(MARGOT) Monocular Camera-Based Robot Grasping Strategy for Metallic Objects.

Robotic handling of objects is not always a trivial assignment, even in teleoperation where, in most cases, this might lead to stressful labor for operators. To reduce the task difficulty, supervised motions could be performed in safe scenarios to reduce the workload in these non-critical steps by using machine learning and computer vision techniques. This paper describes a novel grasping strategy based on a groundbreaking geometrical analysis which extracts diametrically opposite points taking into account surface smoothing (even those target objects that might conform highly complex shapes) to guarantee the uniformity of the grasping. It uses a monocular camera, as we are often facing space restrictions that generate the need to use laparoscopic cameras integrated in the tools, to recognize and isolate targets from the background, estimating their spatial coordinates and providing the best possible stable grasping points for both feature and featureless objects. It copes with reflections and shadows produced by light sources (which require extra effort to extract their geometrical properties) in unstructured facilities such as nuclear power plants or particle accelerators on scientific equipment. Based on the experimental results, utilizing a specialized dataset improved the detection of metallic objects in low-contrast environments, resulting in the successful application of the algorithm with error rates in the scale of millimeters in the majority of repeatability and accuracy tests.

MiniCERNBot Educational Platform: Antimatter Factory Mock-up Missions for Problem-Solving STEM Learning.

Mechatronics and robotics appeared particularly effective in students' education, allowing them to create non-traditional solutions in STEM disciplines, which have a direct impact and interaction with the world surrounding them. This paper presents the current state of the MiniCERNBot Educational Robotic platform for high-school and university students. The robot provides a comprehensive educative system with tutorials and tasks tuned for different ages on 3D design, mechanical assembly, control, programming, planning, and operation. The system is inspired to existing robotic systems and typical robotic interventions performed at CERN, and includes an education mock-up that follows the example of a previous real operation performed in CERN's Antimatter Factory. The paper describes the learning paths where the MiniCERNBot platform can be used by students, at different ages and disciplines. In addition, it describes the software and hardware architecture, presenting results on modularity and network performance during education exercises. In summary, the objective of the study is improving the way STEM educational and dissemination activities at CERN Robotics Lab are performed, as well as their possible synergies with other education institutions, such as High-Schools and Universities, improving the learning collaborative process and inspiring students interested in technical studies. To this end, a new educational robotic platform has been designed, inspired on real scientific operations, which allows the students practice multidisciplinary STEM skills in a collaborative problem-solving way, while increasing their motivation and comprehension of the research activities.

Monocular Robust Depth Estimation Vision System for Robotic Tasks Interventions in Metallic Targets.

Robotic interventions in hazardous scenarios need to pay special attention to safety, as in most cases it is necessary to have an expert operator in the loop. Moreover, the use of a multi-modal Human-Robot Interface allows the user to interact with the robot using manual control in critical steps, as well as semi-autonomous behaviours in more secure scenarios, by using, for example, object tracking and recognition techniques. This paper describes a novel vision system to track and estimate the depth of metallic targets for robotic interventions. The system has been designed for on-hand monocular cameras, focusing on solving lack of visibility and partial occlusions. This solution has been validated during real interventions at the Centre for Nuclear Research (CERN) accelerator facilities, achieving 95% success in autonomous mode and 100% in a supervised manner. The system increases the safety and efficiency of the robotic operations, reducing the cognitive fatigue of the operator during non-critical mission phases. The integration of such an assistance system is especially important when facing complex (or repetitive) tasks, in order to reduce the work load and accumulated stress of the operator, enhancing the performance and safety of the mission.