Advanced Robotics for Custom Engineering Solutions

𝐀𝐒𝐂𝐄 𝐢𝟑𝐂𝐄 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓 𝐔𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 13 𝐚𝐧𝐝 14 Two outstanding presentations by Xiayu Zhao, highlighting innovative research at the convergence of artificial intelligence, robotics, and construction site inspection. 𝐋𝐋𝐌-𝐃𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐒𝐚𝐟𝐞 𝐑𝐨𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐍𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐒𝐢𝐭𝐞: 𝐀 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐭 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐓𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧-𝐀𝐝𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐏𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 Xiayu showcased a brilliant presentation on a cutting-edge framework harnessing Large Language Models to enable robots to comprehend natural language instructions and navigate safely through construction environments. The structured prompt engineering approach—fusing Landmarks, Motion Constraints, and Terrains—yielded remarkable results with an 83.3% navigation success rate while consistently maintaining a 0.8m safety buffer from obstacles. The system demonstrated 90% accuracy interpreting complex spatial commands during extensive testing in a 20m × 40m simulated site featuring diverse terrain conditions. This represents a significant stride toward enhanced safety and autonomous operation in construction inspection scenarios. 𝐇𝐲𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐝 𝐔𝐀𝐕-𝐔𝐆𝐕 𝐒𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐌𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐌𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢-𝐓𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐒𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 In a second compelling presentation, Xiayu introduced an ingenious modular hybrid system where a UAV transports and deploys three specialized UGV modules—wheeled units for flat surfaces, tracked configurations for rough terrain, and multi-legged systems for stairs and level changes—using a custom-designed undercarriage mechanism. Simulation testing revealed an exceptional 98.2% autonomous docking success rate, with minimal positional deviations of just ±2.8-3.8 cm across various terrain challenges. This clever integration of aerial capability with terrain-specific ground mobility represents a transformative advancement for thorough and risk-reduced construction site assessment. Congratulations to Xiayu for advancing the boundaries of intelligent navigation and inspection technologies in construction robotics. Watch for these pioneering studies in the upcoming ASCE i3CE 2025 Proceedings!

The 20 second video you are watching is a FIRST robot programmed by students and mentors of Team 1501 all autonomously, yes it's moving itself with vision, sensor and feedback controls programmed in JAVA. FIRST Robotics is great for Pre-Controls Engineering students, because of the motion control system and closed loop systems you get to work on while you are in high school. I enjoy teaching and mentoring how PID tuning works with my high school students. Let's break this machine down so Engineering people can appreciate this. ➡️ The drive train is call Swerve Drive. Swerve drive is a sophisticated drivetrain used in FIRST Robotics that allows a robot to move in any direction without needing to change its orientation. It consists of independently rotating wheels mounted on swerve modules, which can pivot 360 degrees. ➡️ The vision system uses April Tags. AprilTags are a type of visual fiducial marker used in FIRST Robotics for localization and navigation. Each AprilTag consists of a unique black-and-white pattern that can be detected by cameras, allowing robots to identify their position and orientation relative to the tags. When a robot's camera captures an image, software processes the image to recognize the tags, determining their distance and angle based on the size and position of the detected tags. Some teams use an OpenSource system called "Photonvision" and other use an off the shelf product called "Limelights." https://photonvision.org/ https://lnkd.in/dJ-APGiM ➡️ Swerve Drive and AprilTags can be integrated to create a closed-loop Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) fusion system that enhances a robot's navigation and control capabilities. The IMU provides real-time data on the robot's acceleration and angular velocity, while AprilTags offer precise positional information through visual recognition. ➡️Encoders: These sensors are attached to the wheels or motors to measure the rotation and speed of each wheel. They provide precise feedback on the robot's movement, allowing for accurate control of speed and position. ➡️Lidar or Ultrasonic Sensors: These distance sensors can help detect obstacles and measure the distance to nearby objects. They are useful for avoiding collisions and navigating around the field. ➡️Cameras: In addition to detecting AprilTags, cameras can be used for visual processing tasks, such as recognizing game elements or tracking other robots. They can provide additional context for navigation. ➡️Gyroscope: While the IMU typically includes a gyroscope, having a dedicated gyroscope can improve angular velocity measurements, aiding in more accurate orientation tracking. ➡️Accelerometer: This sensor measures linear acceleration, which, when combined with gyroscope data, can enhance the robot's ability to understand its motion dynamics. ➡️Magnetometer: This sensor can provide heading information relative to the Earth's magnetic field, helping to correct drift in orientation measurements over time.

Caltech engineers have introduced ATMO (Aerially Transforming Morphobot), a groundbreaking robot that shifts mid-air from a flying drone to a wheeled rover. Advancing their earlier M4 model, ATMO addresses the challenge of seamless transitions on real-world terrain. Unlike other hybrid robots, it folds its propeller-wheels downward before landing, enabling stable “dynamic wheel landings” on uneven surfaces. A central motor and joint system, paired with an advanced algorithm, adjusts propeller thrust in real-time for flight stability, while belt drives and differential steering power its rover mode. Published in Communications Engineering, this innovation could transform exploration, search and rescue, and planetary missions by enhancing multi-modal robotics. #Robot #airobots #Robots #ATMO #TransformingRobot #CaltechInnovation #MultiModalRobotics

Generative AI is evolving so quickly and it's moving quickly beyond just LLMs, this is an amazing demonstration of supervised learning with what TRI is calling a LBM (Large Behavioral Model) to rapidly train robots to do complex tasks. This is all the way from Sept 2023, but is a great insight to where robotics is currently at with state of the art AI. To dig into this a little more, robots are trained in complex skills using a Diffusion Policy, marking significant progress towards creating "Large Behavior Models" akin to the transformative Large Language Models in AI conversations. CEO Gill Pratt emphasizes this method's efficiency and performance, enhancing robots' capability to support humans in various tasks. Unlike previous methods that were slow and limited, TRI's approach has already enabled robots to master over 60 intricate skills without new code, just new data, aiming for 1,000 skills by end of 2024. This advancement allows robots to perform a broader range of actions beyond basic tasks, handling objects and materials with unprecedented dexterity, including those that are deformable or liquid. The technique, which learns from haptic demonstrations and language goals, employs an AI-based Diffusion Policy for skill acquisition, offering rapid, consistent, and high-performing outcomes. TRI's custom robot platform and the use of Drake, an open-source robotics design tool, further facilitate this advancement, ensuring safety and accelerating development in the robotics field. https://lnkd.in/gkSjkvjT

Manufacturing Automation – Adoption Automation is best TOLERATED when Custom! -- For brownfield applications, RIGHT SIZED automation is ALWAYS Contextualized, Unique and Custom; Disrupting outcomes by leveraging: - Operator Skill Sets - Existing Work Flows - Starts from the Problem, not the Solution Otherwise, it's a Science Experiment! Automation is best TOLERATED when Custom! -- "A better Way! Avoid general-purpose robots and use custom robotics. At the core, what we like about “robotics” is that we can use a motor, a driver, an encoder, and a guide system to create a continuous or intermittent axis of motion. Fully controllable as to speed and position with all components sized to the loads and accelerations that axis will experience throughout it’s stroke and at the required cycle time for a particular application. Integrate multiple axes and coordinate their motion path to meet the requirement, attach some tooling and we have a Robotic System, with each variable of speed and position within out control without having to consider load or stroke as those will have been pre-engineered for the specific application. Since we have control over the sizing and design of each of the elements for a particular application, there are no limitations on payload, stroke, speeds or any other variable and these can be integrated into an efficient and compact package as required and dictated by the application and no more! The flexibility and ease of programming considerations are specific to the application and the user interface doesn’t care what number or combination of rotary and linear axes our system is composed of. Using a palette of the now readily available, off the shelf combinations of catalog axes available from several suppliers, we can further combine any sequence of “smart” and “dumb” axes, (Servo, Stepper, Pneumatic and Hydraulic), to optimize our system for the application at hand. Applying the constraints of both Functional and Efficient, how likely is it that by using a General-Purpose Robot, disparate applications will meet both of these requirements?  Put another way, how likely is it that a Bin Picking application, a CNC Tending application, a Welding application and a Palletizing application can all be both Functional and Efficient and have the identical form factor … to be met by a General-Purpose Robot?  Not likely! Unique problems require unique solutions!" -- Is your Automation One Size Fits All or Custom Tailored? Your thoughts are appreciated and please SHARE this post if you think your connections will find it of interest. 👉 Comment, follow or connect to COLLABORATE on your automation for increased productivity. Adding value on the WHY, WHAT and HOW of Automation! What are you working on that I can help with? https://lnkd.in/eTF63aUt #industry40 #automation #productivity #robots

Revolutionary biorobotics: A leadership team from Northwestern University Engineering has achieved the creation of a new class of actuator that replicationizes the human-like movements of muscles. It has been made in principle from common rubber and is driven by a single motor, while it can carry out astonishingly wide and complex motions, from squeezing through a tight gap to sequentially lift substantial weights. This innovation not only makes robots more flexible and capable but also significantly brings down the cost, making it relatively safe and practical for use in the environments where it may come into close interaction with humans. Design and Functionality The very character and functionality of this new actuator spring from the simplicity and effectiveness of the design. Unlike most robotic actuators, which use many motors and complex mechanical systems, this actuator uses natural properties of rubber, with a very simple motor setup. The device behaves by continuously expanding, contracting, and twisting in a manner very similar to the actions of human muscles. Such biomimicry enables robots to realize kinds of tasks that were either difficult or impossible to be done earlier, such as working with fragile objects or navigating confined spaces. Applications and Implications The range of possible applications for this technology is huge. Robots in health care, for example, could mean that robots with muscle-like actuators help with surgery, rehabilitation, and looking after patients—doing tasks more dexterously and with more delicateness than any real person can manage with a conventional robot. Necessary movement of delicate components, either alone or when operating, in a crowded scenario or adapting easily to a new situation, these robots can do all that. Beyond being practical applications, this is a game-changer in the field of bioinspired robotics. These engineers are at the leading front of stretching the limits of what robots can do by closely mimicking movements and capabilities of natural muscle, therefore making them so versatile and integrated into life. Future Prospects It can only be imagined what the future will hold in terms of the development of this actuator. It is only through continued research that much more advanced and capable robots will emerge, one that is not only also safe and cost-effective but remarkably enhances the functionality and adaptability of robots to a human-like level. It will see wider acceptance and integration of robots in different sectors that would enhance its societal role in making life easier for a lot of people. #Leadership #Innovation #CareerDevelopment #Sustainability #Marketing #Technology #Entrepreneurship