Tag: robotics

Best student Paper at the 2014 IEEE International Conference on Information and Automation (ICIA)

I am very glad to announce that today one my last scientific papers has been awarded as "Best Student Paper" at the Proceedings of the 2014 IEEE International Conference on Information and Automation (ICIA), Hailar, China. The title of the paper is: "JOpenShowVar: an Open-Source Cross-Platform Communication Interface to Kuka Robots". I thank all my co-authors (L. I. Hatledal, M. Fago, K. Y. Pettersen and H. Zhang) and I congratulate all of them for their important contribution.

Modular robotic hand with vision object recognition capability

The main idea of this project consists of developing a modular robotic hand. A camera is embedded in the hand palm. This will allow for a stereo vision distance estimation of the object to grasp using only one camera. The idea consists in taking two pictures from different point of view by moving the arm where the hand will be placed. The two photos are then used to create a stereo image in order to estimate the distance from the object to grasp.

Modular grasping snake robot

This is another student project at Aalesund University College, Mechatronics course (Spring semester 2012). The main idea of this project consists in developing a modular snake robot capable of grasping objects. The initial mockup of the project is described in the figure below.

Modular H-shaped four-legged robot

This is another student project at Aalesund University College, Mechatronics course (Spring semester 2012). The main idea of this project consists of developing a modular "H"-shaped four-legged robot. The robot should have the pose and locomotion capabilities of standing, crawling, turning, and lateral crawling, ... The initial mockup of the project is described in the figure below.

Modular five legged robot

This is another student project at Aalesund University College, Mechatronics course (Spring semester 2012). The main idea of this project consists of developing a modular five-limbed robot. The goal is to develop a versatile robotic mobile platform featuring an easy-to-build mechanical structure, various locomotion capabilities and high manipulation flexibility. The initial mockup of the project is described in the image below.

The demonstrator and imitator robots

This post describe another project that I have assigned to our students at Aalesund University College while teaching mechatronics. In particular, this project addresses the problem of body mapping in robotic imitation where the demonstrator and imitator robots may not share the same embodiment (degrees of freedom, body morphology, constraints and so on).

Research has no age limits! Today, primary school students are visiting the MechLab.

Today, two primary school students are visiting our Mechatronics Lab at Aalesund University College. Research has no age limits :)

JOpenShowVar, a Java cross-platform communication interface to Kuka robots Feature

Publications Filippo Sanfilippo, Lars Ivar Hatledal, Houxiang Zhang, Massimiliano Fago and Kristin Ytterstad Pettersen. Controlling Kuka Industrial Robots: Flexible Communication Interface JOpenShowVar. IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine 22(4):96-109, December 2015. Filippo Sanfilippo, Lars Ivar Hatledal, Houxiang Zhang, Massimiliano Fago and Kristin Ytterstad Pettersen. JOpenShowVar: an Open-Source Cross-Platform Communication Interface to Kuka Robots. (Best Student Paper) in Proceeding of t

Lego Mindstorms student projects at Aalesund University College

I want to share some student projects from my first year teaching Mechatronics at Aalesund University College. In order to motivate the students, at the beginning of the course, Professor Houxiang Zhang and I decide to use several sets of Lego Mindstorms.

Teaching mechatronics at Aalesund University College is fun!

Teaching is amazing! I like teaching because I strongly believe that sharing enthusiasm for my research topics is important. I have to admit that as a teacher I don’t accept failure. I try every angle and every strategy to help students learn and succeed. I love teaching because it make me feel better every day that I come home from my job; it almost makes me feel guilty that I get paid for this! Here is a photo taken in our Mechatronics Lab in the Spring 2012 (Mechatronics course).

2013, September, 20 Filippo Sanfilippo

A Flexible and Common Control Architecture for Rolls-Royce Marine Cranes and Robotic Arms

Publications Filippo Sanfilippo, Lars Ivar Hatledal, Houxiang Zhang and Kristin Ytterstad Pettersen. A Mapping Approach for Controlling Different Maritime Cranes and Robots Using ANN. In Proceeding of the IEEE International Conference on Mechatronics and Automation (ICMA), Tianjin, China. 2014, 594–599. Filippo Sanfilippo, Lars Ivar Hatledal, Hans Georg Schaathun, Kristin Ytterstad Pettersen and Houxiang Zhang. A Universal Control Architecture for Maritime Cranes and Robots Using Genetic Alg

2013, September, 20 Filippo Sanfilippo

Delta robot controlled via iPhone accelerometer

This is a nice application project that I like to show to my students in order to trigger and give them some more motivation. It is a a project that I developed when I was a Msc student at the University of Siena. An iPhone is used to control the robot. Data coming from the iPhone's accelerometer are send to a server through Open Sound Control serial messages. When the server receives these messages, it applies inverse kinematics and calculates the joint angles' values. Finally, these angles

Supervised Theses

Spring 2015
Interfacing an EEG Headset with a 3D Simulation Environment for Rehabilitation in Partially Paraplegic,Stroke Victims.
Student: Tom Verplaetse; BSc in Automation Engineering, Department of Engineering and Natural Sciences, AAUC.
Advisors: Robin Trulssen Bye, Filippo Sanfilippo.
Interfacing an EEG Headset with a 3D Simulation Environment for Rehabilitation in Partially Paraplegic,Stroke Victims
On the Usage of Single-Electrode EEG Devices for Biometric-Based Person Identification.
Students: Guilherme Felipe Bosger, Rodrigo Bessa Juliao, Hugo de Almeida Ribeiro; BSc in Automation Engineering, Department of Engineering and Natural Sciences, AAUC.
Advisors: Filippo Sanfilippo, Siebe van Albada.
On the Usage of Single-Electrode EEG Devices for Biometric-Based Person Identification
Active Heave Compensating Crane for Loading/Unloading of Platform Supply Vessels (PSV).
Students: Ivan Flatval, Ørjan Gjelseth; BSc in Automation Engineering, Department of Engineering and Natural Sciences, AAUC.
Company Contact: Dag Sverre Grønmyr, Rolls Royce
Marine.
Advisors: Siebe van Albada, Filippo Sanfilippo.
Active Heave Compensating Crane for Loading/Unloading of Platform Supply Vessels (PSV)

Supervised Student Projects

Among all the supervised student projects, a selection of them is listed in the following.

Summer 2015
Grasping and Locomotion for Modular Snake-Like Robots in a Search and Rescue Operations Scenario.

Student: Per Myren. Student Summer Job within the BSc in Automation Engineering, Department of Engineering and Natural Sciences, AAUC.
Advisors: Filippo Sanfilippo and Houxiang Zhang.
Grasping and Locomotion for Modular Snake-Like Robots in a Search and Rescue Operations Scenario
Fall 2014
Wearable Tactile Feedback Integration for Offshore Operations.

Students: Bjørn Tomren, Kai Henning Humberset and Rolf-Magnus Hjørungdal; within the course of Mechatronics, robots and deck machines, BSc in Automation Engineering, Department of Engineering and Natural Sciences, AAUC.
Advisors: Filippo Sanfilippo and Houxiang Zhang.
Wearable Tactile Feedback Integration for Offshore Operations
A Wave Simulator Framework for Offshore Crane Operations.

Students: Håkon Østrem, Håkon Eikrem and Bjarne
Humlen; within the course of Real-time computer programming, BSc in Automation Engineering, Department of Engineering and Natural Sciences, AAUC.
Advisors: Filippo Sanfilippo, Girts Strazdins, Ivar Blindheim and Webjørn Rekdalsbakken.
Within the following project: project description.
A Wave Simulator Framework for Offshore Crane Operations
A Camera Guided Laser Shooter for Tracking Moving Objects.

Students: Birger Skogeng Pedersen and Webjørn Yksnøy Bergmann; within the course of Real-time computer programming, BSc in Automation Engineering, Department of Engineering and Natural Sciences, AAUC.
Advisors: Filippo Sanfilippo, Girts Strazdins, Ivar Blindheim and Webjørn Rekdalsbakken.
Link: project demo.
A Camera Guided Laser Shooter for Tracking Moving Objects
Advanced Control Methods for a Search & Rescue Drone.

Students: Rolf Ottar Rovde, Kristian Østgaard and Kim Gjøran Robertsen; within the course of Real-time computer programming, BSc in Automation Engineering, Department of Engineering and Natural Sciences, AAUC.
Advisors: Filippo Sanfilippo, Girts Strazdins, Ivar Blindheim and Webjørn Rekdalsbakken.
Link: project demo.
Advanced Control Methods for a Search & Rescue Drone
An Automated Monitoring System for Detecting Suspicious Subjects in Crowded Areas.

Students: Benjamin Selvåg Skinnes, Øyvind Valderhaug Strømsheim and Steffen Sunde; within the course of Real-time computer programming, BSc in Automation Engineering, Department of Engineering and Natural Sciences, AAUC.
Advisors: Filippo Sanfilippo, Girts Strazdins, Ivar Blindheim and Webjørn Rekdalsbakken.
Link: project demo.
An Automated Monitoring System for Detecting Suspicious Subjects in Crowded Areas
Summer 2013
Development of an Integrated Virtual-Prototyping Framework for Designing Modular Robotic Hands.

Students: Stian Sandviknes, Ole Jonny Varhaugvik and
Andreas Bull Enger; Student Summer Job within the
BSc in Automation Engineering, Department of Engineering and Natural Sciences, AAUC.
Advisors: Filippo Sanfilippo and Houxiang Zhang.
Within the following project: project description.
Development of an Integrated Virtual-Prototyping Framework for Designing Modular Robotic Hands
Summer 2012
Haptic Feedback Integration for Maritime Crane Control.

Student: Lars Ivar Hatledal; Student Summer Job within the BSc in Automation Engineering, Department of Engineering and Natural Sciences, AAUC.
Advisors: Filippo Sanfilippo and Houxiang Zhang.
Within the following project: project description.
Haptic Feedback Integration for Maritime Crane Control
Spring 2012
A Modular Grasping Snake Robot.

Students: Gøncz Thomas, Frostad Katrine, Hjelme Camilla Hesseberg, Helland Thomas; within the
course of Mechatronics, robots and deck machines, BSc
in Automation Engineering, Department of Engineering and Natural Sciences, AAUC.
Advisors: Filippo Sanfilippo and Houxiang Zhang.
Link: project description.
The Demonstrator and Imitator Robots
The Demonstrator and Imitator Robots.

Students: Ole Martin Longva, Marius Pieroth Skinnes, Christian Steiner Nilsen, Jan Ove Strand; within the
course of Mechatronics, robots and deck machines, BSc
in Automation Engineering, Department of Engineering and Natural Sciences, AAUC.
Advisors: Filippo Sanfilippo and Houxiang Zhang.
Link: project description.
The Demonstrator and Imitator Robots
A Modular 5-Legged Robot.

Students: Håkon Sandanger Lunheim, Kenneth
Strandabø, Eskil Fjørtoft Breivik, Jonas Roald Nordstrand in one group and Lars Ivar Hatledal, Ådne
Heggem and Økland Higraff Espen in another group;
within the course of Mechatronics, robots and deck machines, BSc in Automation Engineering, Department of
Engineering and Natural Sciences, AAUC.
Advisors: Filippo Sanfilippo and Houxiang Zhang.
Link: project description.
A Modular 5-Legged Robot
A Modular H-Shaped 4-Legged Robot.

Students: Roy Perez Folke-Olsen, Kim Andrè Langelo,
Christoffer Flesjø Toverød; within the course of Mechatronics, robots and deck machines, BSc in Automation
Engineering, Department of Engineering and Natural
Sciences, AAUC.
Advisors: Filippo Sanfilippo and Houxiang Zhang.
Link: project description.
A Modular H-Shaped 4-Legged Robot
A Modular Robotic Hand with Vision Object Recognition capabilities.

Students: Kim Andrè Sund, Kjetil Thorsen, Svein Rune Stangeland, Brita Erica Godfrey; within the course ofMechatronics, robots and deck machines, BSc in Automation Engineering, Department of Engineering andNatural Sciences, AAUC.
Advisors: Filippo Sanfilippo and Houxiang Zhang.
Link: project description.
A Modular Robotic Hand with Vision Object Recognition capabilities

Funding Projects

The work concerning maritime cranes and robot was partly supported by the Research Council of Norway through the Centres of Excellence funding scheme, project number 223254 and the Innovation Programme for Maritime Activities and Offshore Operations, project number 217768. In this context, a close cooperation is established with different partners including Rolls-Royce Marine AS, Norway, Huse Engineering, and the Offshore Simulation Centre AS.

Support was also received from the Centre for Autonomous Marine Operations and Systems (AMOS), Research Council of Norway, Centres of Excellence funding scheme, project number 223254.

Regarding robotic hands, the work was partially supported by the European Commission with the Collaborative Project no. 248587, “THE Hand Embodied”, within the FP7-ICT- 2009-4-2-1 program “Cognitive Systems and Robotics” and the Collaborative EU-Project “Hands.dvi” in the context of ECHORD (European Clearing House for Open Robotics Development). In this context, a close cooperation was established with the Department of Advanced Robotics at the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Italy, and the Department of Information Engineering at the University of Siena, Italy.

Filippo Sanfilippo