Page 23 - Rapid Learning in Robotics

Chapter 2

The Robotics Laboratory

This chapter describes the developed concept and set-up of our robotic
laboratory. It is aimed at the technically interested reader and explains
some of the hardware aspects of this work.
A real robot lab is a testbed for ideas and concepts of efficient and intel-
ligent controlling, operating, and learning. It is an important source of in-
spiration, complication, practical experience, feedback, and cross-validation
of simulations. The construction and working of system components is de-
scribed as well as ideas, difficulties and solutions which accompanied the
development.
For a fuller account see (Walter and Ritter 1996c).
Two major classes of robots can be distinguished: robot manipulators
are operating in a bounded three-dimensional workspace, having a fixed
base, whereas robot vehicles move on a two-dimensional surface – either
by wheels (mobile robots) or by articulated legs intended for walking on
rough terrains. Of course, they can be mixed, such as manipulators mounted
on a wheeled vehicle, or e.g. by combining several finger-like manipula-
tors to a dextrous robot hand.

2.1 Actuation: The Puma Robot

The domain for setting up this robotics laboratory is the domain of ma-
nipulation and exploration with a 6 degrees-of-freedom robot manipulator
in conjunction with a multi-fingered robot hand.
The compromise solution between a mature robot, which is able to

J. Walter “Rapid Learning in Robotics” 9