Autonomous Construction of Separated Artifacts by Mobile Robots Using SLAM and Stigmergy

Autonomous mobile robots equipped with arms have the potential to be used for automated construction of structures in various sizes and shapes, such as houses or other infrastructures. Existing construction processes, like many other additive manufacturing processes, are mostly based on precise positioning, which is achieved by machines that have a fixed mechanical link with the construction and therefore relying on absolute positioning. Mobile robots, by nature, do not have a fixed referential point, and their positioning systems are not as accurate as fixed-based systems. Therefore, mobile robots have to employ new technologies and/or methods to implement precise construction processes. In contrast to the majority of prior work on autonomous construction that has relied only on external tracking systems (e.g., GPS) or exclusively on short-range relative localization (e.g., stigmergy), this paper explores localization methods based on a combination of long-range self-positioning and short-range relative localization for robots to construct precise, separated artifacts in particular situations, such as in outer space or in indoor environments, where external support is not an option. Achieving both precision and autonomy in construction tasks requires understanding the environment and physically interacting with it. Consequently, we must evaluate the robot’s key capabilities of navigation and manipulation for performing the construction in order to analyze the impact of these capabilities on a predefined construction. In this paper, we focus on the precision of autonomous construction of separated artifacts. This domain motivates us to combine two methods used for the construction: 1) a self-positioning system and 2) a short-distance relative localization. We evaluate our approach on a miniature mobile robot that autonomously maps an environment using a simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) algorithm; the robot’s objective is then to manipulate blocks to build desired artifacts based on a plan given by a human. Our results illuminate practical issues for future applications that also need to integrate complex tasks under mobile robot constraints.

Autonomous Construction by a Mobile Robot in Unknown Environments with Scarce Resources

Thierry Barras, Michael Bonani, Daniel Burnier, Valentin Longchamp, Stéphane Magnenat, Francesco Mondada, Philippe Rétornaz, Frédéric Rochat, Patrick Schoeneich, Florian Christopher Vaussard, Martin Voelkle

Autonomous construction by mobile robots would be useful in various situations, such as in outer space, in hazardous environments, but also for the building industry. Current works tackle simplified scenarios where environment is flat and resources readily available; moreover robots build simple structures. However, target applications would feature complex 3D environments, remote resources, and would require the construction of multi-layer structures of various types. In this poster, we show our current work in pursuing a step toward such applications. We propose a simple experimental setup where a miniature mobile robot senses its environment and finds the right course of action to build structures. Resources are remote, requiring the robot to first locate them, then to create a way to fetch them and finally to build the structure. The robot performs SLAM to build a map and uses an HTN planner to choose its actions. It manipulates its environment through a magnetic gripper.

2010

Indoor Navigation Research with the Khepera III Mobile Robot: An Experimental Baseline with a Case-study on Ultra-wideband Positioning

Adrian Arfire, Alexander Bahr, John Farserotu, Alcherio Martinoli, Amanda Stella Markowska Prorok

Recent substantial progress in the domain of indoor positioning systems and a growing number of indoor location-based applications are creating the need for systematic, efficient, and precise experimental methods able to assess the localization and perhaps also navigation performance of a given device. With hundreds of Khepera III robots in academic use today, this platform has an important potential for single- and multi-robot localization and navigation research. In this work, we develop a necessary set of models for mobile robot navigation with the Khepera III platform, and quantify the robot’s localization performance based on extensive experimental studies. Finally, we validate our experimental approach to localization research by considering the evaluation of an ultra-wideband (UWB) positioning system. We successfully show how the robotic platform can provide precise performance analyses, ultimately proposing a powerful approach towards advancements in indoor positioning technology.

2010

Are Autonomous Mobile Robots Able to Take Over Construction? A Review

Hadi Ardiny, Francesco Mondada, Stefan John Witwicki

Although construction has been known as a highly complex application field for autonomous robotic systems, recent advances in this field offer great hope for using robotic capabilities to develop automated construction. Today, space research agencies seek to build infrastructures without human intervention, and construction companies look to robots with the potential to improve construction quality, efficiency, and safety, not to mention flexibility in architectural design. However, unlike production robots used, for instance, in automotive industries, autonomous robots should be designed with special consideration for challenges such as the complexity of the cluttered and dynamic working space, human-robot interactions and inaccuracy in positioning due to the nature of mobile systems and the lack of affordable and precise self-positioning solutions. This paper briefly reviews state-ofthe-art research into automated construction by autonomous mobile robots. We address and classify the relevant studies in terms of applications, materials, and robotic systems. We also identify ongoing challenges and discuss about future robotic requirements for automated construction.

2015