Dexterous Manipulation for Automation Systems Project

This project will provide manufacturers, integrators, and end-users of next generation robot systems with new performance metrics and test methods to gauge the dexterity, operational capabilities, and safety features of dexterous manipulators. Robots currently have far less dexterity than humans. This deficiency has led to the industry practice of custom-building robot systems and associated end-effectors and fixturing for each task, which greatly increases product changeover time and cost.  Next-generation robot systems will be more flexible with multiple degrees of freedom and will provide a level of versatility and control closer to that of a human.  This should enable much more rapid retasking. In addition, this next-generation of robotic manipulators, through new safety standards, will be able to work in a collaborative environment, creating the potential for more sophisticated human/robot automated operations.

Objective:

To develop and implement new measurement science to enable dexterous manipulation and safety of next generation robots that work collaboratively with humans by 2014.

What is the new technical idea?

NIST will provide robot manufacturers, integrators, and end-users with measurement tools and associated test methodologies to measure force based robot control characteristics allowing robot manufactures to verify their robots' operation, and integrators and manufacturers to verify the ability of a robot to meet application requirements. Next generation robots will implement force based control strategies for operations that include: 1) power and force limiting (PFL), a mode of collaboration where a robot is allowed to contact a human and still maintain automatic operation provided the robot limits forces on the human to within a documented set of biomechanical requirements; 2) assembly operations, where parts are oriented, aligned, inserted and fastened to result in a final product; and 3) part grasping, where universal robotic hands that closely mimic human hand operation must fully constrain a part for maximum stability and ease of manipulation without the aid of custom fixturing. NIST will work closely with industry to define new advanced assembly tasks and collaborative operations as robot technologies advance.

What is the research plan?

The research plan takes into account the expected needs of industry as next-generation robot technologies emerge. Performance evaluation of PFL will be addressed first since ISO has just released new robot safety standards (ISO 10218) that support human/robot collaboration and robot manufacturers are producing prototype robots that use these standards for collaborative operation. Next, advanced assembly performance measurements will be addressed since standard robot gripping technologies can be used to accomplish these operations, force based assembly operations are currently available for industrial robots, and the new collaborative robot prototypes are being developed for assembly applications. Finally, as more capable robotic hands become available, performance metrics for part grasping will be addressed. The plan includes the following tasks:

1. Develop a prototype measurement system to gauge the forces and pressures exerted by a robot allowing industry to test robot compliance to ISO 10218 power and force limiting safety standards. Perform proof of concept and validation testing of this measurement system through collaborative efforts with robot manufacturers. Seek alternative system designs to better replicate biomechanical requirements in support of ISO 10218 and ISO/TS 15066 activities.
   
2. Survey industry on the current state and future direction of manipulation technologies for advanced manipulation, autonomous assembly, and collaborative applications working to establish new robot standards in the area of dexterous manipulation. Work with industry to develop collaborative manipulation strategies for human-robot or robot-robot operations through interactions with manufacturing industries and using the capabilities of emerging robot manipulation technology.
   
3. Develop a measurement system for robot assembly operations for use by industry. Identify a base-line set of assembly tasks associated with commercially available off-the-shelf robot systems and assembly options that use force based control algorithms and develop a prototype independent measurement system for force based assembly tasks. Develop more advanced assembly tasks using new robot technologies in collaborative environments and associated measurement technology (requires procurement of advanced assembly robot)
4.  Develop a prototype measurement system to gauge the performance of grasping for universal robotic hands, the next-generation of robot end-effector technology. The system will address both hand manipulator kinematics as well as grasp algorithms (requires procurement of advanced universal robotic hand).
   

Major Accomplishments

Recent Results: 

Outputs

1. Completed preliminary design of PFL measurement device under SERI funding.
2. Produced the first working draft of ISO/PDTS 15066 Robots and Robotic Devices – Collaborative Robots – Power and Force Limiting in cooperation with Heartland Robotics and the German Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (IFA).
3. Collaborated with Heartland Robotics in the formulation of requirements for a measurement device for evaluating power and force limiting capabilities of robots.
4. Documentation: Bostelman, Falco, "Survey of Industrial Manipulation Technologies for Autonomous Assembly Applications", NIST IR – in WERB Review.
5. Awarded 2012 EL Exploratory Project: A Force Measurement Device for Measuring the Power and force Limiting Safety Capabilities of Robots.
6. Developed a tool change system and integrated force and vision sensing on the NIST Robot Testbed.
   

Standards and Codes:

1. In collaboration with the Safety of Human-Robot Collaboration Systems project, contribute to the following robot safety standards in the area of Power and Force Limiting and collaborative strategies:

• ISO 10218-1 Safety Requirements – Part 1: Robot
• ISO 10218-2 Safety Requirements – Part 2: Industrial robot systems and integration
• ISO/TS 15066 Robots and robotic devices – Collaborative Robots
  
• RIA/ANSI R15.06— Industrial Robots and Robot Systems - Safety Requirements
  

2. Working with industry and the Robotics Industries Association (RIA) to identify new robot performance standards activities that will address next-generation robotics. The standards below have been identified as standards in need of revision. New standards may also be initiated as this project progresses.

• ISO 9283-1998 Manipulating industrial robots – Performance criteria and related test methods
• ISO 8373-1994 Manipulating industrial robots – Vocabulary
• RIA/ANSI R15.05, parts 1 to 3 (the U.S. counterparts to ISO 9283).