Simulating dual-arm robot motions to avoid collision by rigid body dynamics for laboratory bench work

• Published in: Artificial life and robotics Vol. 28; no. 1; pp. 264 - 270
• Main Authors: Ueno, Yutaka, Miyata, Natsuki, Yamanobe, Natsuki, Adachi, Shungo, Mitsuyama, Totai
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Tokyo Springer Japan 01.02.2023; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Artificial Intelligence; Collision avoidance; Collision dynamics; Computation by Abstract Devices; Computer Science; Constraint modelling; Control; Human motion; Kinematics; Mechatronics; Motion capture; Original Article; Rigid-body dynamics; Robot arms; Robot dynamics; Robotics; Simulation; Software; Motion planning; Rigid body dynamics; Motion capture; Laboratory automation; Collision avoidance; Inverse kinematics
• ISSN: 1433-5298; 1614-7456
• DOI: 10.1007/s10015-022-00823-1

Purpose To develop a method by which a dual-arm robot can simulate collision avoidance while replicating motions of a laboratory biologist. Methods Using a kinematic robot model with constraints between the joint arms, the robot arm trajectory is calculated using rigid body dynamics. Collision barriers are introduced to avoid collisions between the arms and other obstacles. Our prototype simulator was implemented using Blender 3D graphics software with Bullet physics engine for the physics simulation. Results The simulator worked as an offline teaching method to generate robot motions, as if guided directly by a human hand. The method was tested with publicly available motion capture data, and it also worked for our original data obtained from a cell culture study at a biological laboratory. We also discuss necessary software functions for teaching a dual-arm robot on the basis of human motions.