Ubiquitous Robot and Its Realization -.:: Natural Sciences Publishing
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Appl. Math. Inf. Sci. 6 No. 1S pp. 311S-321S (2012) Applied Mathematics & Information Sciences An International Journal @ 2012 NSP Natural Sciences Publishing Cor. Ubiquitous Robot and Its Realization Kang-Hee Lee 1 and Kyoungsu Oh ***2 1Global School of Media, Soongsil University, Republic of Korea 2Global School of Media, Soongsil University, Republic of Korea Email Address: [email protected] Received: Received May 02, 2011; Revised July 25, 2011; Accepted September 12, 2011 Published online: 1 January 2012 Abstract: Objective: The standardized data may easily move within a network and connect to other systems without any time or geographical limitations. This concept is fundamental to the idea of the ubiquitous robot. Method: This paper discusses those definitions briefly including the approach of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd (SEC). Here we present a ubiquitous robot S/W platform, AnyRobot Studio which covers all the aspects of this ubiquitous robot system. Based on the concepts of RUPI, URC, and Web 2.0, AnyRobot Studio aims to standardize the platforms and protocols, and to strongly encourage the participation of users and contents providers (CPs). Conclusions: AnyKids Service is made to test the feasibility of the AnyRobot based on the AnyRobot Studio platform. It proves the realization of the ubiquitous robot. Keywords: Ubiquitous Robot, Sobot, AnyRobot Studio, AnyKids Service. 1 Introduction The application-independent technology is This paper is organized as follows. A brief defined as the common platform/infrastructure description of the underlying concepts and various technology. Based on this concept, the main definitions of the networked robot or the ubiquitous approach of the networked robot (NR) or the robot in Section 2 are presented. Section 3 presents ubiquitous robot (UR) aims to distribute the robot's the theoretical background for the AnyRobot functional components such as sensing, processing, Studio, which utilizes the concepts of URC, RUPI, and acting through the network, and moreover, to and Web 2.0. In Section4 AnyRobot Studio is fully utilize shared external sensors and external presented in detail, which is composed of Server processing servers. Therefore, this paper proposes a platform, Robot Platform, and Service authoring ubiquitous robot S/W platform for the network- Platforms such as AnyMap Studio, AnyAction based robot system or the ubiquitous robot, Studio, and simulation tools. Section 5 proves the AnyRobot Studio of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd feasibility and the effectiveness of AnyKids service (SEC). Its aim is to reduce the costs and the risk of employing AnyRobot Studio. Finally, concluding building network-based robot system and to reduce remarks are presented in Section 6. the amount of resources & time efforts that are put into developing the robot systems. AnyRobot 2 Ubiquitous Robot Studio aims to standardize the platforms and The definitions of the networked robot in IEEE, EU, protocols and to strongly encourage the Japan, South Korea are described. Section 2.2 participation of users and CPs. presents its concept in SEC which this paper is based on, and compares with the others. 2 Corresponding Author: Kyoungsu Oh, [email protected] 312 Kang-Hee Lee and Kyoungsu Oh: Ubiquitous Robot and Its Realization 2.1 Overview "One is the Robot Plug and Play (Robot PnP) The IEEE RAS Technical Committee on Internet network robot platform for coordination and and Online Robots was founded in May 2001. It cooperation among multiple types of robots as a originally focused on Internet-based tele-operated connection unit. Based on the Robot PnP, three robots, but expanded its scope to account for a types of robots can communicate with each other broader set of problems and applications. The name through the network and support people in “Networked Robot" was approved and adopted in conjunction with each other. The other is HRI, May 2004. During that period, Korea, Japan, EU, which means the flexible interaction with people, IEEE etc. each established their own organization taking into account their situation. It is the for the networked robot and organized their embodied interaction which is semi-autonomous research frameworks as well. and context-dependent." IEEE RAS Technical Committee on Korea: Ubiquitous Robotics Companion Networked Robots (IEEE TC-NR) defined the (URC) focuses on the network computing (server- networked robot as follows: based sensing and planning) and is defined as “A networked robot is a robotic device follows: "Generally, service robots need three major connected to a communication networked such as function; sensing, planning, and action. The basic the Internet or LAN. The network could be wired or concept of URC is to distribute those three wireless, and based on any of a variety of protocols functions through the network, instead of cramming such as TCP, UDP, or 802.11 [1]. There are two them into a single machine [6]. It enables robots to subclasses of networked robots: 1) Tele-operated, reduce costs and improve service qualities by taking where human supervisors send commands and full advantage of IT infrastructure including internet receive feedback via the network, 2) Autonomous, and wireless network." where robots and sensors exchange data via the The user-oriented definition of URC is as network." follows: "a network-based robot system which Europe: The Research Atelier on Network provides necessary services to me in anywhere at Robot Systems (NRS) was created on December any time [7]." In reality, the term "ubiquitous robot" 15th, 2005 at the start of the EURON II (European is more widely used than the term "networked Robotics Network), with three purposes: to generate robot" in Korea. a Roadmap of the NRS in Europe, to start a NRS community in Europe and to disseminate the results of the Research Atelier among research institutions and companies, through scientific and technological channels [2]. NRS defined the network robot system as follows: "A network robot system is a group of artificial autonomous systems that are mobile and that makes important use of wireless communications among them or with the environment and living systems in order to fulfill their tasks." Japan: Network Robot Forum (NRF) and Ubiquitous Networking Forum (UNF) are leading the research of the network robot in industry in Japan [3-4]. Under the national administration by Fig.1 System structure of the URC field test the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communication, Korean Ministry of Information and Common Platform for Robots is being carried out as Communication has taken the lead in related the standardization for this NRS. In Japan, the goal research since 2002, 2003 and ETRI, KAIST, of a network robot system is the quantum leap in SAMSUNG, and KT are competitively defining and robotics technology by making use of ubiquitous developing the ubiquitous robotics framework. network connecting three types of robots such as the Based on these two concepts, the URC Field Test virtual robot, the unconscious robot, and the visible was conducted in 64 households during 2 months robot in particular environment [5]. To achieve this from October to December in 2005 and currently goal, they are emphasizing on two core technologies five different mobile robots are being placed in as follows: about 900 households and kindergartens in Seoul 313 Kang-Hee Lee and Kyoungsu Oh: Ubiquitous Robot and Its Realization and its vicinity in the year 2006. Figure 1 shows the the high-performance computer or the sensor- system structure of the URC field test for the network. If we have a robot with limited practical service of the URC server center. In the capabilities, then that robot is only able to achieve course of the URC field test, it was proven that the simple tasks or perform basic algorithms. But if we structure of a robot can be simplified by distributing use high performance computer to perform a novel some robot's functionalities to the external server. algorithms, then the robot can receive this And it was also found that it is possible to provide information from the network. So, we can expect to various kinds of services which are necessary for make a robot more intelligent by using the network daily lives more effectively under the URC concept server. Conceptually, the network server can be [8]. regarded as the robot’s remote ‘Big Brain’ in this network based robot system [15]. 2.2 Ubiquitous Robot of Samsung Electronics The URC requires not only the hardware Co., Ltd infrastructure such as ubiquitous networks or sensor The Ubiquitous Robot (UR) is proposed based networks and high performance computing servers, on the concepts of Ubiquitous Computing (UC) and but also the software infrastructure which resides robot technology [9-12]. UR consists of System above the hardware infrastructure. The software Robot, Software Robot, Embedded Robot, and infrastructure plays an important role to expand the Mobile Robot. UR system is technically defined as robot functions and services, to improve the context the networked robot system incorporating Sobot, awareness in the external environment, and to Embot, and Mobot via Sysbot in a u-space (refer to enhance the robot intelligence. Fig.3.1). Each robot has specific individual The URC system has several benefits such as intelligence and roles, and communicates sensing capability, processing capability, and information via networks. UR will provide users network connectivity. For sensing capability, with various services using any device through any through the network, a robot can recognize network at anytime and anywhere in a u-space. The environment user's circumstance, because a robot operation of UR will be seamless, calm, context- can use information from the external sensor aware and networked. For the detail description, devices which are also connected with network. For refer to [13-14]. processing capability, a robot's functional capability intelligence can be enhanced with the remote ‘Big Brain’, the network server.