Dr. Aleksandra Przegalinska explains why we find humanoid robots so creepy and considers whether watching machines play football is actually fun.

Programming frameworks [1] are application generators with the following components: library of software modules (building blocks out of which the system is constructed), a method for designing new modules that can be appended to the above mentioned library, a pattern according to which ready modules can be assembled into a complete system jointly exerting control over it and realizing the task at hand. The presented transition function based formalism can be applied to specifying programming frameworks for robot controllers executing very diverse tasks. The paper deals with systems consisting of multiple embodied agents, influencing the environment through effectors, gathering information from the environment through sensors and communicating with other agents through communication channels. The presented code patterns pertain to behavioural agents. The formalism was instrumental in the design of MRROC++ robot programming framework, which has been used for producing controllers of single and two manipulator systems performing diverse tasks. The formalism introduces rigor into the discussion of the structure of embodied agent controllers. It is used as the means for the specification of the functions of the components of the control system and the structure of the communication links between them. This structures the implementation of a programming framework, and that in turn makes the coding of specific controllers much easier, both from the point of view of dealing with the hardware configuration of the system and the specific task that has to be executed.

In this paper, the authors present a robot for pipe inspection and exploration, which has in its structure a module for the maintenance of a constant pressure force between the robot's wheels and the inside diameter of the pipe. The paper starts with a short introduction about necessity of the presented solution followed by design aspects and finalizing with the test of the developed compliant module.

Robotics specialists observe nature carefully and try to recreate the complex motions performed by people and animals with ease. Locomotion and the ability to manipulate flexible objects are especially challenging, but progress is being made.

Statystyczny Polak spędza przeciętnie około 20% swojego życia na wykonywaniu pracy zawodowej, stąd działania pracodawcy, jego służb bhp i organów państwowej kontroli skupiają się nad zapewnieniem możliwie jak najbardziej bezpiecznych warunków środowiska pracy. Całkowite wyeliminowanie z otoczenia pracownika czynników, będących źródłem zagrożeń niebezpiecznych, szkodliwych bądź uciążliwych, w wielu przypadkach jest zadaniem trudnym, a często niemożliwym. Wynika to z faktu, iż dany czynnik stanowić może podstawową składową procesu technologicznego i nie może zostać wykluczony, tak jak to ma miejsce w przypadku prac szczególnie niebezpiecznych, np. podczas używania materiałów wybuchowych przeznaczonych do użytku cywilnego. W takim wypadku szczegółowa identyfikacja oraz ocena poziomu zagrożeń, uwzględniająca wiedzę ekspercką z zakresu stosowanych środków strzałowych oraz technologii, stanowi przyczynek do wzrostu poziomu bezpieczeństwa pracownika pomimo stosowania niebezpiecznych substancji, niebezpiecznych środków pracy czy niebezpiecznych technologii. W trakcie eksploatacji metodą odkrywkową jednym z najczęściej stosowanych sposobów odspojenia i rozdrobnienia złoża skalnego jest użycie materiałów wybuchowych. Taka technika urabiania powoduje konieczność zatrudnienia pracowników na stanowiskach specjalistycznych, na których występuje wiele zagrożeń tzw. ogólnokopalnianych oraz tych wynikających z bezpośredniej ekspozycji na czynnik niebezpieczny, jakim są środki strzałowe. W niniejszym artykule przedstawiono szczegółową identyfikację zagrożeń na stanowiskach związanych z używaniem materiałów wybuchowych, uwzględniającą wykonywane czynności podczas realizacji robót strzałowych w górnictwie odkrywkowym oraz zróżnicowanie tych zagrożeń w przypadku stosowania różnych systemów inicjowania materiałów wybuchowych. Po zidentyfikowaniu zagrożeń dokonano ich hierarchizacji z wykorzystaniem metody Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), która jest jedną z technik wielokryterialnego podejmowania decyzji, umożliwiającą bezpośrednie porównanie między sobą i szeregowanie według przyjętych kryteriów analitycznych. Na podstawie wyników przeprowadzonych analiz sporządzono ocenę macierzową dla wyznaczenia poziomu ryzyka zagrożeń dla specjalistycznego stanowiska pracy w ruchu odkrywkowego zakładu górniczego – górnika strzałowego.

The last decades, when robots have appeared in the operating room, showed the possibility of surgery enhancement by improving precision, repeatability, stability and dexterity. However, taking into consideration still existing limitations of robotics in surgery, and treating the robots as medical devices with the highest degree of safety level requirements, one must take a number of complex actions when preparing the experimental clinical application of a new modern robot Robin Heart. Presented paper describes the current state of procedures carried out in the Robin Heart project of surgery robots prepared for clinical application. Based on experiences with the devices existing on the market and, first of all, thanks to knowledge and expertise gained by our team during last 12 years, intensive work are currently done in order to introduce both mechanical and electronic modifications as well as to improve the safety system. As far as human resources are concerned, a professional team able to carry out the robot-supported surgery is prepared based on the created system of technical and functional trainings on simulation stands, which also includes the developed operation planning procedures. The first telemanipulator designed for clinical practice is the Robin Heart Vision – endoscopic system manipulator.

Supplementing well recognised practical models of project and construction management, based on probabilistic and fuzzy events may make possible to transfer the weight of the change and extra orders assessment from the qualitative form to a quantitative one. This assessment, however, is naturally burdened with an immeasurable, subjective aspect. Elaboration of probability of occurrence in a construction project unforeseen building works requires application (in addition to the non-measureable, qualitative criteria) of measurable (quantitative) criteria which still appear during construction project implementation. In reimbursable engineering contracts, a random event described as an extra, supplementary building work has a random character and occurs with a specific likelihood. In lump sum contracts, on the other hand, such a random event has a fuzzy character and its occurrence is defined in a linear manner by the function of affiliation to the set of fuzzy events being identical with unforeseen events. The strive for quantitative presentation of criteria regarded by nature as qualitative and the intention to determine relations between them led to the application of the fuzzy sets theory to this issue. Their properties enable description of the unforeseen works of construction projects in an unambiguous, quantitative way.

The paper presents the possibilities of teaching a robot controller to perform operations of autonomous segregation of objects differing in features that can be identified using a vision system.Objects can be arranged freely on the robot scene also covered with others. In the learning phase, a robot operator presents the segregation method by moving subsequent objects held in a human hand, e.g. a red object to container A, a green object to container B, etc. The robot system, after recognizing the idea of segregation that is being done using the vision system, continues this work in an autonomous way, until all identified objects will be removed from robotic scene. There are no restrictions on the dimensions, shapes and placement of containers collecting segregated objects. The developed algorithms were verified on a test bench equipped with two modern robots KUKA LBR iiwa 14 R820.

O tym, dlaczego obawiamy się humanoidalnych robotów, a także o tym, czy oglądanie maszyn grających w piłkę jest przyjemne, opowiada dr Aleksandra Przegalinska.

In order for a quadruped robot to be able to move on wheels while keeping its platform in horizontal position, and to walk, the kinematic system of its limbs should be so designed that each of the wheels has at least four degrees of freedom. Consequently, the designed system will have many DOFs and many controlled drives. This paper presents a novel solution in which, thanks to a suitable limb kinematic system geometry, the number of drives for the robot travel function, i.e. travelling on an uneven surface with the robot platform kept horizontal, has been reduced by four which are used only for walking. The robot structure, the required geometry of the limb links and the driving torque characteristics are presented. Moreover, an idea of the control system is sketched. Finally, selected results of the tests carried out on the robot prototype are reported.

The primary importance of the paper is the application of the efficient formulation for the simulation of open-loop lightweight robotic manipulator. The framework employed in the paper makes use of the spatial operator algebra and the associated equations are expressed in joint space. This compact representation of the manipulator dynamics makes it possible to solve the robot forward and inverse dynamics problems in a recursive and fast manner. In the current form, the presented algorithm can be applied for the dynamics simulation of an open-loop chain system possessing any number of joints. Specifically, the formulation has been successfully applied for the analysis of the 7DOF KUKA LWR robot. Results from a number of test cases for the robot demonstrate the verification of the calculations.

Limb physical movements disability is the result of illnesses or serious injuries, impaired execution of daily activities and limitations or even inability to perform working activity. Restoration of fitness in such cases is possible through rehabilitation that requires arduous repetition of appropriate exercises with participation of an experienced physiotherapist. Exercises using the robot to repeat movements would speed up the process of rehabilitation. The paper presents the concept of rehabilitation robot control system realizing a specified purpose.

The aim of this paper is to present an in-pipe modular robotic system that can navigate inaccessible industrial pipes in order to check their condition, locate leakages, and clean the ventilation systems. The aspects concerning the development of a lightweight and energy efficient modular robotic system are presented. The paper starts with a short introduction about modular inspection systems in the first chapter, followed by design aspects and finalizing with the test of the developed robotic system.

This paper identifies the adverse events occurring during the execution of water supply and sewerage systems construction. The basis for this paper is research conducted in 2010-2014 on the construction sites of water supply and sewerage systems located in the provinces of Lower Silesia and Opole. The research consisted of direct observations of construction sites and review of construction documentation. It showed that work stoppages on the examined construction sites were frequent. They were caused by violations of work discipline by the production employees, adverse weather conditions, and defects in the project documentation. The study demonstrated that in almost every case, these bad an adverse effect on the completion date and budget of the investment. The analyses show that in such important and expensive investments as water supply and sewerage systems, organizational structures in which a special role is assigned to middle-rank personnel should be adopted.

In Poland, it often happens that construction objects are subject to demolition work for different reasons. Demolition, according the Construction Law, is defined as a type of construction works and, as such, represents a particular type of construction project. As in other construction projects, a very important phase, in addition to execution of the works, is to prepare, design and plan demolition works. Some demolition activities are covered by appropriate regulations and can be described as typical. On the other hand the technical side of demolition works depends on many factors such as: the type of building, its age, technical condition, type of construction, etc. This article covers the analysis of the stages and tasks in the preparatory phase of the building demolition. This work will also present a description of the tasks carried out during the demolition works based on the example of a historic tenement house located in Krakow. This analysis aims to identify implementation problems and sources of risk that may occur during this type of construction work.

The issues of medical robots have been approached for 12 years in the Institute of Machine Tools and Production Engineering of the Technical University of Lodz. In the last two years, the scope of research related to the miniaturization of surgical tools, automated changing of these tools with the use of a tool depot designed for this purpose, equipping the robot in the sense of touch and developing the software which provides ergonomic and intuitive robot control with the use of all its functions. In the telemanipulator control, strong emphasis is placed on the intuitiveness of control, which is hard to be ensured due to the fact that the robot tool is observed by a laparoscopic camera, whose orientation and position may vary. That is the reason for developing a new algorithm. It copies the increments of the position and orientation measured in relation to the monitor coordinate system onto the robot tool movement and orientation, which are measured in relation to the camera coordinates system. In this algorithm it is necessary to solve inverse kinematics, which has a discontinuity. Avoiding the discontinuity is achieved by mapping the solution with the cosine function. It causes smooth pass through the area of discontinuity in this way avoiding the singularity.