Outline of a Hardware Reconfiguration Framework for Modular Industrial Mobile Manipulators

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Abstract

This paper presents concepts and ideas of a hard- ware reconfiguration framework for modular industrial mobile manipulators. Mobile manipulators pose a highly flexible pro- duction resource due to their ability to autonomously navigate between workstations. However, due to this high flexibility new approaches to the operation of the robots are needed. Reconfig- uring the robot to a new task should be carried out by shop floor operators and, thus, be both quick and intuitive. Late research has already proposed a method for intuitive robot programming. However, this relies on a predetermined hardware configuration. Finding a single multi-purpose hardware configuration suited to all tasks is considered unrealistic. As a result, the need for reconfiguration of the hardware is inevitable. In this paper an outline of a framework for making hardware reconfiguration quick and intuitive is presented. Two main drivers are identi- fied. First, the need for a method making hardware exchange quick and intuitive. This requires both hardware and software standardization. Second, the need for automatically identifying a feasible hardware configuration based on information about the given task. Both these tasks rely on the introduction of a device manager which makes the system “self-aware”. In both drivers several challenges for future research are identified.
Translated title of the contributionSkitsering af hardware rekonfigurations framework til modulære industrielle mobile manipulatorer
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationProccedings of the 2nd AAU Workshop on Robotics
Number of pages6
Volume2
Place of PublicationAalborg
Publication date2014
Publication statusPublished - 2014

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