Team RoboSimian: Semi-autonomous Mobile Manipulation at the 2015 DARPA Robotics Challenge Finals

摘要

The RoboSimian robot from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) had a unique form factor among the robots at the DRC and was developed with a philosophy that a passively stable, deliberate robot would be safer, more robust, and sufficiently fast for performing disaster response tasks. At the Finals, the second iteration of the RoboSimian series (named King Louie) displayed versatility and consistency in task execution over multiple days without requiring resets or interventions. The robot minimized risk, power consumption, and maximized execution speed by adapting its form to suit different tasks. The driving and egress tasks were achieved without any modifications to the Polaris vehicle. The four general-purpose limbs and hands were used to self-manipulate the robot out of the tight space within the Polaris roll cage via whole body motions (see Fig. 1). The two active wheels on its body and two passive omni wheels on its limbs were used to transition into energy efficient sit postures which enabled faster mobility on flat terrain while remaining highly dexterous. Team RoboSimian achieved a 5th place finish by achieving 7 points in 47:59 min on Day 1. On Day 2, we achieved 6 points in 54:43 min. Both times were highly competitive in the competition. We started both runs with 91 V on the battery and ended at 86 V in an hour with 50% remaining operational time (operational range: 94 V full charge, 78 V cutoff). The stairs task was not attempted on both days due to insufficient testing, and on Day 2, the surprise task was abandoned due to lack of time and insufficient testing.