Assisted Living Robotic Design Concept
by
Stanley
D. Pebsworth
Embry-Riddle
Aeronautical University
December
2015
A Design Research Project submitted
to the Worldwide Campus in partial fulfillment of the requirements for course
ASCI 531, Robotics and Control
Abstract
This design project focuses on the
application of assisted living robotics.
In an era of advanced robotic design, assisted living robots are within
the grasp of humans with special needs.
This project will focus on the current available systems and provide
applications for those systems. It will
also review current assisted living issues that could be met through the use of
robotic assisted living butlers. In the
future, demands for assisted living needs will be higher and the availability
of nurses will be lower. Through the use
of assisted living robotics, we can bridge this gap. Many people feel the need to remain
independent; this design project will review scholarly research the addresses
the possible acceptance of these systems.
With the invent of new technology, the cost of robotic assisted living
can be reduced. This project will
attempt to project the future costs of robotic assisted living butlers. There are many misconceptions and negative
attitudes towards robots however, this paper will show that many are
enthusiastic and optimistic about the possibilities that assisted living
robotics provide as well as highlight the need for continued research to better
understand the support that robots can provide.
Even though it may seem much like a futuristic movie, assisted living
robots will someday be a part of our everyday lives.
Keywords: robotics, automation,
humanoid, butler, assisted living
Introduction
A 1998 publication by HONDA that
presented its humanoid robot the P2, paved the way for future research and
development in human-like robots dedicated to servicing humans. Giving robots human characteristics and
behavior is just the beginning. It is
believed that giving a robot a more human-like appearance tricks our
subconscious and helps us look beyond the robotic-like characteristics and
behaviors and see a more complex object (Tondu, 2012).
There
have been several human-like robotic design up to now. Currently, this research has become a very
exciting topic. The success of HONDA’s
P2 is believed to have triggered the worldwide research of human-like
robots. Up to this point in the design
and research of these systems, there has still been little achieved in
application of these systems. A new
promising advancement was however revealed in 2004 called Advanced Step in
Innovative Mobility (ASIMO). This new
technology allows the robot to move, walk, and run much like a human (Kaneko,
Kanehiro, Morisawa, Tsuji, Miura, Nakaoka, & Yokoi, 2011).
Future
needs are shifting from industrial manufacturing robotics to a more human-like
robotic system. Our surroundings were
designed for human needs and therefore the need for a more human-sized robot
will reduce costs to adapt the robotic systems to our current work
environments. The need for these systems
has generated a need for research and development that is currently being
carried out by private companies and universities worldwide. The most impressive humanoid robots to date
are the HONDA P2, ASIMO, HUBO2, LOLA, BHR-2, iCub, Lucy, REEM-B, as well as the
HRP platforms (Kaneko, Kanehiro, Morisawa, Akachi, Miyamori, Hayashi, &
Kanehira, 2011).
In
order for these human service robots to become a reality for our future we face
several technological issues. Production
costs are one of these issues. These
production costs have been reduced for small humanoid systems that are less
than 50cm however, for human-sized robots, this reduction in cost is not
foreseeable in the near future due to research and development costs. Another issue is power. In order for these systems to coexist with
humans, they will need to have power sources that allow them to function for
several hours at a time. The HPR-4 has
developed technology that allows it to use 30% less power than previous models
(Kaneko, et.al. 2011).
At
the current pace of this technology. The
researcher believes that we will see assisted living style robots in our near
future. These systems have the potential
to provide mobility for those that have lost it due to accidents or disease and
improve their quality of life. Private
companies and universities must develop ways to reduce cost for these systems as
well as develop ways for these human-like robots to use as little power as
possible. The HRP-4 project is very
likely to be the person you ask to get your next cup of coffee and hand you
your morning paper.
Design Concept
Based
on the current pace of the humanoid robotic industry, this researcher believes
the best design for an assisted living robot will be one that has a human-like
appearance. The design concepts that
will be addressed in this design are as follows.
1) Lightweight body comparable
to the average human
2)
Price point must be attainable
3)
Power consumption must provide an eight hour run time
4)
Object manipulation must dexterity must be human-like
5)
Must be upgradable
Design Decisions
Lightweight
body design was considered in order to limit the requirement for transportation
and home modifications. By creating a
robot that is close in stature and weight to a human there should be no need to
modify current vehicles or homes where these systems are required to operate
in. This in turn will help to lower the
price point of the system due to there being no need for external equipment to
move, manipulate, house, or store this system.
Price point will also be addressed by requiring modular systems in the
design.
Power
consumption will be addressed to allow for up to eight hours of operational
time since these robots will be working closely with humans and a typical
eight-hour work day was considered. As
power is addressed, close attention will be paid to the output power of motors
used in the design both for power consumption reason as well as possible safety
issues as they will be working closely with humans.
Object
manipulation and upgradability will be considered and based on current
research, 7-DOF arms will be utilized to provide more human-like movement as well
as improved dexterity. To also aide in
dexterity, the design will consider the ability to upgrade software as
enhancements are made. This
upgradability will be addressed in the design by providing networkability of
the hardware that will allow the designer/developer to upgrade the system
remotely as well as download operational parameters to ensure proper operation
of the system.
Specifications
In order to give this design a human-like appearance and
stature based on the previous design concepts, the basic specifications considered
will be those in Table 1. The outward
appearance of this design will be similar to the HRP-4C as seen in Figure 1.
Table 1. Basic Design Specification
|
Dimension
|
Height
|
66in
|
|
|
Width
|
25in
|
|
|
Depth
|
13in
|
|
Weight
with Batteries
|
|
110lbs
|
|
D.O.F.
|
Head
|
2 DOF
|
|
|
Arm
|
2 x 7 DOF
|
|
|
Hand
|
2 x 2 DOF
|
|
|
Waist
|
2 DOF
|
|
|
Leg
|
2 x 6 DOF
|
|
|
Total
|
34 DOF
|
|
Control
System
|
|
Distributed System
|
|
Batteries
|
Type
|
NiMH
|
|
|
Specification
|
DC 48V @ 5.4Ah
|
Movement, Control, and Sensing
Walking
control can be a complex problem for biped robots due to the large number of
constraints and no fixed reference frame.
In order to provide stable motion, reaction forces have to be controlled
indirectly by the motion of the whole system.
In order to achieve the desired movement stability of this design we
will consider computations for control as outlined by Santacruz, C.,
& Nakamura, Y. (2012). Santacruz
& Nakamura propose the use of minimal energy control to generate the
desired trajectory of the system. With
this method of stabilization, the design concept will walk and follow a desired
pattern as specified by a motion pattern as well as a force pattern.
Aiding
walking will be the incorporation of sampling-based trajectory imitation also
known as Laplacian-RRT. This algorithm
will aide this design concept as it maneuvers in constrained environments
similar to a home environment. This
concept has been proven in simulation as well as in HRP-4 robot and allows for
increased convergence speed (Nierhoff, T., Hirche, S., & Nakamura, Y., 2014). Information relied on for this algorithm will
be supplied using 3D vision. 3D vision
will also assist in the design concept of vision guided homing that will allow
the design concept to incorporate hand eye coordinated movements as proven and
tested on the HARO-1 humanoid service robot (Jin,Y., & Xie, M., 2000).
New
generation tactile modules will be considered for this design concept in order
to incorporate a whole body touch sensation.
These modules will allow this robotic design to better interact with its
environment. A local processor will be
incorporated that will eliminate the need for networking and high processing
bandwidth requirements. The modules
considered have been proven and tested by Mittendorfer, P., & Cheng, G.
(2011). Mittendorfer, P., & Cheng,
G. (2011), state that the sense of touch is a large portion of our
proprioceptive system and assists us in planning tasks and motion control. The design concept considered in this paper
will benefit greatly from the use of tactile-sensing skin. Limiting this design to simple sensing
modules would create large errors in sensing object geometry and location
(Dollar, A., Jentoft, L., Gao, J., & Howe, R., 2009).
This
design concept will also consider the research of Chen, X., & Yangang, W.
(2013), regarding knowledge management systems for humanoid robots. Their design concept is based on a design
catalogue and is divided as follows.
1)
Object Catalogue comprising of specific task like movement.
2)
Operation Catalogue comprised of the working principal of the program design
3)
Solution Catalogue comprised of the solutions for specific tasks
Figure 1. The structure of design information catalogue of the
humanoid robot knowledge base. Chen, X., & Yangang, W. (2013)
Logic Design
Humanoid robots pose an
intriguing shift in our acceptance of robotic systems that we interact with on
a daily basis. By incorporating emotion
models and expressive behavior into robotic design we increase the acceptance
of these systems in our environment.
Traditionally, autonomous robots were not designed to nor any
considerations made, for them to interact with humans. Theorist argue that simple expressions such
as disgust, anger, fear, and joy serve particular biological or social
function. It has been scientifically
proven that robots that closely resemble humans in look and expression are more
readily accepted as partners rather than tools (Brezeal, C., 2003). These anthropomorphic projections are crucial
in the acceptance or rejection of the human perception that a robot is
perceived to be human-like (Tondu, B., 2012). Therefore, it is the intent of
this design concept to be as sociably human-like as possible. Figure 2 proposes that the visual design
concept intended for this project be similar to that of the HRP-4C.
Figure 2. Front views of HRP-3 (Left), HRP-4C (2nd Left), Body
Mechanism of HRP-4C (3rd Left), HRP-4 (Middle), Side views of HRP-4C (3rd
Right), HRP-2 (2nd Right), and front view of HRP-2 (Right). Kaneko, K.,
Kanehiro, F., Morisawa, M., Akachi, K., Miyamori, G., Hayashi, A., &
Kanehira, N. (2011)
Conclusion
This
paper presents the design concept of a humanoid assisted living robot. Design concepts used have been proven through
science and or research. It is the
intent of this paper to propose a design that would be easily accepted to work
in close proximity with patients, the handicapped, and or those simply
requiring assisted living. It is also
the intent of this paper to propose a theory of design and not imply that this
design in its completion is a tested design.
This researcher feels that with a collaborated effort, this design
concept could be a viable future humanoid robotic system that would easily
adapt to an assisted living roll.
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