Distributed and Adaptive Shared Control Systems: Methodology for the Replication of Experiments

Abstract

• IEEE ROBOTICS & AUTOMATION MAGAZINE • 137 M uch work in robotics aimed at real-world applications falls in the large segment between teleoperated and fully autonomous systems. Such systems are characterized by the close coupling between the human operator and the robot, in principle, allowing the agents to share their particular sensing, adaptation, and decision-making capabilities. Replicable experiments can advance the state of the art of such systems but pose practical and epistemological challenges. For example, the trajectory of the system is governed by the adaptation both in the human and the robot agent. What do we need besides (or instead of) data sets for such a system? The degree of similarity between comparable experiments and the exact meaning of replication need to be clarified. Here, we explore replication of a distributed and adaptive shared control for an assistive robot manipulator. We attempt a methodological approach for reporting two virtual human experiments on the system: modeling the complete human-robot binomial, deriving closedloop performance metrics from the models, and openly publishing the results and experiment implementations. Replication and Human-Robot Systems We may think of theoretical/concept papers, proof-of-concept papers, and experimental papers as steps in a research idea life cycle. We believe that more papers of the experimental kind would greatly help the research activities in robotics and the industrial exploitation of the results. This is

Robotic Services for New Paradigm Smart Cities Based on Decentralized Technologies

“…Ultimately, researchers come to the conclusion that in order to create a large-scale structure of millions of CPSs, such as a smart city, decentralized management of them is necessary. [15][16][17] Blockchains are an actual example of how a decentralized technology can find applications in various fields. Researchers have already shown the possibility of using them to create a network of robotic devices, 18,19 and their ability to solve problems in the multi-agent network of CPSs is in many ways more effective than the current centralized methods of organization.…”