List of Project Groups and Description



1.  Implementation of Adaptive Control Theory to a Robot Manipulator
Hadas Shragai <shragh>
Marcin Korepta <korepm>

Project description: Implement adaptive control theory applied to a robot manipulator arm using MATLAB code and simulation. We will use a two degree of freedom arm for which we know the system parameters. We will choose one or two control algorithms from papers that estimate system parameters and predict the behavior or the system, and then design a controller to stabilize the system based on those estimations.



2. Cooperative robotic mapping
Shawn Bisgrove <bisgrs>
Gill Derge <dergeg>
Cory Plock <plockc>

Project description: A term paper that combines two of the suggestions on the web page -- "Some aspect of mobile robot navigation or localization" and "Cooperative robotics."  We're envisioning something of a survey of mapping and localization methods that coordinate information from multiple robots.  Sort of a distributed map making problem.



3. A maze solving mobile robot
James Bonanno <bonanj>
Christopher Jarvis <jarvic2>
Ben Potsaid <potsab>
David Steck <steckd>

Project description:  We would like to do a project that involves constructing and programming arobot to solve a maze.  The robot would first explore the maze, while generating a map of the maze geometry.  After the robot has mapped the maze, the robot could be placed anywhere in the maze.  The robot would then figure out where it was, and then proceed to the goal.  The maze would be re-configurable to allow for a more in depth exploration of the capabilities of the robot. The project is very multi-disciplinary and involves mechanical, electrical, and lots of software components.



4. Implementation of a Nonholonomic Path-Planning Algorithm
Angelo Murano <murana>
Chris Westmorland <westmc>

Project description:  As our interest lies more heavily on the software end of robotics, this is thetype of project which we will be working on for our final project.  After reviewing some of the suggestions posted online, we have decided to attempt the design and implementation of a nonholonomic path planning algorithm.



5. Automatic yoyo
Alan Bivens <bivenj@cs>
Chris Cramer <cramec2@cs>
Bernie Durfee <durfeb>
Ace Sakurai <sakura>

Project description: Our project is the Automatic yoyo: tie a yoyo on to the end of a force sensor on a solenoid.  As the web page suggested,  we will try to work the yoyo only by actuating the solenoid and using only the force sensor readings.  Our goal is to keep the yoyo in continous motion.  If this objective is met, we will attempt to use additional yoyo's to make interesting automatic yoyo formations.



6. Path planning simulator
Changhee Pyo <pyoc@cs>
Ruqing Tang <tangr@cs>
Eric Rosen <rosene>

Project description: Our Goal for this project is the implementation of a collision-free path planning simulator.  We would like to simulate the movement of a robot from a starting position to a goal, while trying to avoid any obstacles that may be in the environment.



7. Group members: Matt Simon, Hermes Norero, Rich Dunne, Chris Achille

Project description:The sonar of the NOMAD can be used to map a room or location. We would like to apply this capability to an environment in which obstacles are more mobile (i.e. people and carts in a hospital scenario).  In the manner of the last paper read, we would see to improve the process and expand the capability through the use of a faster computer...

email: simon@cat.rpi.edu, achilc@rpi.edu, dunner@rpi.edu, norerh@rpi.edu



8. Nonholonomic Path Planning
Rolando Perez <perezr>
Timothy Murphy <murpht>

Project description: We hope to implement a nonholonomic algotithm for path planning and navigation.  We plan to develop a GUI representation in the visual C++ or Java programming environment of a car-type robot solving the parallel parking problem(possibly others) with our implementation of a nonholonomic algorithm.  This project will require software development of the GUI and the nonholonomic algorithm.



9. Mapping and localization via SONAR
Harlon Harrington <harrih>
Robert Svensson <svensr>
Harris Hall <hallh>

Project description:We plan on utilizing the Nomad robot to make a map of a specified area (i.e. the laboratory it is in).  This includes specifying all obstacles in the given area.  To accomplish this some navigational abilities will have to be utilized so that the robot will be able to examine the whole area.



10. Robotic Throwing arm
Joe Ader <aderj>
Dan Dvorscak <dvorsd>

Project description: