interest in orthopaedic surgery over the last years,as they enhance precision compared to conventional hardware.The expansion of computer assistance is evolving with the employment of augmented reality.Yet,the accuracy of augmented reality navigation systems has not been determined.AIM To examine the accuracy of component alignment and restoration of the affected limb’s mechanical axis in primary total knee arthroplasty(TKA),utilizing an augmented reality navigation system and to assess whether such systems are conspicuously fruitful for an accomplished knee surgeon.METHODS From May 2021 to December 2021,30 patients,25 women and five men,under-went a primary unilateral TKA.Revision cases were excluded.A preoperative radiographic procedure was performed to evaluate the limb’s axial alignment.All patients were operated on by the same team,without a tourniquet,utilizing three distinct prostheses with the assistance of the Knee+™augmented reality navigation system in every operation.Postoperatively,the same radiographic exam protocol was executed to evaluate the implants’position,orientation and coronal plane alignment.We recorded measurements in 3 stages regarding femoral varus and flexion,tibial varus and posterior slope.Firstly,the expected values from the Augmented Reality system were documented.Then we calculated the same values after each cut and finally,the same measurements were recorded radiolo-gically after the operations.Concerning statistical analysis,Lin’s concordance correlation coefficient was estimated,while Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test was performed when needed.RESULTS A statistically significant difference was observed regarding mean expected values and radiographic mea-surements for femoral flexion measurements only(Z score=2.67,P value=0.01).Nonetheless,this difference was statistically significantly lower than 1 degree(Z score=-4.21,P value<0.01).In terms of discrepancies in the calculations of expected values and controlled measurements,a statistically significant difference between tibial varus values was detected(Z score=-2.33,P value=0.02),which was also statistically significantly lower than 1 degree(Z score=-4.99,P value<0.01).CONCLUSION The results indicate satisfactory postoperative coronal alignment without outliers across all three different implants utilized.Augmented reality navigation systems can bolster orthopaedic surgeons’accuracy in achieving precise axial alignment.However,further research is required to further evaluate their efficacy and potential.展开更多
This paper presents the rigorous study of mobile robot navigation techniques used so far.The step by step investigations of classical and reactive approaches are made here to understand the development of path plannin...This paper presents the rigorous study of mobile robot navigation techniques used so far.The step by step investigations of classical and reactive approaches are made here to understand the development of path planning strategies in various environmental conditions and to identify research gap.The classical approaches such as cell decomposition(CD),roadmap approach(RA),artificial potential field(APF);reactive approaches such as genetic algorithm(GA),fuzzy logic(FL),neural network(NN),firefly algorithm(FA),particle swarm optimization(PSO),ant colony optimization(ACO),bacterial foraging optimization(BFO),artificial bee colony(ABC),cuckoo search(CS),shuffled frog leaping algorithm(SFLA)and other miscellaneous algorithms(OMA)are considered for study.The navigation over static and dynamic condition is analyzed(for single and multiple robot systems)and it has been observed that the reactive approaches are more robust and perform well in all terrain when compared to classical approaches.It is also observed that the reactive approaches are used to improve the performance of the classical approaches as a hybrid algorithm.Hence,reactive approaches are more popular and widely used for path planning of mobile robot.The paper concludes with tabular data and charts comparing the frequency of individual navigational strategies which can be used for specific application in robotics.展开更多
With the increasing use of humanoid robots in several sectors of industrial automation and manufacturing, navigation and path planning of humanoids has emerged as one of the most promising area of research. In this pa...With the increasing use of humanoid robots in several sectors of industrial automation and manufacturing, navigation and path planning of humanoids has emerged as one of the most promising area of research. In this paper, a navigational controller has been developed for a humanoid by using fuzzy logic as an intelligent algorithm for avoiding the obstacles present in the environment and reach the desired target position safely. Here, the controller has been designed by careful consideration of the navigational parameters by the help of fuzzy rules. The sensory information regarding obstacle distances and bearing angle towards the target are considered as inputs to the controller and necessary velocities for avoiding the obstacles are obtained as outputs. The working of the controller has been tested on a NAO humanoid robot in V-REP simulation platform. To validate the simulation results, an experimental platform has been designed under laboratory conditions, and experimental analysis has been performed.Finally, the results obtained from both the environments are compared against each other with a good agreement between them.展开更多
Animal robots have outstanding advantages over traditional robots in their own energy supplies,orientation,and natural concealment,delivering significant value in the theories and applications of neural science,nation...Animal robots have outstanding advantages over traditional robots in their own energy supplies,orientation,and natural concealment,delivering significant value in the theories and applications of neural science,national security,and other fields.Presently,many animal robots have been fabricated,but researches about the applications of avian robots are still lacking.In this study,we constructed a Pigeon Robot System(PRS),optimized the electric stimulation parameters,assessed the electric stimulus of navigation,and evaluated the navigation efficiency in the field.Biphasic pulse constant current pattern was adapted,and the optimal stimulus parameters of 4 nuclei tested were of amplitude 0.3 mA,5 pulse trains,frequency 25 Hz,5 pulses,and a 25%duty cycle.Effective ratio of left and right steering behavior response to electric stimulus dorsointermedius ventralis anterior nuclei was 67%and 83%,respectively(mean value 75%).Electrical stimulation efficiency was 0.34-0.68 and path efficiency was 0.72-0.85 among pigeon robot individuals in the open field.Neither electrical stimulation efficiency nor path efficiency differed significantly(P>0.05),suggesting that the navigational PRS performance was not biased in either direction.PRS can achieve continuous navigation along simple pathways and provide the necessary application infrastructure and technical reference for the development of animal robot navigation technology.展开更多
Nonverbal and noncontact behaviors play a significant role in allowing service robots to structure their interactions withhumans.In this paper, a novel human-mimic mechanism of robot’s navigational skills was propose...Nonverbal and noncontact behaviors play a significant role in allowing service robots to structure their interactions withhumans.In this paper, a novel human-mimic mechanism of robot’s navigational skills was proposed for developing sociallyacceptable robotic etiquette.Based on the sociological and physiological concerns of interpersonal interactions in movement,several criteria in navigation were represented by constraints and incorporated into a unified probabilistic cost grid for safemotion planning and control, followed by an emphasis on the prediction of the human’s movement for adjusting the robot’spre-collision navigational strategy.The human motion prediction utilizes a clustering-based algorithm for modeling humans’indoor motion patterns as well as the combination of the long-term and short-term tendency prediction that takes into accountthe uncertainties of both velocity and heading direction.Both simulation and real-world experiments verified the effectivenessand reliability of the method to ensure human’s safety and comfort in navigation.A statistical user trials study was also given tovalidate the users’favorable views of the human-friendly navigational behavior.展开更多
There are about 253 million people with visual impairment worldwide.Many of them use a white cane and/or a guide dog as the mobility tool for daily travel.Despite decades of efforts,electronic navigation aid that can ...There are about 253 million people with visual impairment worldwide.Many of them use a white cane and/or a guide dog as the mobility tool for daily travel.Despite decades of efforts,electronic navigation aid that can replace white cane is still research in progress.In this paper,we propose an RGB-D camera based visual positioning system(VPS)for real-time localization of a robotic navigation aid(RNA)in an architectural floor plan for assistive navigation.The core of the system is the combination of a new 6-DOF depth-enhanced visual-inertial odometry(DVIO)method and a particle filter localization(PFL)method.DVIO estimates RNA’s pose by using the data from an RGB-D camera and an inertial measurement unit(IMU).It extracts the floor plane from the camera’s depth data and tightly couples the floor plane,the visual features(with and without depth data),and the IMU’s inertial data in a graph optimization framework to estimate the device’s 6-DOF pose.Due to the use of the floor plane and depth data from the RGB-D camera,DVIO has a better pose estimation accuracy than the conventional VIO method.To reduce the accumulated pose error of DVIO for navigation in a large indoor space,we developed the PFL method to locate RNA in the floor plan.PFL leverages geometric information of the architectural CAD drawing of an indoor space to further reduce the error of the DVIO-estimated pose.Based on VPS,an assistive navigation system is developed for the RNA prototype to assist a visually impaired person in navigating a large indoor space.Experimental results demonstrate that:1)DVIO method achieves better pose estimation accuracy than the state-of-the-art VIO method and performs real-time pose estimation(18 Hz pose update rate)on a UP Board computer;2)PFL reduces the DVIO-accrued pose error by 82.5%on average and allows for accurate wayfinding(endpoint position error≤45 cm)in large indoor spaces.展开更多
A novel robot navigation algorithm with global path generation capability is presented. Local minimum is a most intractable but is an encountered frequently problem in potential field based robot navigation.Through ap...A novel robot navigation algorithm with global path generation capability is presented. Local minimum is a most intractable but is an encountered frequently problem in potential field based robot navigation.Through appointing appropriately some virtual local targets on the journey, it can be solved effectively. The key concept employed in this algorithm are the rules that govern when and how to appoint these virtual local targets. When the robot finds itself in danger of local minimum, a virtual local target is appointed to replace the global goal temporarily according to the rules. After the virtual target is reached, the robot continues on its journey by heading towards the global goal. The algorithm prevents the robot from running into local minima anymore. Simulation results showed that it is very effective in complex obstacle environments.展开更多
In this paper a learning mechanism for reactive fuzzy controller design of a mobile robot navigating in unknown environments is proposed. The fuzzy logical controller is constructed based on the kinematics model of a ...In this paper a learning mechanism for reactive fuzzy controller design of a mobile robot navigating in unknown environments is proposed. The fuzzy logical controller is constructed based on the kinematics model of a real robot. The approach to learning the fuzzy rule base by relatively simple and less computational Q-learning is described in detail. After analyzing the credit assignment problem caused by the rules collision, a remedy is presented. Furthermore, time-varying parameters are used to increase the learning speed. Simulation results prove the mechanism can learn fuzzy navigation rules successfully only using scalar reinforcement signal and the rule base learned is proved to be correct and feasible on real robot platforms.展开更多
Self-localization and orientation estimation are the essential capabilities for mobile robot navigation.In this article,a robust and real-time visual-inertial-GNSS(Global Navigation Satellite System)tightly coupled po...Self-localization and orientation estimation are the essential capabilities for mobile robot navigation.In this article,a robust and real-time visual-inertial-GNSS(Global Navigation Satellite System)tightly coupled pose estimation(RRVPE)method for aerial robot navigation is presented.The aerial robot carries a front-facing stereo camera for self-localization and an RGB-D camera to generate 3D voxel map.Ulteriorly,a GNSS receiver is used to continuously provide pseudorange,Doppler frequency shift and universal time coordinated(UTC)pulse signals to the pose estimator.The proposed system leverages the Kanade Lucas algorithm to track Shi-Tomasi features in each video frame,and the local factor graph solution process is bounded in a circumscribed container,which can immensely abandon the computational complexity in nonlinear optimization procedure.The proposed robot pose estimator can achieve camera-rate(30 Hz)performance on the aerial robot companion computer.We thoroughly experimented the RRVPE system in both simulated and practical circumstances,and the results demonstrate dramatic advantages over the state-of-the-art robot pose estimators.展开更多
BACKGROUND Medical robot is a promising surgical tool,but no specific one has been designed for interventional treatment of chronic pain.We developed a computed tomography-image based navigation robot using a new regi...BACKGROUND Medical robot is a promising surgical tool,but no specific one has been designed for interventional treatment of chronic pain.We developed a computed tomography-image based navigation robot using a new registration method with binocular vision.This kind of robot is appropriate for minimal invasive interventional procedures and easy to operate.The feasibility,accuracy and stability of this new robot need to be tested.AIM To assess quantitatively the feasibility,accuracy and stability of the binocularstereo-vision-based navigation robot for minimally invasive interventional procedures.METHODS A box model was designed for assessing the accuracy for targets at different distances.Nine(three sets)lead spheres were embedded in the model as puncture goals.The entry-to-target distances were set 50 mm(short-distance),100 mm(medium-distance)and 150 mm(long-distance).Puncture procedure was repeated three times for each goal.The Euclidian error of each puncture was calculated and statistically analyzed.Three head phantoms were used to explore the clinical feasibility and stability.Three independent operators conducted foramen ovale placement on head phantoms(both sides)by freehand or under the guidance of robot(18 punctures with each method).The operation time,adjustment time and one-time success rate were recorded,and the two guidancemethods were compared.RESULTS On the box model,the mean puncture errors of navigation robot were 1.7±0.9 mm for the short-distance target,2.4±1.0 mm for the moderate target and 4.4±1.4 mm for the long-distance target.On the head phantom,no obvious differences in operation time and adjustment time were found among the three performers(P>0.05).The median adjustment time was significantly less under the guidance of the robot than under free hand.The one-time success rate was significantly higher with the robot(P<0.05).There was no obvious difference in operation time between the two methods(P>0.05).CONCLUSION In the laboratory environment,accuracy of binocular-stereo-vision-based navigation robot is acceptable for target at 100 mm depth or less.Compared with freehand,foramen ovale placement accuracy can be improved with robot guidance.展开更多
The capability and reliability are crucial characteristics of mobile robots while navigating in complex environments. These robots are expected to perform many useful tasks which can improve the quality of life greatl...The capability and reliability are crucial characteristics of mobile robots while navigating in complex environments. These robots are expected to perform many useful tasks which can improve the quality of life greatly. Robot localization and decisionmaking are the most important cognitive processes during navigation. However, most of these algorithms are not efficient and are challenging tasks while robots navigate through complex environments. In this paper,we propose a biologically inspired method for robot decision-making, based on rat’s brain signals. Rodents accurately and rapidly navigate in complex spaces by localizing themselves in reference to the surrounding environmental landmarks. Firstly, we analyzed the rats’ strategies while navigating in the complex Y-maze, and recorded local field potentials(LFPs), simultaneously.The recorded LFPs were processed and different features were extracted which were used as the input in the artificial neural network(ANN) to predict the rat’s decision-making in each junction. The ANN performance was tested in a real robot and good performance is achieved. The implementation of our method on a real robot, demonstrates its abilities to imitate the rat’s decision-making and integrate the internal states with external sensors, in order to perform reliable navigation in complex maze.展开更多
A dead reckoning system and a vision navigation system are proposed for use in a new integrated system for robot navigation. Since the dead reckoning system uses a recurrence algorithm to determine the position, the p...A dead reckoning system and a vision navigation system are proposed for use in a new integrated system for robot navigation. Since the dead reckoning system uses a recurrence algorithm to determine the position, the position will be divergent in two horizontal directions with time increasing. In order to overcome this defect, a vision navigation system is used to periodically correct the dead reckoning system, and a kalman filter is used to estimate the errors of navigation and the unknown biases of sensors, and precise position and heading estimations are obtained by updating navigation errors and sensors’ biases. It is concluded from the simulation results that all the navigation parameters can be obtained through kalman filtering, and the integrated navigation system proposed for robot navigation can be used in an actual robot working in a laboratory. The measurement noise analysis shows that with the distance between beacon and robot increasing, the measurement noise will increase, and in order to achieve a proper estimation accuracy, the distance should not be too great.展开更多
Navigation system based on the animal behavior has received a growing attention in the past few years. The navigation systems using artificial pheromone are still few so far. For this reason, this paper presents our r...Navigation system based on the animal behavior has received a growing attention in the past few years. The navigation systems using artificial pheromone are still few so far. For this reason, this paper presents our research that aim to implement autonomous navigation with artificial pheromone system. By introducing artificial pheromone system composed of data carriers and autonomous robots, the robotic system creates a potential field to navigate their group. We have developed a pheromone density model to realize the function of pheromones with the help of data carders. We intend to show the effectiveness of the proposed system by performing simulations and realization using modified mobile robot. The pheromone potential field system can be used for navigation of autonomous robots.展开更多
基金supported by the Sichuan Science and Technology Program(2025ZNSFSC0005).
文摘Robot navigation in complex crowd service scenarios,such as medical logistics and commercial guidance,requires a dynamic balance between safety and efficiency,while the traditional fixed reward mechanism lacks environmental adaptability and struggles to adapt to the variability of crowd density and pedestrian motion patterns.This paper proposes a navigation method that integrates spatiotemporal risk field modeling and adaptive reward optimization,aiming to improve the robot’s decision-making ability in diverse crowd scenarios through dynamic risk assessment and nonlinear weight adjustment.We construct a spatiotemporal risk field model based on a Gaussian kernel function by combining crowd density,relative distance,andmotion speed to quantify environmental complexity and realize crowd-density-sensitive risk assessment dynamically.We apply an exponential decay function to reward design to address the linear conflict problem of fixed weights in multi-objective optimization.We adaptively adjust weight allocation between safety constraints and navigation efficiency based on real-time risk values,prioritizing safety in highly dense areas and navigation efficiency in sparse areas.Experimental results show that our method improves the navigation success rate by 9.0%over state-of-the-art models in high-density scenarios,with a 10.7%reduction in intrusion time ratio.Simulation comparisons validate the risk field model’s ability to capture risk superposition effects in dense scenarios and the suppression of near-field dangerous behaviors by the exponential decay mechanism.Our parametric optimization paradigm establishes an explicit mapping between navigation objectives and risk parameters through rigorous mathematical formalization,providing an interpretable approach for safe deployment of service robots in dynamic environments.
基金the Technology Project Managed by the State Grid Corporation of China(No.5108-202218280A-2-249-XG)。
文摘Mobile robots represented by smart wheelchairs can assist elderly people with mobility difficulties.This paper proposes a multi-mode semi-autonomous navigation system based on a local semantic map for mobile robots,which can assist users to implement accurate navigation(e.g.,docking)in the environment without prior maps.In order to overcome the problem of repeated oscillations during the docking of traditional local path planning algorithms,this paper adopts a mode-switching method and uses feedback control to perform docking when approaching semantic goals.At last,comparative experiments were carried out in the real environment.Results show that our method is superior in terms of safety,comfort and docking accuracy.
基金Science and Technology Research Project of Chongqing Education Commission(Project No.:KJQN202401902)Chongqing Construction Science and Technology Plan Project(Project No.:Chinese Society For Urban Studies,2024:3-24)+1 种基金cientific Research Fund Project of Chongqing Institute of Engineering(Project No.:2022gcky01)College Student Innovation and Entrepreneurship Training Program Project of Chongqing Institute of Engineering(Project No.:CXCY2024018)。
文摘Taking modern indoor building construction as an example,this study analyzes the path planning and navigation of a smart plastering robot.It includes a basic introduction to smart plastering robots,an analysis of multi-sensor fusion localization algorithms for smart plastering robots,and an analysis of path planning and navigation functions for smart plastering robots.It is hoped that through this analysis,a reference is provided for the path planning and navigation design of such robots to meet their practical application needs.
基金supported by the Shenzhen Science and Technology Program(Nos.JCYJ20210324132810026,KQTD20210811090146075,and GXWD20220811164014001)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.52375175,52005128,62473277,and 52475075)+4 种基金the National Key Research and Development Program of China(No.2022YFC3802302)Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation(No.2024A1515240015)Jiangsu Provincial Outstanding Youth Program(No.BK20230072)Suzhou Industrial Foresight and Key Core Technology Project(No.SYC2022044)a grant from Open Foundation of the State Key Laboratory of Fluid Power and Mechatronic Systems,and grants from Jiangsu Qinglan Project and Jiangsu 333 High-level Talents.
文摘Small-scale magnetic soft robots are promising candidates for minimally invasive medical applications;however,they struggle to achieve efficient locomotion across various interfaces.In this study,we propose a magnetic soft robot that integrates two distinct bio-inspired locomotion modes for enhanced interface navigation.Inspired by water striders’superhydrophobic legs and the meniscus climbing behavior of Pyrrhalta nymphaeae larvae,we developed a rectangular sheet-based robot with hydrophobic surface treatment and novel control strategies.The proposed robot implements two locomotion modes:a bipedal peristaltic locomotion mode(BPLM)and a single-region contact-vibration locomotion mode(SCLM).The BPLM achieves stable movement at 20 mm/s through coordinated front-rear contact points,whereas the SCLM reaches an ultrafast speed of 52 mm/s by optimizing surface tension interactions.The proposed robot demonstrates precise trajectory control with minimal deviations and successfully navigates confined spaces while manipulating objects.Theoretical analysis and experimental validation demonstrate that the integration of triangular wave control signals and steady-state components enables smooth transitions between locomotion modes.This study presents a new paradigm for bio-inspired design of small-scale robots and demonstrates the potential for medical applications requiring precise navigation across multiple terrains.
基金funded by National Key R&D Program of China to Fusheng Zha with Grant numbers 2020YFB13134Natural Science Foundation of China to Fusheng Zha with Grant numbers U2013602,52075115,51521003,61911530250.
文摘Artificial intelligence is currently achieving impressive success in all fields.However,autonomous navigation remains a major challenge for AI.Reinforcement learning is used for target navigation to simulate the interaction between the brain and the environment at the behavioral level,but the Artificial Neural Network trained by reinforcement learning cannot match the autonomous mobility of humans and animals.The hippocampus–striatum circuits are considered as key circuits for target navigation planning and decision-making.This paper aims to construct a bionic navigation model of reinforcement learning corresponding to the nervous system to improve the autonomous navigation performance of the robot.The ventral striatum is considered to be the behavioral evaluation region,and the hippocampal–striatum circuit constitutes the position–reward association.In this paper,a set of episode cognition and reinforcement learning system simulating the mechanism of hippocampus and ventral striatum is constructed,which is used to provide target guidance for the robot to perform autonomous tasks.Compared with traditional methods,this system reflects the high efficiency of learning and better Environmental Adaptability.Our research is an exploration of the intersection and fusion of artificial intelligence and neuroscience,which is conducive to the development of artificial intelligence and the understanding of the nervous system.
文摘BACKGROUND Computer-assisted systems obtained an increased interest in orthopaedic surgery over the last years,as they enhance precision compared to conventional hardware.The expansion of computer assistance is evolving with the employment of augmented reality.Yet,the accuracy of augmented reality navigation systems has not been determined.AIM To examine the accuracy of component alignment and restoration of the affected limb’s mechanical axis in primary total knee arthroplasty(TKA),utilizing an augmented reality navigation system and to assess whether such systems are conspicuously fruitful for an accomplished knee surgeon.METHODS From May 2021 to December 2021,30 patients,25 women and five men,under-went a primary unilateral TKA.Revision cases were excluded.A preoperative radiographic procedure was performed to evaluate the limb’s axial alignment.All patients were operated on by the same team,without a tourniquet,utilizing three distinct prostheses with the assistance of the Knee+™augmented reality navigation system in every operation.Postoperatively,the same radiographic exam protocol was executed to evaluate the implants’position,orientation and coronal plane alignment.We recorded measurements in 3 stages regarding femoral varus and flexion,tibial varus and posterior slope.Firstly,the expected values from the Augmented Reality system were documented.Then we calculated the same values after each cut and finally,the same measurements were recorded radiolo-gically after the operations.Concerning statistical analysis,Lin’s concordance correlation coefficient was estimated,while Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test was performed when needed.RESULTS A statistically significant difference was observed regarding mean expected values and radiographic mea-surements for femoral flexion measurements only(Z score=2.67,P value=0.01).Nonetheless,this difference was statistically significantly lower than 1 degree(Z score=-4.21,P value<0.01).In terms of discrepancies in the calculations of expected values and controlled measurements,a statistically significant difference between tibial varus values was detected(Z score=-2.33,P value=0.02),which was also statistically significantly lower than 1 degree(Z score=-4.99,P value<0.01).CONCLUSION The results indicate satisfactory postoperative coronal alignment without outliers across all three different implants utilized.Augmented reality navigation systems can bolster orthopaedic surgeons’accuracy in achieving precise axial alignment.However,further research is required to further evaluate their efficacy and potential.
文摘This paper presents the rigorous study of mobile robot navigation techniques used so far.The step by step investigations of classical and reactive approaches are made here to understand the development of path planning strategies in various environmental conditions and to identify research gap.The classical approaches such as cell decomposition(CD),roadmap approach(RA),artificial potential field(APF);reactive approaches such as genetic algorithm(GA),fuzzy logic(FL),neural network(NN),firefly algorithm(FA),particle swarm optimization(PSO),ant colony optimization(ACO),bacterial foraging optimization(BFO),artificial bee colony(ABC),cuckoo search(CS),shuffled frog leaping algorithm(SFLA)and other miscellaneous algorithms(OMA)are considered for study.The navigation over static and dynamic condition is analyzed(for single and multiple robot systems)and it has been observed that the reactive approaches are more robust and perform well in all terrain when compared to classical approaches.It is also observed that the reactive approaches are used to improve the performance of the classical approaches as a hybrid algorithm.Hence,reactive approaches are more popular and widely used for path planning of mobile robot.The paper concludes with tabular data and charts comparing the frequency of individual navigational strategies which can be used for specific application in robotics.
文摘With the increasing use of humanoid robots in several sectors of industrial automation and manufacturing, navigation and path planning of humanoids has emerged as one of the most promising area of research. In this paper, a navigational controller has been developed for a humanoid by using fuzzy logic as an intelligent algorithm for avoiding the obstacles present in the environment and reach the desired target position safely. Here, the controller has been designed by careful consideration of the navigational parameters by the help of fuzzy rules. The sensory information regarding obstacle distances and bearing angle towards the target are considered as inputs to the controller and necessary velocities for avoiding the obstacles are obtained as outputs. The working of the controller has been tested on a NAO humanoid robot in V-REP simulation platform. To validate the simulation results, an experimental platform has been designed under laboratory conditions, and experimental analysis has been performed.Finally, the results obtained from both the environments are compared against each other with a good agreement between them.
基金funded by the Henan Key Laboratory of Brain Science and Brain-Computer Interface Technology(grant no.HNBBL17004)The reviewers are thanked for their helpful advice.
文摘Animal robots have outstanding advantages over traditional robots in their own energy supplies,orientation,and natural concealment,delivering significant value in the theories and applications of neural science,national security,and other fields.Presently,many animal robots have been fabricated,but researches about the applications of avian robots are still lacking.In this study,we constructed a Pigeon Robot System(PRS),optimized the electric stimulation parameters,assessed the electric stimulus of navigation,and evaluated the navigation efficiency in the field.Biphasic pulse constant current pattern was adapted,and the optimal stimulus parameters of 4 nuclei tested were of amplitude 0.3 mA,5 pulse trains,frequency 25 Hz,5 pulses,and a 25%duty cycle.Effective ratio of left and right steering behavior response to electric stimulus dorsointermedius ventralis anterior nuclei was 67%and 83%,respectively(mean value 75%).Electrical stimulation efficiency was 0.34-0.68 and path efficiency was 0.72-0.85 among pigeon robot individuals in the open field.Neither electrical stimulation efficiency nor path efficiency differed significantly(P>0.05),suggesting that the navigational PRS performance was not biased in either direction.PRS can achieve continuous navigation along simple pathways and provide the necessary application infrastructure and technical reference for the development of animal robot navigation technology.
基金supported by the National High Technology Research and Development Program(863 Program)of China(Grant No.2006AA040202 and No.2007AA041703)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.60805032)
文摘Nonverbal and noncontact behaviors play a significant role in allowing service robots to structure their interactions withhumans.In this paper, a novel human-mimic mechanism of robot’s navigational skills was proposed for developing sociallyacceptable robotic etiquette.Based on the sociological and physiological concerns of interpersonal interactions in movement,several criteria in navigation were represented by constraints and incorporated into a unified probabilistic cost grid for safemotion planning and control, followed by an emphasis on the prediction of the human’s movement for adjusting the robot’spre-collision navigational strategy.The human motion prediction utilizes a clustering-based algorithm for modeling humans’indoor motion patterns as well as the combination of the long-term and short-term tendency prediction that takes into accountthe uncertainties of both velocity and heading direction.Both simulation and real-world experiments verified the effectivenessand reliability of the method to ensure human’s safety and comfort in navigation.A statistical user trials study was also given tovalidate the users’favorable views of the human-friendly navigational behavior.
基金supported by the NIBIB and the NEI of the National Institutes of Health(R01EB018117)。
文摘There are about 253 million people with visual impairment worldwide.Many of them use a white cane and/or a guide dog as the mobility tool for daily travel.Despite decades of efforts,electronic navigation aid that can replace white cane is still research in progress.In this paper,we propose an RGB-D camera based visual positioning system(VPS)for real-time localization of a robotic navigation aid(RNA)in an architectural floor plan for assistive navigation.The core of the system is the combination of a new 6-DOF depth-enhanced visual-inertial odometry(DVIO)method and a particle filter localization(PFL)method.DVIO estimates RNA’s pose by using the data from an RGB-D camera and an inertial measurement unit(IMU).It extracts the floor plane from the camera’s depth data and tightly couples the floor plane,the visual features(with and without depth data),and the IMU’s inertial data in a graph optimization framework to estimate the device’s 6-DOF pose.Due to the use of the floor plane and depth data from the RGB-D camera,DVIO has a better pose estimation accuracy than the conventional VIO method.To reduce the accumulated pose error of DVIO for navigation in a large indoor space,we developed the PFL method to locate RNA in the floor plan.PFL leverages geometric information of the architectural CAD drawing of an indoor space to further reduce the error of the DVIO-estimated pose.Based on VPS,an assistive navigation system is developed for the RNA prototype to assist a visually impaired person in navigating a large indoor space.Experimental results demonstrate that:1)DVIO method achieves better pose estimation accuracy than the state-of-the-art VIO method and performs real-time pose estimation(18 Hz pose update rate)on a UP Board computer;2)PFL reduces the DVIO-accrued pose error by 82.5%on average and allows for accurate wayfinding(endpoint position error≤45 cm)in large indoor spaces.
文摘A novel robot navigation algorithm with global path generation capability is presented. Local minimum is a most intractable but is an encountered frequently problem in potential field based robot navigation.Through appointing appropriately some virtual local targets on the journey, it can be solved effectively. The key concept employed in this algorithm are the rules that govern when and how to appoint these virtual local targets. When the robot finds itself in danger of local minimum, a virtual local target is appointed to replace the global goal temporarily according to the rules. After the virtual target is reached, the robot continues on its journey by heading towards the global goal. The algorithm prevents the robot from running into local minima anymore. Simulation results showed that it is very effective in complex obstacle environments.
文摘In this paper a learning mechanism for reactive fuzzy controller design of a mobile robot navigating in unknown environments is proposed. The fuzzy logical controller is constructed based on the kinematics model of a real robot. The approach to learning the fuzzy rule base by relatively simple and less computational Q-learning is described in detail. After analyzing the credit assignment problem caused by the rules collision, a remedy is presented. Furthermore, time-varying parameters are used to increase the learning speed. Simulation results prove the mechanism can learn fuzzy navigation rules successfully only using scalar reinforcement signal and the rule base learned is proved to be correct and feasible on real robot platforms.
基金Supported by the Guizhou Provincial Science and Technology Projects([2020]2Y044)the Science and Technology Projects of China Southern Power Grid Co.Ltd.(066600KK52170074)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(61473144)。
文摘Self-localization and orientation estimation are the essential capabilities for mobile robot navigation.In this article,a robust and real-time visual-inertial-GNSS(Global Navigation Satellite System)tightly coupled pose estimation(RRVPE)method for aerial robot navigation is presented.The aerial robot carries a front-facing stereo camera for self-localization and an RGB-D camera to generate 3D voxel map.Ulteriorly,a GNSS receiver is used to continuously provide pseudorange,Doppler frequency shift and universal time coordinated(UTC)pulse signals to the pose estimator.The proposed system leverages the Kanade Lucas algorithm to track Shi-Tomasi features in each video frame,and the local factor graph solution process is bounded in a circumscribed container,which can immensely abandon the computational complexity in nonlinear optimization procedure.The proposed robot pose estimator can achieve camera-rate(30 Hz)performance on the aerial robot companion computer.We thoroughly experimented the RRVPE system in both simulated and practical circumstances,and the results demonstrate dramatic advantages over the state-of-the-art robot pose estimators.
基金Supported by Jiangsu Provincial Department of Science and Technology,No.BE2017603 and No.BE2017675。
文摘BACKGROUND Medical robot is a promising surgical tool,but no specific one has been designed for interventional treatment of chronic pain.We developed a computed tomography-image based navigation robot using a new registration method with binocular vision.This kind of robot is appropriate for minimal invasive interventional procedures and easy to operate.The feasibility,accuracy and stability of this new robot need to be tested.AIM To assess quantitatively the feasibility,accuracy and stability of the binocularstereo-vision-based navigation robot for minimally invasive interventional procedures.METHODS A box model was designed for assessing the accuracy for targets at different distances.Nine(three sets)lead spheres were embedded in the model as puncture goals.The entry-to-target distances were set 50 mm(short-distance),100 mm(medium-distance)and 150 mm(long-distance).Puncture procedure was repeated three times for each goal.The Euclidian error of each puncture was calculated and statistically analyzed.Three head phantoms were used to explore the clinical feasibility and stability.Three independent operators conducted foramen ovale placement on head phantoms(both sides)by freehand or under the guidance of robot(18 punctures with each method).The operation time,adjustment time and one-time success rate were recorded,and the two guidancemethods were compared.RESULTS On the box model,the mean puncture errors of navigation robot were 1.7±0.9 mm for the short-distance target,2.4±1.0 mm for the moderate target and 4.4±1.4 mm for the long-distance target.On the head phantom,no obvious differences in operation time and adjustment time were found among the three performers(P>0.05).The median adjustment time was significantly less under the guidance of the robot than under free hand.The one-time success rate was significantly higher with the robot(P<0.05).There was no obvious difference in operation time between the two methods(P>0.05).CONCLUSION In the laboratory environment,accuracy of binocular-stereo-vision-based navigation robot is acceptable for target at 100 mm depth or less.Compared with freehand,foramen ovale placement accuracy can be improved with robot guidance.
基金supported by the Japanese Government,Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research 2014 to 2016 under Grant No.26330296
文摘The capability and reliability are crucial characteristics of mobile robots while navigating in complex environments. These robots are expected to perform many useful tasks which can improve the quality of life greatly. Robot localization and decisionmaking are the most important cognitive processes during navigation. However, most of these algorithms are not efficient and are challenging tasks while robots navigate through complex environments. In this paper,we propose a biologically inspired method for robot decision-making, based on rat’s brain signals. Rodents accurately and rapidly navigate in complex spaces by localizing themselves in reference to the surrounding environmental landmarks. Firstly, we analyzed the rats’ strategies while navigating in the complex Y-maze, and recorded local field potentials(LFPs), simultaneously.The recorded LFPs were processed and different features were extracted which were used as the input in the artificial neural network(ANN) to predict the rat’s decision-making in each junction. The ANN performance was tested in a real robot and good performance is achieved. The implementation of our method on a real robot, demonstrates its abilities to imitate the rat’s decision-making and integrate the internal states with external sensors, in order to perform reliable navigation in complex maze.
文摘A dead reckoning system and a vision navigation system are proposed for use in a new integrated system for robot navigation. Since the dead reckoning system uses a recurrence algorithm to determine the position, the position will be divergent in two horizontal directions with time increasing. In order to overcome this defect, a vision navigation system is used to periodically correct the dead reckoning system, and a kalman filter is used to estimate the errors of navigation and the unknown biases of sensors, and precise position and heading estimations are obtained by updating navigation errors and sensors’ biases. It is concluded from the simulation results that all the navigation parameters can be obtained through kalman filtering, and the integrated navigation system proposed for robot navigation can be used in an actual robot working in a laboratory. The measurement noise analysis shows that with the distance between beacon and robot increasing, the measurement noise will increase, and in order to achieve a proper estimation accuracy, the distance should not be too great.
文摘Navigation system based on the animal behavior has received a growing attention in the past few years. The navigation systems using artificial pheromone are still few so far. For this reason, this paper presents our research that aim to implement autonomous navigation with artificial pheromone system. By introducing artificial pheromone system composed of data carriers and autonomous robots, the robotic system creates a potential field to navigate their group. We have developed a pheromone density model to realize the function of pheromones with the help of data carders. We intend to show the effectiveness of the proposed system by performing simulations and realization using modified mobile robot. The pheromone potential field system can be used for navigation of autonomous robots.