WorkPartner: Interactive Human-Like Service Robot for Outdoor Applications

Abstract

WorkPartner is the prototype of a lightweight human-like mobile service robot designed to work interactively with humans in an outdoor environment. The tasks are similar to those a human can do and the robot may replace or work together with him/her. Mobility is based on a hybrid system, which combines the benefits of both legs and wheels to provide good terrain negotiating capability and large velocity range on variable ground. The robot is powered by a hybrid power system with electrical actuating and energy storage in the form of gasoline. The robot is equipped with a human-like two-hand manipulator. The long-term goal is to develop an adaptive and learning robot, which can carry different tools and work interactively with humans. The user or operator can be physically present on the same site as the robot and communicate with it by using speech and gestures, or he can use telepresence from a distant place and communicate via the Internet. In each case, communication takes place via a new type of user interface based on multimedia and cognition. In this paper we describe the mechatronic structure, the functional subsystems and motion control principles of the robot, as well as discuss the challenges of the development project.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Aarnio P., Koskinen, K., and Ylönen, S. 2001. Using simulation during development of combined manipulator and hybrid locomotion platform . In Proceedings of Field and Service Robotics FSR 2001, 11-13 June, Espoo, Finland.

Ambrose, R. O.et al. 2000. Robonaut: NASA's Space Humanoid. IEEE Intelligent Systems and Their Application 57-62.

Forsman, P. 2001. Three-dimensional localization and mapping of static environments by means of mobile perception, PhD Thesis, HUT Automation Technology Laboratory. Series A: Research Report No 23 (see http://lib.hut.fi/Diss/index.htm).

Halme, A., Leppänen, I., and Salmi, S. 1999. Development of WorkPartner robot—design of actuating and motion control system . In CLAWAR'99 2nd International Conference on Climbing and Walking Robots, 11-13 September, Portsmouth, UK.

Halme, A., Leppänen, I., Salmi, S., and Ylönen, S. 2001. Hybrid locomotion of the WorkPartner Service Robot . In Proceedings of Field and Service Robotics FSR 2001, 11-13 June, Espoo, Finland.

Kauppi, I., Blom, M., and Lehtinen, H. 2001. Motion control for autonomous vehicle application . In Proceedings of Field and Service Robotics FSR 2001, 11-13 June, Espoo, Finland.

Leppänen, I., Salmi, S., and Halme, A. 1998. WorkPartner, HUT Automation's new hybrid walking machine . In CLAWAR'98 First International Symposium, 26-28 November, Brussels, Belgium.

Selkäinaho, J. 2002. Adaptive Autonomous Navigation of Mobile Robots in Unknown Environments, PhD Thesis, Helsinki University of Technology, Automation Technology Laboratory . Series A: Research Report No 24 (see http://lib.hut.fi/Diss/index.htm).

Suomela, J., and Halme, A. 2002. Novel interactive control interface for centaur-like service robot . In Proceedings of the 15th IFAC World Congress on Automatic Control, Barcelona, Spain.

Supplementary Material

Please find the following supplemental material available below.

For Open Access articles published under a Creative Commons License, all supplemental material carries the same license as the article it is associated with.

For non-Open Access articles published, all supplemental material carries a non-exclusive license, and permission requests for re-use of supplemental material or any part of supplemental material shall be sent directly to the copyright owner as specified in the copyright notice associated with the article.

0.00 MB