Abstract

In modern society one of the promising directions of development of technology is automation, whose goals are the increasing of productivity, improvement of product quality, the optimization of control, the achievement of providing human security by eliminating the human factor in the control in hazardous occupations. Automation, with the exception of the simplest cases, requires an integrated, systemic approach to solving the problem [1]. The use of robots can facilitate human's activity not only in industry, research, but also in everyday life.

An autonomous system can be built either as a single unified mechanism or consist of multiple components. Each component can be an individually functioning machine, but all the components together are used for a particular purpose. The advantages of block construction of the system are undeniable. In the case of large machinery each of it's functional units is a single unit, which performs a task. One block in the case of a single mechanism has no practical application separate from the whole system . The big advantages of this kind of construction are: easy maintenance, rapid fault diagnosis and replacement of faulty blocks. This reduces repair time. The disadvantage of this organization is the complexity of building such system.

Another example of a block system is construction of robot organism, each part of which is an independent functional unit that is capable of performing any task independently. But the functionality of each part is reduced. The best flexibility is achieved only when all components work together.

Building a system of so–called swarm robotics is the purpose of the project Symbrion Replicator. The Bildverstehen department of Institute of parallel and distributed systems, University of Stuttgart is involved in this project.

According to the contract between the Bildverstehen department and the DonNTU the accomplishment of my Master's thesis will be held in Stuttgart and the work itself will be aimed at making a useful contribution to the project Symbrion Replicator. The main focus of these projects is to investigate and develop novel principles of adaptation and evolution for symbiotic multi–robot organisms based on bio–inspired approaches and modern computing paradigms. Such robot organisms consist of super–large–scale swarms of robots, which can dock with each other and symbiotically share energy and computational resources within a single artificial–life–form. When it is advantageous to do so, these swarm robots can dynamically aggregate into one or many symbiotic organisms and collectively interact with the physical world via a variety of sensors and actuators [1].

The bio–inspired evolutionary paradigms combined with robot embodiment and swarm–emergent phenomena, enable the organisms to autonomously manage their own hardware and software organization. In this way, artificial robotic organisms become self–configuring, self–healing, self–optimizing and self–protecting from both hardware and software perspectives. This leads not only to extremely adaptive, evolve–able and scalable robotic systems, but also enables robot organisms to reprogram themselves without human supervision and for new, previously unforeseen, functionality to emerge. In addition, different symbiotic organisms may co–evolve and cooperate with each other and with their environment [1].

The description of project leads to a number of tasks, which must be solved. Preliminary theme of master's thesis is the system organization of the sensor complex of the robot organism. The goal of work is achievement of united sensory complex. The tasks are: determine the most optimal structure of the system, following the block method of system's construction, meet the requirements regarding the size of the elements and their power consumption.

When you create an adaptive robots machine vision systems play extremely significant role among the possible means of sensitization play machine vision systems, providing the perception of the video about the environment, automatic image processing and analysis in order to form control instructions of robot in the process of its work [2].

A robot’s ability to sense its world and change its behavior on that basis is what makes a robot an interesting thing to build and a useful artifact when it is completed. Without sensors, robots would be nothing more than fixed automation, going through the same repetitive task again and again in a carefully controlled environment. Such devices certainly have their place and are often the right economic solution. But with good sensors, robots have the potential to do so much more. They can operate in unstructured environments and adapt as the environment changes around them. They can work in dirty dangerous places where there are no humans to keep the world safe for them. They can interact with us and with each other to work as parts of teams. They can inspire our imaginations and lead us to build devices that not so long ago were purely in the realms of fiction. Sensors are what makes it all possible [3].

Automation requires the use of a variety of sensors, input devices, control devices, output devices, actuators. Sensory systems are the main source of information for automated systems, enabling them to process the data obtained about the world, control functions, optimize its own structure. Development of more optimal organization of sensory systems is an important direction in improving automated systems. Robotics, which is engaged in the construction of such systems, in our time remains a challenging and urgent.

Building of a sensory system as a separate block – is a planning contribution to project. In this case, this unit will be flexible enough in their physical properties. A possible scientific novelty will be the construction of the so–called sensory skin, which by sensor fusion (combining of sensory data or data derived from sensory data from disparate sources such that the resulting information is in some sense better than would be possible when these sources were used individually [7]) will provide each component of the body with necessary information and at the same time due to its flexible structure will also serve a protective function.

At this point of time was carried out an analysis of existing IR sensors, but the optimal variant, which provides the necessary range of detection has not been chosen yet. A comparison of different microprocessors was also carried out, whose destination is in the collection of data from all sensory systems. The best option is also not selected because the structure of sensors is not approved yet.

Further investigation and the search for the optimal result will be held directly in the Stuttgart University in July 2010.

During writing this abstract the master work was not finished yet. Final completion: December 2010. Full text can be obtained from the author or his teacher аfter that date.

1. Official web–site of project Symbrion Replicator [Электронный ресурс]/ – Электронные данные – Режим доступа: http://www.symbrion.eu/tiki–index.php , свободный – Загл. с экрана

2. Техническое зрение роботов / В.И. Мошкин, А.А. Петров, В.С. Титов, В.Г. Якушенков. – М.: Машиностроение, 1990.–272 с.

3. Everett H.R., Sensors for Mobile Robots: Theory and Application. – Wellesley (MA): A.K. Peters, Ltd, 1995. – 528 p.

4. Brooks R., Iyengar S. Multi–sensor fusion: fundamentals and applications with software. Prentice– Hall PTR. – 1998 – 416 p.

5. Mongi A. Abidi, Rafael C. Gonzalez. Data fusion in robotics and machine intelligence. – Academic Press, Inc., 1992. – 546 p.

6. Коваль В. «Злиття структурованого світла і відеокамери для управління мобільним роботом», «Искусственный интеллект» 1’2004, УДК 681.3

7. Sensor Fusion [Электронный ресурс]/ – Электронные данные – Режим доступа: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sensor_fusion , свободный – Загл. с экрана