We present a novel, reusable and task-agnostic primitive for assessing the outcome of a force-interaction robotic skill, useful e.g. for applications such as quality control in industrial manufacturing. The proposed method is easily programmed by kinesthetic teaching, and the desired adaptability and reusability are achieved by machine learning models. The primitive records sensory data during both demonstrations and reproductions of a movement. Recordings include the end-effector's Cartesian pose and exerted wrench at each time step. The collected data are then used to train Gaussian Processes which create models of the wrench as a function of the robot's pose. The similarity between the wrench models of the demonstration and the movement's reproduction is derived by measuring their Hellinger distance. This comparison creates features that are fed as inputs to a Naive Bayes classifier which estimates the movement's probability of success. The evaluation is performed on two diverse robotic assembly tasks -- snap-fitting and screwing -- with a total of 5 use cases, 11 demonstrations, and more than 200 movement executions. The performance metrics prove the proposed method's capability of generalization to different demonstrations and movements.
An alternative solution to assess the task outcome is statistically setting a threshold regarding the wrench signature and the pose trajectories. Costa al @cite_7 verify the success of a process by setting a threshold for eccentricity and typicality, distance metrics for time series. Haidu al @cite_10 define lower and upper bounds of the trajectory profile based on successful trails. Thus, trajectory profiles that exceed the threshold indicates a failure. Nevertheless, the movement reproduction varies for different task parameters (e.g. start and goal state) and demonstrations. In those cases, the bounds have to be changed accordingly which requires reprogramming.
@cite_10 @cite_7
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In this paper, we address the problem of simultaneously achieving low trajectory tracking errors and compliant control without using explicit mathematical models of task dynamics. To achieve this goal, we propose a new movement representation called compliant movement primitives (CMPs), which encodes position trajectory and associated torque profiles and can be learned from a single user demonstration. With the proposed control framework, the robot can remain compliant and consequently safe for humans sharing its workspace, even if high trajectory tracking accuracy is required. We developed a statistical learning approach that can use a database of existing CMPs and compute new ones, adapted for novel task variations. The proposed approach was evaluated on a Kuka LWR-4 robot performing 1) a discrete pick-and-place task with objects of varying weight and 2) a periodic handle turning operation. The evaluation of the discrete task showed a 15-fold decrease of the tracking error while exhibiting compliant behavior compared to the standard feedback control approach. It also indicated no significant rise in the tracking error while using generalized primitives computed by the statistical learning method. With respect to unforeseen collisions, the proposed approach resulted in a 75 drop of contact forces compared to standard feedback control. The periodic task demonstrated on-line use of the proposed approach to accomplish a task of handle turning. This paper presents the application of a Bayesian nonparametric time-series model to process monitoring and fault classification for industrial robotic tasks. By means of an alignment task performed with a real robot, we show how the proposed approach allows to learn a set of sensor signature models encoding the spatial and temporal correlations among wrench measurements recorded during a number of successful task executions. Using these models, it is possible to detect continuously and on-line deviations from the expected sensor readings. Separate models are learned for a set of possible error scenarios involving a human modifying the workspace configuration. These non-nominal task executions are correctly detected and classified with an on-line algorithm, which opens the possibility for the development of error-specific recovery strategies. Our work is complementary to previous approaches in robotics, where process monitors based on probabilistic models, but limited to contact events, were developed for control purposes. Instead, in this paper we focus on capturing dynamic models of sensor signatures throughout the whole task, therefore allowing continuous monitoring and extending the system ability to interpret and react to errors.