This paper describes a complete robotic system which is capable of removing unmodeled objects from a heap, one by one. As it relies on geometric information only, the use of range data is a natural choice. The objects are to be grasped by a two-ngered gripper, thus it is mandatory that the system can see opposite faces on the objects. Two range views from opposite sides are acquired and analyze...

This paper presents the design, fabrication and characterization of a device able to exchange the tip part (so-called the tools) of a two fingered microgripper. The principle of this tool changer is based on the use of a thermal glue whose state (liquid or solid) is changed by heating or cooling. Several kinds of pairs of tools have been designed. The suitable pair of tools can be chosen accord...

In space applications, it is conceivable that part of the robotic activities could involve the grasp and/or manipulation of free-floating objects in absence of gravity. In this case, synchronous application of contacts seems to represent a basic feature in order to efficiently grasp the floating items. In this sense, an additional difficulty is that objects may have irregular shape and/or be no...

The objective of this dissertation is to shed light on some fundamental impediments in learning control laws in continuous state spaces. In particular, if one wants to build artificial devices capable to learn motor tasks the same way they learn to classify signals and images, one needs to establish control rules that do not necessitate comparisons between quantities of the surrounding space. W...

A human-mobile manipulator cooperation module is designed to support a target task consisting of the transportation of a rigid object betw een a mobile manipulator and a master human worker. Our approach in troduces an in ten tionrecognition capability in the robot, based on the search for spectral patterns in the force signal measured at the arm gripper. The mobile manipulator takes advan tage...

We study a reaching movement controller for a redundant serial arm manipulator, based on two principles believed to be central to biological motion control: multireferential control and dynamical system control. The resulting controller is based on two concurrent dynamical systems acting on different, yet redundant variables. The first dynamical system acts on the end-effector location variable...

Manipulators are controlled to make their end-effector (Tool Centre Point) track a pre-specified trajectory in space. This goal is achieved if the actuators of the manipulator are activated appropriately. The controller, used to calculate these inputs, can have may different forms, each with its own (dis)advantages.

Abstract Renewed interest in the relationship between B cells and CD8 T has revealed direct interactions these cells, despite long-prevailing views that they function independently from one another. In fact, an IL-21-producing “helper” cell subset been described; yet, whether have reciprocal capacity to support is less well-studied. Here, we find influence phenotype of naive, effector, memory c...