Collaborative Robotics and e-Work

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PRISM Lab/Purdue

Collaborative Robotics and e-Work

S.Y. Nof

PRISM Center

Production, Robotics, and Integration Software for Mfg. & Management

Purdue University, W. Lafayette, IN

“Cutting Edge research in Robotics”

Rosemont IL, June 2003

1. e-Work and collaboration (“Smart Teams”) 2. Error recovery, conflict resolution

3. Fault tolerance in sensor arrays -- FTTP 4. Assembly-and-Test networks

5. Emerging challenges

ISR ISR

2003 2003

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2 ^{PRISM Lab/}^Purdue

e-Work definition [PRISM, 1999]

• Collaborative, computer-supported, and

communication-enabled operations in highly distributed organizations of humans / robots / autonomous systems

• Our goal: Augment human abilities to work

• Challenges: ^• ^Complexity • ^Dependence • ^Integrity

• Communication • Coordination • ^Noise • ^Mismatch … e e - - W o r k W o r k

v-Design _e-Commerceê-Business _RoboticsÎ- _v-Factoryê-Mfg. ^Logisticsê- _Enterprise^v-

...

i-Tran

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PRISM Lab/Purdue Supply grid

planner Performance

monitor Resource

broker

Cost optimizer

VR-based

tutor Collaboration matcher

GriTeam Functions

Archive sharing Collaborative eng. Scientific research.

e-Learning/

e-Tutoring

The NMI middleware platform GriTeam Services and Toolkit

Resource Broker

GRAM

Grid components

GRAM

Grid components

GRAM

Grid components

OPT I OPT I OPT I

Examples: M.E.N optimization, scalability; MEMS sensor arrays/networks; GriTeam; FDL-CDR

Design Design Supply Supply Logistics Logistics Production Production Design

Design Supply Supply Logistics Logistics Production Production Enterprise i

1. Comm.

2. Exchange 3^.Integrate Coordina-

tion

Enterprise j Enterprise j Level

ATC, IN21stC, AAE+CS+IE+ME Tokyo--

Osaka Italy—S.A.

PU+Chile+

Japan

PU, UIC, ANL, IBM

GM, Tecnomatix, Adept

Enterprise k Enterprise k

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4

Task Administration Protocols (Regular; Active)

Definition (different from std. Comm. protocols):

• Control rules that enable effective collaboration among agents and tasks

• Active TAP: Can trigger and initiate

interactions to optimize performance

Ex. in e-Work: Time-out; negotiation; assignment

• TIE (Teamwork Integration Evaluator) Parallel

simulators

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Overview of TIE development

Sponsors: NSF, IBM, Caterpillar, SGI,

TAP, Tecnomatix, ATC, State of Indiana

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e-Work : Foundations, Tools, and Emerging Discoveries

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Cost of Error Recovery / Conflict Resolution

0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

Number of Iterations

Cost

s=0.1 s=0.2 s=0.3 s=0.4 s=0.5 s=0.6 s=0.7 s=0.8 s=0.9

Increases

exponentially when human

communications and operations are

applied (assuming q=0.2)

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

Number of Iterations

Cost

s=0.1 s=0.2 s=0.3 s=0.4 s=0.5 s=0.6 s=0.7 s=0.8 s=0.9

Reaches an upper bound

when IT is Applied

(assuming q=0.0)

q = % of human involvement S = rate of conflicts

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Example: Robotic assembly cell Detectable task errors:

1) Bad position of gripper, of part, of assembly base

2) Bad part orientation

3) Part arrives in incorrect order to the pick-up area

4) Part or assembly base is missing

EDPR: Error Diagnostics, Prevention, Recovery

What’s new?

Machine learning to improve diagnostics and

recovery strategies, success probability

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Recovery Strategy

Sensor Data File

Help Request with Advisory Action

Sensor Information

Assistance Recovery

Order

Sensing

Operations and Recovery Actions R

o b o t

Production Process

NEFUSER: Neuro-Fuzzy System for Error Recovery Human-robot-computer Recovery Interactions

Controller

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Computer-Supported Conflict Resolution

Example: FDL’s Field-of-View Evaluation function

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Operation Logic of FDL/CR

Detection of conflict situation

Activation of FDL-CR

Identification of type of conflict situation

Run GMCR software

for CM and CA of C(j) j = {d, f, r, v}

j = f ? Develop product flow

analysis for CR

Develop dependency analysis for CR

Update of FDL facility model Y

N

Y

N

Run inference system for CC Y

N CM and CA = Y ? CM and CA = X ?

Graph Model of Conflict

Resolution

Id. conflict type Run FDL/CR

Product flow analysis

Inference system CAE tools

Dependency

analysis

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Yes

No

Task assignment &

global execution plan Cooperation

Requirement Planning

Cell and robot Control Systems

Error

?

Interactive Error Recovery

End

Conflict? Conflict

Resolution

Yes

No Begin

Error Types:

Logistics Design Operation Other …

Conflict Types:

Design Supply Cost

Organization Other .…

Robotic Assembly: Framework for cooperation

requirement planning with conflict resolution

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Alternative MEMS and Nano Sensor Arrays / Networks

Optimized along an Artery for Measurement and Control

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B₁

B₂

B₃

…

B_n S₁

Y

…

Knowledge Base Sensor Nodes Base Station

Y

Y Y

Rerouting task announcement message S₂

S_n S₃

B₁empty

&& t >=T

B₁empty

&& t >=T

B₁empty

&& t >=T

B₁empty

&& t >=T

Logic combination of F-T and T-O

Sensor Node

ID

Backup Node

Transmission Delay Time

1 2

…

n

…

1,4,5

T₁

…

2,3,4

T₂

T_n 1,2,n-1

Knowledge Base

Fault-tolerant time-out protocol (FTTP)

Patent Pending

(

Liu & Nof, 2002)

Distributed Sensor Network / Arrays:

Fault-Tolerant & Time-Out Integration Protocols*

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Assembly & Test – The Supply Network/Grid

Suppl

iers Customers

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Use Adaptable TestLAN, with preferred adaptation

characteristics of 0.2 ≤ ∆ ≤ 0.4, ε

_β

, β

_{= 30}

3. Inter-arrival patterns with it

¹

<< it

²

...<< it

ⁿ

and periodic demand fluctuations or design changes

Use Non-adaptable TestLAN

2. Inter-arrival patterns such that it

¹

<< it

²

...<< it

ⁿ

and few demand fluctuations or design changes

Use Non-TestLAN 1. Job classes having similar

inter-arrival patterns

Actions Based on this Research

Conditions

Assembly & Test: Adaptable TestLAN design

recommendations (Williams et al., 2003)

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Smart Robotics Teams: Challenges

1. Optimized coordination of e-Work interactions is key to competitiveness

2. Manage errors, conflicts, and interactions’

complexity among team robots

3. Next generation collaborative robotics will depend on fault-tolerant, time-out

integration, e.g., FTTP

4. Smart robotic teams will be able to interact even better than human teams

Other ideas?

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The PRISM Center: Production, Robotics, and Integration Software / Systems for manufacturing & Management

Established in 1991, main lab: Grissom 126; sponsored by government and industry, over

$7.5 mil. total

Graduated 28 MS/PhD students; 12 BSIE honors students; 8 international visitors. Current:

12 faculty and students researchers

Center Objective: Apply computer intelligence to most effectively improve the performance of industrial systems, particularly by computer-

supported integration and collaboration. This area has been defined by PRISM as e-Work. Collaborative robotics is a key to e-Work.

Assembly & Inspection Integration Engineering & Design Collaboration

Distributed Models of Networked Enterprises

International projects

http://gilbreth.ecn.purdue.edu/~prism Contact: [email protected]

Main Project Areas:

Collaborative Robotics and e-Work