Project Title:

Spatial Planning for Mobile Articulated Vehicles and Dendritic Robotic Systems

05.01-0333
Spatial Planning for Mobile Articulated Vehicles
	and Dendritic Robotic Systems
Scientific Research Associates, Inc.
50 Nye Road
PO Box 1058
Glastonbury, CT 06033
Alexander Y. K. Chen  (203-659-0333)
JPL -- NAS7-1012

Abstract:

	 The new perspective of machine intelligence for multi-link, general-purpose manipulators
pursued in this project not only solves the inverse kinematic problem (IKP), but
also provides a potential self-correction mechanism to perform the assigned task.
The use of an IKP solving mechanism to determine the feasible motion trajectory either
by direct solution or with adequate modification is the basis for robot intelligence.
The unsolved decision-making procedure can be performed as teleoperation or automatic
planning. Due to the advantage of the decomposition technique, the articulation of
advanced robotic systems (e.g., redundant degrees of freedom and/or a reconfigurable
linkage structure) can be fully utilized.
	A technique of implementing the spatial planning skill was developed and analyzed
in Phase I. The new IKP solving mechanism was activated on a Harris H700 mini-computer,
the computing system available to the company. Because the original software package
was incompatible with this computer, a new set of software was developed using FORTRAN
77. Specific emphasis was placed upon extending the original IKP solver to consider
mobile, dendritically configured robots.

Potential Commercial Application:

Potential Commercial Application: Areas such as material handling operations in hazardous
environments, outer space or deep sea explorations can take advantage of such advanced
robotic systems.