Robotics: From Impedance Control for Assembly to Micromanipulation

Speaker: Professor. Ron Lumia

• Department of Mechanical Engineering
• University of New Mexico

Abstract

This talk will provide an overview of UNM's efforts in impedance control and its application to assembly. A control system changes the impedance of the robot carrying a peg in real time to perform an insertion operation. This real time change prevents wedging or jamming. A number of demonstration videos will be shown with varying insertion times. In addition, some position based controller demos will be shown where multiple pendulums are moved in a swing free motion. Given the length of each pendulum, the system modifies a desired trajectory so as to avoid motions that excite any pendulum. Then the robot can move the load with nearly no residual swing.

The talk then moves to ionic polymer metal composite (IPMC) microgrippers. IPMC is an electroactive material that can deform with as little as 1-3 Volt actuation. Since IPMC can be cut arbitrarily small, microrobotic grasping becomes possible. As microgripper fingers become smaller and smaller, it becomes increasingly difficult to sense how far they have actuated. A unique approach to sensing, i.e., a self-sensing microgripper, is presented along with some theory and videos.

Seminar Information

• Language: English
• Date: 1^st February, 2016
• Location: Seminar Room 121

Professor. Ron Lumia's Biography

Ron Lumia received the BS degree in electrical engineering from Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, in 1972. He received the MS and PhD, both in electrical engineering, from the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, in 1977 and 1979, respectively. His technical interests include computer vision, microrobotics, robot control, professional software development, and manufacturing.

He has been a Professor in the Mechanical Engineering Department at the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM since 1994. From 1986-94, he was Group Leader of the Intelligent Control Group at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Previously, he held academic positions at Ecole Superieure d'Ingenieurs en Electrotechnique et Electronique (ESIEE) in Paris, France, Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, VA, and the National University of Singapore. He was a Fulbright Scholar at the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore during Fall 2008. He is spending the 2015-16 Academic Year on sabbatical at Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand, also as a Fulbright Scholar.

Professor Lumia remains active in IEEE Conference organization, serving IROS 2003 as Chair of Special Sessions, IROS 2007 as Finance Chair, ICRA1997 and 2006 as Exhibits Chair and ICRA 2010 as Finance Chair. He is currently Treasurer of the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society.

Contact

• Name: Kor Sokchea
• Email: kor.sokchea(at)rupp.edu.kh
• Phone: 017 877291