Bio-inspired robot control systems for space application

用于太空应用的仿生机器人控制系统

• 批准号: 355488-2008
• 负责人: Ellery, Alexander
• 金额: $ 1.31万
• 依托单位: Carleton University
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2009
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2009-01-01 至 2010-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=431602
• 关键词: Bio; inspired; robot; control; systems

Robotic systems for space application require enhanced autonomy with minimal human interaction. Although much emphasis in robotics has been at the cognitive level, more recent emphasis has been in situated robotics with mixed success but which has reached a limit in scaling to more complex behaviours. A biomimetic approach provides another level of investigation - in biological animals, morphological structures have co-evolved with their control structures. Indeed, structural and mechanical configuration in biological systems is exploited by the control system. Furthermore, the interaction of the organism with its environment is the driver of biological evolution (as this defines survival until procreation). This aspect of agent-environment interaction has been much neglected yet it is fundamental in biology. Part of this neglect results from different materials used in biology and engineering - engineering materials are designed for stiffness to deformation while biological materials evolved with toughness to fracture. Structural and mechanical compliance is exploited by biological systems as a dynamic buffer to physical interaction with the environment. Such dynamic interaction forces would otherwise be chaotic as inherent time delays of feedback control loops generate instabilities. Feedforward mechanisms are also exploited in biology to act as predictors but these also have limitations. Furthermore, biological systems make use of multiple control loops including tight control loops in which the concept of sensor and actuator are blurred during exploratory activity. This program of research seeks to further understand these aspects of robot-environment interaction by exploiting lessons from biology, thereby generating more robust autonomous robotic space systems. This will be applied to manipulators, rovers, sample acquisition devices and deployable scientific instruments for space application due to the need for remote but robust and adaptive autonomy. There are several approaches to be exploited which shall be be explored in this research programme.

用于空间应用的机器人系统需要增强自主权，而人类相互作用最少。尽管机器人技术的强调已经存在于认知水平，但最近的重点是具有不同成功的机器人技术，但在扩展到更复杂的行为方面已达到了限制。仿生方法提供了另一种研究水平 - 在生物动物中，形态结构与其对照结构共同发展。实际上，控制系统利用了生物系统中的结构和机械构型。此外，生物体与环境的相互作用是生物进化的驱动力（这定义了生存直到生育）。代理环境相互作用的这一方面已被忽略了，但它在生物学中却至关重要。这种忽视的一部分是由生物学和工程中使用的不同材料引起的 - 工程材料旨在刚度变形，而生物材料则以韧性为破裂。生物系统利用结构和机械合规性作为与环境的物理相互作用的动态缓冲。这种动态相互作用力否则将是混乱的，因为反馈控制回路的固有时间延迟会产生不稳定性。进餐机制在生物学中也被利用为预测因子，但也有局限性。此外，生物系统利用多个控制回路，包括紧密的控制循环，其中传感器和执行器在探索活动期间被模糊。该研究计划旨在通过从生物学中利用课程来进一步了解机器人环境相互作用的这些方面，从而产生更强大的自主机器人空间系统。由于需要远程但强大且适应性的自主权，这将应用于机械手，流浪者，样本采集设备和可部署的科学工具。有几种可以利用的方法，应在本研究计划中探讨。