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.

Abstract — This paper presents a novel approach to kinodynamic trajectory generation for non-circular omnidirectional platforms that can be combined with existing path planners. We use quintic Bézier splines to specify position and orientation of the holonomic robot for every point in time. To fully exploit the capabilities of the holonomic robot we propose a novel path representation. It allows for continuous variation of path shapes in the spectrum between straight-line paths with turns on the spot and smooth paths with independent rotations and translations. Using this representation our method optimizes trajectories according to a user-defined cost function, considering the constraints of the platform. This way, it generates fast and efficient trajectories in an anytime fashion. The experiments carried out on an industrial robot show that our approach generates highly efficient and smooth motion trajectories that can be tracked with high precision and predictability. Furthermore, the system operates in real-world environments containing unmapped obstacles and narrow passages. I.

A mobile system for space shuttle servicing, the Tessellator, has been configured, designed and is currently being built and integrated. Robot tasks include chemical injection and inspection of the shuttle's thermal protection system. This paper outlines tasks, rationale, and facility requirements for the development of this system. A detailed look at the mobile system and manipulator follow with a look at mechanics, electronics, and software. Salient features of the mobile robot include omnidirectionality, high reach, high stiffness and accuracy with safety and self-reliance integral to all aspects of the design. The robot system is shown to meet task, facility, and NASA requirements in its design resulting in unprecedented specifications for a mobile-manipulation system. 1. Background Automation has historically not played a role in the ground processing operations of spacecraft and space systems. In part, this has been due to scepticism regarding the viability of robotics technolo...