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Section: Partnerships and Cooperations
European Initiatives
FP7 & H2020 Projects
FP7 Space RemoveDEBRIS
Participants : Eric Marchand, François Chaumette.
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Partners: Surrey Satellite Technology (United Kingdom), Airbus (Toulouse, France and Bremen, Germany), Isis (Delft, The Netherlands), CSEM (Neuchâtel, Switzerland), Stellenbosch University (South Africa).
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Abstract: Our goal in this project is to validate model-based tracking algorithms on images acquired during an actual space debris removal mission [74],[73].
H2020 ICT Comanoid
Participants : Souriya Trinh, Fabien Spindler, François Chaumette.
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Title: Multi-contact Collaborative Humanoids in Aircraft Manufacturing
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Partners: Airbus Group (France), DLR (Germany), Università Degli Studi di Roma La Sapienza (Italy), CNRS (I3S)
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Abstract: Comanoid investigates the deployment of robotic solutions in well-identified Airbus airliner assembly operations that are laborious or tedious for human workers and for which access is impossible for wheeled or rail-ported robotic platforms. As a solution to these constraints a humanoid robot is proposed to achieve the described tasks in real-use cases provided by Airbus Group. At a first glance, a humanoid robotic solution appears extremely risky, since the operations to be conducted are in highly constrained aircraft cavities with non-uniform (cargo) structures. Furthermore, these tight spaces are to be shared with human workers. Recent developments, however, in multi-contact planning and control suggest that this is a much more plausible solution than current alternatives such as a manipulator mounted on multi-legged base. Indeed, if humanoid robots can efficiently exploit their surroundings in order to support themselves during motion and manipulation, they can ensure balance and stability, move in non-gaited (acyclic) ways through narrow passages, and also increase operational forces by creating closed-kinematic chains. Bipedal robots are well suited to narrow environments specifically because they are able to perform manipulation using only small support areas. Moreover, the stability benefits of multi-legged robots that have larger support areas are largely lost when the manipulator must be brought close, or even beyond, the support borders. COMANOID aims at assessing clearly how far the state-of-the-art stands from such novel technologies. In particular the project focuses on implementing a real-world humanoid robotics solution using the best of research and innovation. The main challenge are to integrate current scientific and technological advances including multi-contact planning and control; advanced visual-haptic servoing; perception and localization; human-robot safety, and the operational efficiency of cobotics solutions in airliner manufacturing.
This year, we published [75] in the scope of this project (see Section 7.1.3). Short stays have been achieved at DLR and LIRMM for the integration of our visual tracking and visual servoing methods on the humanoid robots Toro and HRP-4.
H2020 ICT Romans
Participants : Firas Abi Farraj, Marco Cognetti, Marco Aggravi, Fabrizio Schiano, Pol Mordel, Fabien Spindler, François Chaumette, Claudio Pacchierotti, Paolo Robuffo Giordano.
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Title: Robotic Manipulation for Nuclear Sort and Segregation
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Abstract: The goal of the RoMaNS (Robotic Manipulation for Nuclear Sort and Segregation) project has been to advance the state of the art in mixed autonomy for tele-manipulation, to solve a challenging and safety-critical “sort and segregate” industrial problem, driven by urgent market and societal needs. Cleaning up the past half century of nuclear waste, in the UK alone (mostly at the Sellafield site), represents the largest environmental remediation project in the whole of Europe. Most EU countries face related challenges. Nuclear waste must be “sorted and segregated”, so that low-level waste is placed in low-level storage containers, rather than occupying extremely expensive and resource intensive high-level storage containers and facilities. Many older nuclear sites (>60 years in UK) contain large numbers of legacy storage containers, some of which have contents of mixed contamination levels, and sometimes unknown contents. Several million of these legacy waste containers must now be cut open, investigated, and their contents sorted. This can only be done remotely using robots, because of the high levels of radioactive material. Current state-of-the-art practice in the industry, consists of simple tele-operation (e.g. by joystick or teach-pendant). Such an approach is not viable in the long-term, because it is prohibitively slow for processing the vast quantity of material required. The project aimed at: 1) Develop novel hardware and software solutions for advanced bi-lateral master-slave tele-operation. 2) Develop advanced autonomy methods for highly adaptive automatic grasping and manipulation actions. 3) Combine autonomy and tele-operation methods using state-of-the-art understanding of mixed initiative planning, variable autonomy and shared control approaches. 4) Deliver a TRL 6 demonstration in an industrial plant-representative environment at the UK National Nuclear Lab Workington test facility.
H2020 ICT CrowdBot
Participants : Julien Legros, Javad Amirian, Fabien Grzeskowiak, Ceilidh Hoffmann, Marie Babel, Jean Bernard Hayet, Julien Pettré.
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Partners: UCL (UK), SoftBank Robotics (France), Univ. Aachen (Germany), EPFL (Switzerland), ETHZ (Switzerland), Locomotec (Germany)
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Abstract: CROWDBOT will enable mobile robots to navigate autonomously and assist humans in crowded areas. Today’s robots are programmed to stop when a human, or any obstacle is too close, to avoid coming into contact while moving. This prevents robots from entering densely frequented areas and performing effectively in these high dynamic environments. CROWDBOT aims to fill in the gap in knowledge on close interactions between robots and humans during navigation tasks. The project considers three realistic scenarios: 1) a semi-autonomous wheelchair that must adapt its trajectory to unexpected movements of people in its vicinity to ensure neither its user nor the pedestrians around it are injured; 2) the commercially available Pepper robot that must navigate in a dense crowd while actively approaching people to assist them; 3) the under development robot cuyBot will adapt to compact crowd, being touched and pushed by people. These scenarios generate numerous ethical and safety concerns which this project addresses through a dedicated Ethical and Safety Advisory Board that will design guidelines for robots engaging in interaction in crowded environments. CROWDBOT gathers the required expertise to develop new robot capabilities to allow robots to move in a safe and socially acceptable manner. This requires achieving step changes in a) sensing abilities to estimate the crowd motion around the robot, b) cognitive abilities for the robot to predict the short term evolution of the crowd state and c) navigation abilities to perform safe motion at close range from people. Through demonstrators and open software components, CROWDBOT will show that safe navigation tasks can be achieved within crowds and will facilitate incorporating its results into mobile robots, with significant scientific and industrial impact. By extending the robot operation field toward crowded environments, we enable possibilities for new applications, such as robot-assisted crowd traffic management.
H2020 FET-OPEN H-Reality
Participants : Claudio Pacchierotti, Paolo Robuffo Giordano, François Chaumette, Anatole Lécuyer [Hybrid] , Maud Marchal [Hybrid] .
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Title: Mixed Haptic Feedback for Mid-Air Interactions in Virtual and Augmented Realities
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Partners: Univ. Birmingham (UK, coordinator), TU Delft (NL), Ultrahaptics (UK) and Actronika SAS (France)
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Abstract: Digital content today remains focused on visual and auditory stimulation. Even in the realm of VR and AR, sight and sound remain paramount. In contrast, methods for delivering haptic (sense of touch) feedback in commercial media are significantly less advanced than graphical and auditory feedback. Yet without a sense of touch, experiences ultimately feel hollow, virtual realities feel false, and Human-Computer Interfaces become unintuitive. Our vision is to be the first to imbue virtual objects with a physical presence, providing a revolutionary, untethered, virtual-haptic reality: H-Reality. The ambition of H-Reality will be achieved by integrating the commercial pioneers of ultrasonic “non-contact” haptics, state-of-the-art vibrotactile actuators, novel mathematical and tribological modelling of the skin and mechanics of touch, and experts in the psychophysical rendering of sensation. The result will be a sensory experience where digital 3D shapes and textures are made manifest in real space via modulated, focused, ultrasound, ready for the untethered hand to feel, where next-generation wearable haptic rings provide directional vibrotactile stimulation, informing users of an object's dynamics, and where computational renderings of specific materials can be distinguished via their surface properties. The implications of this technology will be far-reaching. The computer touch-screen will be brought into the third dimension so that swipe gestures will be augmented with instinctive rotational gestures, allowing intuitive manipulation of 3D data sets and strolling about the desktop as a virtual landscape of icons, apps and files. H-Reality will transform online interactions; dangerous machinery will be operated virtually from the safety of the home, and surgeons will hone their skills on thin air.
Collaborations in European Programs, Except FP7 & H2020
Interreg Adapt
Participants : Nicolas Le Borgne, Marie Babel.
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Project title: Assistive Devices for empowering disAbled People through robotic Technologies
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Other partners: INSA Rennes - IRISA, LGCGM, IETR (France), Université de Picardie Jules Verne - MIS (France), Pôle Saint Hélier (France), CHU Rouen (France), Réseau Breizh PC (France), Pôle TES (France), University College of London - Aspire CREATE (UK), University of Kent (UK), East Kent Hospitals Univ NHS Found. Trust (UK), Health and Europe Centre (UK), Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust (UK), Canterbury Christ Church University (UK), Kent Surrey Sussex Academic Health Science Network (UK), Cornwall Mobility Center (UK).
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Abstract: This project aims to develop innovative assistive technologies in order to support the autonomy and to enhance the mobility of power wheelchair users with severe physical/cognitive disabilities. In particular, the objective is to design and evaluate a power wheelchair simulator as well as to design a multi-layer driving assistance system.
Collaborations with Major European Organizations
ANR Opmops
Participants : Florian Berton, Julen Bruneau, Julien Pettré.
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Project title: Organized Pedestrian Movement in Public Spaces: Preparation and Crisis Management of Urban Parades and Demonstration Marches with High Conflict Potential
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Coordinator: Université de Haute Alsace (for France), Technische Universität Kaiserslautern (for Germany)
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Other partners: Gendarmerie Nationale, Hochschule München, ONHYS S.A.S, Polizei Rheinland-Pfalz, Universität Koblenz-Landau, VdS GmbH
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Abstract: This project is about parades of highly controversial groups or of political demonstration marches that are considered as a major threat to urban security. Due to the movement of the urban parades and demonstration marches (in the following abbreviated by UPM) through large parts of cities and the resulting space and time dynamics, it is particularly difficult for forces of civil security (abbreviated in the following by FCS) to guarantee safety at these types of urban events without endangering one of the most important indicators of a free society. In this proposal, partners representing the FCS (police and industry) will cooperate with researchers from academic institutions to develop a decision support tool which can help them both in the preparation phase and crisis management situations of UPMs. Specific technical issues which the French-German consortium will have to tackle include the following: Optimization methods to plan UPM routes, transportation to and from the UPM, location and personnel planning of FCS, control of UPMs using stationary and moving cameras, and simulation methods, including their visualization, with specific emphasis on social behavior.
iProcess
Participants : Agniva Sengupta, François Chaumette, Alexandre Krupa, Eric Marchand, Fabien Spindler.
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Project title: Innovative and Flexible Food Processing Technology in Norway
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Other partners: Nofima, Univ. of Stavanger, NMBU, NTNU (Norway), DTU (Denmark), KU Leuven (Belgium), and about 10 Norwegian companies.
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Abstract: This project is granted by the Norwegian Government. Its main objective is to develop novel concepts and methods for flexible and sustainable food processing in Norway. In the scope of this project, the Rainbow group is involved for visual tracking and visual servoing of generic and potentially deformable objects (see Section 7.1.2). Agniva Sengupta spent a 2-month visit at Sintef from March to April 2018.
activeVISION
Participants : Alexandre Krupa, François Chaumette, Eric Marchand, Agniva Sengupta, Fabien Spindler.
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Project title: Active perception and 3D pose estimation of compliant deformable objects applicable to agricultural and ocean space sector
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Coordinator: Inria Rennes - Bretagne Atlantique and Sintef (Norway)
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Abstract: This project is granted by the PHC Aurora 2018 program that provides travel funds for exchange between France and Norway. It concerns the development of active perception methodology by means of visual servoing for localization and exploration of the scene and the object(s) of interest. Alexandre Krupa and Fabien Spindler spent a 1-week visit at Sintef in Trondheim in March 2018. Prof. Ekrem Misimi from Sintef spent a 3-month visit in Rainbow from May to July 2018.