Abstract:
Purpose ? Lane tracking is one of the most important processes for autonomous vehicles because the navigable region usually stands between the lanes, especially in urban environments. A robust lane tracking method is also required for reducing the effect of the noise and the required processing time. The purpose of this paper is to present a new lane tracking method. Design/methodology/approach ? A new lane tracking method is presented which uses a partitioning technique for obtaining multiresolution Hough transform of the acquired vision data where Hough transform is one of the most popular algorithms for lane detection. After the detection process, for tracking the detected lanes, a hidden Markov model (HMM) based method is proposed. Findings ? The results of the proposed approach show that the partitioned Hough transformation reduces the effect of noise and provides robust lane tracking. In addition, the acquired lanes are successfully tracked by using the designed HMM. Originality/value ? This paper provides a fast lane tracking system which can be integrated with an autonomous vehicle or a driver assistance system.

  Abstract:
Purpose ? Some areas of the apparel industry, such as folding and sewing, are still labor intensive. The purpose of this paper is to present a new fuzzy visual servoing strategy for the folding of fabric strips by robotic manipulators. Design/methodology/approach ? Three stages of the folding task are distinguished experimentally, the initial laying, the true folding, and the final laying. An indirect visual servoing fuzzy system, employing two cameras, is developed to guide the robot along each of the stages. Findings ? The proposed scheme manages to successfully fold some of the tested materials. The experimental results are promising and well within the limitations posed by both the employed equipment and the nature of the handled materials. Research limitations/implications ? This study is limited to rectangular strips of fabrics and does not consider the speed of the process. Practical implications ? The resulting system provides a stepping stone for the introduction of automation to currently labor-intensive areas of the apparel industry. Originality/value ? The separate folding stages reduce the complexity of the overall system and the introduced visually extracted features allow a closer monitoring of the process.

  Abstract:
Purpose ? The purpose of this paper is to compare the maneuverability of flexible mono-tread mobile track (FMT) and usual differential-type tracked vehicle (DTV) through some experiments. A new mobile mechanism: FMT has been proposed which is employing ?flexible chain? and vertebral structure, thereby the body flexes in 3D. As a result of the specific turning mechanism, steering performance of FMT is different from that of DTV. Hence, maneuverability of FMT and DTV would be different. Design/methodology/approach ? The vehicles are maneuvered to trace two types of lines: a semi-circle and right-angled line segments by four operators. The distance and the displacement of direction of the vehicles from the target line are measured. The maneuverability was discussed based on the experimental results for FMT and DTV. Findings ? Some of the characteristic features on maneuverability of FMT and DTV have been made clear. Originality/value ? FMT is a new mobile mechanism for tracked-vehicle and the maneuverability of FMT is discussed.

  Abstract:
Purpose ? The purpose of this paper is to describe design and development of a pole climbing robot (PCR) for inspection of industrial size pipelines. Nowadays, non-destructive testing (NDT) methods are performed by dextrous technicians across high-level pipes, frequently carrying dangerous chemicals. This paper reports development of a PCR that can perform in situ manipulation for NDT tests. Design/methodology/approach ? Introduces a PCR including a novel four-degrees of freedom climbing serial mechanism with the nearly optimal workspace and weight, unique V-shaped grippers and a fast rotational mechanism around the pole axis. Simplicity, safety, minimum weight, and manipulability were concerned in the design process. Findings ? The developed prototype proved possibility of application of PCRs for NDT inspection on elevated structures. Design and development of PCRs which are able to pass bends and T-junctions faces much more difficulties than those which should climb from a straight pole. Practical implications ? The robot is successfully tested on an industrial size structure (exterior diameter of 219?mm) with bends and T-junctions. Originality/value ? Design and development of a novel pole climbing and manipulating robot for inspection of industrial size pipelines. The robot is able to pass bends and T-junctions. The V-shaped grippers offer many advantages including safety and tolerance to power failure. After grasping the structure, in case of power failure in any of the grippers' motors, the robot does not slip on the structure. The Z-axis rotational mechanism provides fast navigation around the pole which is not possible with the traditional serial articulated arms.

  Abstract:
Purpose ? The purpose of this paper is to describe designing Pobot V2, a robot capable to climb poles with a cylindrical or conical shape. Design/methodology/approach ? This paper describes the design of the pole-climbing robot Pobot V2, based on the innovative principle of rolling self-locking that uses no energy to maintain itself at a given altitude. Findings ? The robot is also capable of avoiding tangential obstacles, crossing small collars and regulating passively its normal contact force on conical poles with a diameter that evolves from 300 to 100?mm. The work is validated by experiments. The robot can also perform axial rotation, can cross-tangential obstacles and climb poles with a strong conical shape, due to passive normal force regulation with springs and a force amplifying linkage. The first experiments showed excellent stability during vertical climbing. Research limitations/implications ? More work will be required to make the robot more rigid, more compact, and lighter. The robot is jointly patented by Thales and IFMA. Originality/value ? It is original because of its rolling self-locking concept: rolling allows continuous ascension whereas self-locking guarantees a null energy consumption while staying still on the pole.

  Abstract:
Purpose ? The purpose of this paper is to describe the design and prototype implementation of a miniature climbing robot with magnetic adhesion, developed for the inspection of gas turbines and other environments that require vertical mobility along curved steel surfaces, but only offer very narrow access holes ? in the case of turbines only Ø15?mm. Design/methodology/approach ? After a detailed description and analysis of the industrial environment where the robot is supposed to be used (inspection of gas turbines, housing not opened), the paper describes the basic mechanical concept which is based on two traction units on magnetic wheels and a folding mechanism which allows the robot for changing between two configurations ? one for passing through the narrow access holes and one for climbing with 2D mobility on curved surfaces. A special focus is put on how the most difficult design challenges were solved ? torque transmission at this very small size and the design of the folding mechanism. Findings ? The feasibility of the concept is proven with a prototype implementation and successful test results. Research limitations/implications ? Discussions with field service engineers at ALSTOM showed that gas turbines are relatively easy to open thus do not require access through the narrow bore-scope-holes. Practical implications ? However, in the field of boiler drum inspection, there is a need for such robots. The final industrial version of this robot, which is currently under development at ALSTOM Inspection Robotics, is optimized for this type of environments (more space but higher requirements regarding the robustness against shocks). Originality/value ? The robot concept presented here allows for accessing environments with very narrow access holes and afterwards climb with 2D mobility ? an ability which opens several new applications for compact mobile climbing robots, especially in the field of power plant inspection.

  Abstract:
Purpose ? The purpose of this paper is to describe the design and prototype implementation of the ?Cable Crawler?, a mobile teleoperated robot for the inspection of high-voltage power lines which rides on the topmost ground cable. By not being limited to just moving from mast to mast, it implements an innovative mechanism that allows for crossing a set of mast tops as well as smaller obstacles autonomously. Design/methodology/approach ? After a brief overview of the state-of-the-art for this application, the basic concept of the robot is presented ? which basically consists of a chassis and six motorized rubber-coated rollers, two in a horizontal position to take the weight and four vertical ones. The four vertical rollers are pressed onto the wire by springs, which guarantees slip-less propulsion in difficult situations. The detailed design of the most challenging components is presented, as well as the successful tests with the prototype. Findings ? The feasibility of the concept is proven with a prototype implementation and successful test results. Practical implications ? With a mass of 58?kg and only six drives, it consequently follows the industry's wish to have a robust, easy to maintain and rather cheap solution. Regarding the fields examined by the robot, the project concentrated on the detection of trees growing into proximity of the wires. Future work will mainly stress in further reducing the robot's mass and in facilitating its transport to the mast by the workers. Originality/value ? The presented prototype allows for moving on the topmost ground cable of high-voltage power-lines and to passively roll over mast tops and smaller obstacles. With these properties, it is able to inspect long distances of cables in an autonomous way and by using a relatively low-cost and robust robot.

  Abstract:
Purpose ? The purpose of this paper is to design and implement a team of middle size soccer robots to conform RoboCup middle-size league. Design/methodology/approach ? First, according to the rules of RoboCup, a middle size soccer robot was designed. The proposed autonomous soccer robot consists of the mechanical platform, motion control module, omni-directional vision module, front vision module, image processing and recognition module, investigated target object positioning and real coordinate reconstruction, robot path planning, competition strategies, and obstacle avoidance. This soccer robot equips the laptop computer system and interface circuits to make decisions. Findings ? In fact, the omni-directional vision sensor of the vision system deals with the image processing and positioning for obstacle avoidance and target tracking. The boundary-following algorithm is applied to find the important features of the field. The sensor data fusion method is utilized in the control system parameters, self-localization, and world modeling. A vision-based self-localization, and the conventional odometry systems are fused for robust self-localization. The localization algorithm includes filtering, sharing, and integration of the data for different types of objects recognized in the environment. Originality/value ? This paper presents results of research work in the field of autonomous robot-middle size soccer robot supported by IAU-Khorasgan Branch (Isfahan).

  Abstract:
Purpose ? The purpose of this paper is to develop a portable all-position welding robot for the welding of intersected pipes. Design/methodology/approach ? A complete procedure is adopted to conduct the design. The task and motion of the robot are analyzed and a mathematical description of the pose and position of the welding tool is given. Based on that, three representative types of robot are chosen in the type synthesis of mechanism. Two new indices proposed to evaluate required properties of the robot, along with the traditional dexterity index, are chosen to be the criteria in the dimension synthesis of mechanism. Through the optimization by genetic algorithm, the best robot in type and dimension is determined after comparison on their performances. Finally, the prototype is developed. Findings ? The paper finds a new robot for welding intersected pipes. Originality/value ? A new robot is introduced for the welding of intersected pipes. A complete design procedure is adopted to conduct the design. Two new indices are constructed for evaluating the required properties of this robot.