Task Requirements input output Reconfigurable Modular Manipulator Systems Reconfigurable Modular Manipulator System? Is Task Program executable by - VAL II - C code - .... - D-H parameters - Material specifications - Motor speicifications - Module specifications - positions/orientations - force application - accuracy - dexterity - obstacles - .... Figure 1: Definition of a general purpose manipulator. also the notion of the user writing device (or manipulator) independent code. The RMMS raises several theoretical issues and it is our aim to address one of these in this paper. Specifically, we describe a design methodology that accepts a task specification as its input, determines a kinematic configuration of the desired manipulator and selects the modules to create this manipulator. In order to support the current practice of picking the best configuration amongst available robots, several expert systems have been built to aid the user or the applications development engineer [15]. A s...

Robot configuration design is hampered by the lack of established, well-known design rules, and designers cannot easily grasp the space of possible designs and the impact of all design variables on a robot’s performance. Realistically, a human can only design and evaluate several candidate configurations, though there may be thousands of competitive designs that should be investigated. In contrast, an automated approach to configuration synthesis can create tens of thousands of designs and measure the performance of each one without relying on previous experience or design rules. This thesis creates Darwin2K, an extensible, automated system for robot configuration synthesis. This research focuses on the development of synthesis capabilities required for many robot design problems: a flexible and effective synthesis algorithm, useful simulation capabilities, appropriate representation of robots and their properties, and the ability to accomodate application-specific synthesis needs. Darwin2K can synthesize and optimize kinematics, dynamics, structural geometry, actuator selection, and task and control parameters for a wide range of robots.

The application of robots in critical missions in hazardous environments requires the development of reliable or fault tolerant manipulators. In this paper, we define fault tolerance as the ability to continue the performance of a task after immobilization of a joint due to failure. Initially, no joint limits are considered, in which case we prove the existence of fault tolerant manipulators and develop an analysis tool to determine the fault tolerant work space. We also derive design templates for spatial fault tolerant manipulators. When joint limits are introduced, analytic solutions become infeasible but instead a numerical design procedure can be used, as is illustrated through an example.

There exists a need for manipulators that are more flexible and reliable than the current fixed configuration manipulators. Indeed, robot manipulators can be easily reprogrammed to perform different tasks, yet the range of tasks that can be performed by a manipulator is limited by its mechanical structure. In remote and hazardous environments, such as a nuclear facility or a space station, the range of tasks that may need to be performed often exceeds the capabilities of a single manipulator. Moreover, it is essential that critical tasks be executed reliably in these environments. To address this need for a more flexible and reliable manipulator, we propose the concept of a rapidly deployable fault tolerant manipulator system. Such a system combines a Reconfigurable Modular Manipulator System (RMMS) with support software for rapid programming, trajectory planning, and control. This allows the user to rapidly configure a fault tolerant manipulator custom-tailored for a given task. This ...

I would like to thank my two advisors, Dr. Robert Sturges, Jr. and Dr. William “Red ” Whittaker for guiding my research. Bob has provided key technical insights, has critically read through severals drafts of this work and has made himself readily accessible. Red has provided both the finincial backing for this work and a far-reaching vision of the future of robotics and this work. My thesis owes much to this unique combination of advisors. I would also like to thank the other members of my dissertation committee, Dr. Dwight Baumann, Dr. Jonathan Cagan and Mr. John Wiss for their technical counsel and critical reviews of this work. I would also like to thank Dr. Subhas Desa for starting me down the road that has led to this thesis. I would not have been able to have done this work without the support of the CMU planetary rover group. This group has both generously given of their time and assistance. In addition, it was through the needs of this group that the need for this work first became apparent. In particular, I would like to thank Dr. Eric Krotkov, Dr. Reid Simmons and Mr. Kevin Dowling for their support. Much of this work was done under NASA contracts to CMU. I wish to thank Mr.