NSF East Asia and Pacific Summer Institute (EAPSI) for FY 2013 in Korea

Vallett Richard J, Cherry Hill NJ

Investigators

Abstract

This action funds Richard Vallett of Drexel University to conduct a research project in the Computer and Information Science and Engineering area during the summer of 2013 at Hubo Lab at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) in Deajeon, South Korea. The project title is "Kinematics of Humanoid Robot Vehicle Operation." The host scientist is Dr. Jun-Ho Oh. This research project develops a kinematic joint controller to enable the humanoid robot, Hubo2+ KHR-4 (Hubo), to operate a small utility vehicle as required for the 2013 DARPA Robotics Challenge (DRC). This project involves analyzing the kinematics of rotating the steering wheel and pressing the foot pedals of a golf cart, simulating the desired steering and throttling/braking motions using the Hubo virtual model (openHubo) and virtual vehicle model, and verifying the planned motion using the Hubo and physical hardware. This approach allows the DRC driving team to correlate the desired linear and angular velocities of the golf cart to the Hubo's joint movements to effectively control the vehicle during the first DRC event. Further research tasks involve updating the dimensions and mass properties of the Hubo Computer Aided Design (CAD) model to develop a more complete 3D model, which will be reflected in the improved accuracy of the openHubo model used by affiliated DRC teams working on related competition tasks. The outcome of this research will immediately benefit engineers and DRC affiliates working with Hubo platforms in the United States on humanoid motion planning. Broader impacts of an EAPSI fellowship include providing the Fellow a first-hand research experience outside the U.S.; an introduction to the science, science policy, and scientific infrastructure of the respective location; and an orientation to the society, culture and language. These activities meet the NSF goal to educate for international collaborations early in the career of its scientists, engineers, and educators, thus ensuring a globally aware U.S. scientific workforce. Furthermore, the knowledge gained from working with humanoid researchers at Hubo Lab will be documented and shared with students working at the Drexel Autonomous Systems Lab (DASL) and affiliated research labs and will be used to instruct students on proper operation and maintenance of the Hubo platform. The revisions made to the Hubo CAD model will be used to facilitate cooperation between universities by providing an accurate and standardized model in this concurrent engineering project. The improvements to the virtual Hubo model will aid researchers in accurately simulating and prototyping planned motions before testing with the physical Hubo. Ultimately, this research will assist in the adoption of the Hubo as a standardized platform used for humanoid research.