ME461 – Robotics – Unit – 4

Part – II
4.1 Robot’s Environment

For a robot to be automated it requires details about its environment. A robot that is fully automated must
have enough information about the environment. The more information the robot has, the more likely the
robot can accomplish its goal.

The robot’s world is the environment where the robot performs it tasks. It’s the only world the robot is
aware of. Nothing outside that environment matters, and the robot is not aware of it.

4.1.1 Environment Accessibility

All environments are not alike. We know environments are dynamic. The robot’s environments can be
partially or fully accessible to a robot. A fully accessible environment means all objects and aspects of the
environment are within the reach of the robot’s sensors. No object is too high, low, or far away from the
robot to detect or interact with. The robot has all the necessary sensors to receive input from the
environment. If there is a sound, the robot can detect it with its sound sensor. If a light is on, the robot can
detect it with its light sensor.

A partially accessible environment means there are aspects of the environment the robot cannot detect or
there are objects the robot cannot detect or interact with because it lacks the end-effector to pick it up or
the location sensor to detect it. An object that is 180 cm from the ground is out of the reach of the robot with
an 80 cm arm extension and a height of 50 cm. What if a hypothetical birthday robot’s task is to light the
candles once the singing begins but it does not have a sound sensor? Sound is part of the environment;
therefore, it will not be able to perform the task. Therefore, when creating the floorplan for a partially
accessible environment, a robot’s perspective must be considered.

4.1.2 Deterministic and Non-Deterministic Environment

In a deterministic environment, the next state is completely determined by the current state and depends
on the actions performed by the robot. This means if the hypothetical birthday robot mentioned in the above
paragraph were to light the candles then the candles will stay lit until the robot blows them out. In case the
birthday robot removes the dishes from the table, they will stay in the location they’re placed.

In a nondeterministic environment, like the one which is actually applicable for the birthday robot, the robot
does not blow out the candles (they naturally blow out for various reasons). Dishes can be moved around by
the attendees of the party. Obstacles could arise between the robot and its destination as a partygoer might
unintentionally move a chair or a balloon or some other object in the path of a robot.

1
How can the birthday robot perform its tasks in a dynamic nondeterministic environment? Each environment
type has its own set of challenges. With a dynamic nondeterministic environment, the robot is required to
consider the previous state and the current state before a task is attempted and then decide whether the
task can be performed.

The below table summarizes the various types of environments discussed above.

Table 4.1 – Types of Environment

Exercise: Try to visualize the above environments for various type of scenarios which a mobile robot would
encounter:

1. Self-Driving Cars in India.

2. Mobile Robots as Banking Assistants.
3. Mobile Robots in a shop-floor with machines and technicians.
4. Mobile Robots in Amazon’s Facility for moving shelves.
5. Mobile Robots for serving food in restaurants.

4.2 Terrain Challenges

A terrain, in general, refers to the horizontal and vertical dimensions of the surface of land. It is an area of
land, especially as considered with reference to its natural features.

Many robots are programmed to work indoors because indoor environments are safer and more predictable.
The challenges can be well thought out, and success is probable. But even indoor environments can introduce
challenges for robots.

The table 4.2 summarizes the terrain challenges in indoor and outdoor environments most likely to be
encountered by a Robot.

2
 Table 4.2 – Challenges of Indoor and Outdoor Terrain

4.2.1 Dealing with Terrain Challenges

The challenges of terrain can be addressed by steering and driving systems, the type of mobility, as well as
the torque and speed of the robot. Some terrains are better negotiated with legs, especially if climbing is
needed (like stairs). Wheels and tracks are better with other types of terrain.

If an object is to be transported, which type of mobility is better for the task? A robot with legs, wheels, or
tractor wheels? The size and weight of the robot becomes a factor in making these choices. Smaller robots
may have fewer problems in controlled environments because they are faster and can easily get around
known small obstacles.

But on the other hand, if a robot must travel from waypoint A from waypoint C in a certain time frame and
over a thick carpeted area to reach waypoint C, would a larger robot be better? A smaller robot’s batteries
may become depleted trying to supply its motors a high constant current to maintain a speed at the cost of
torque. Those wheels are rotating, but the robot is not going very far.

Maybe a larger robot with bigger wheels and more powerful motors is a better fit. It is less affected by the
terrain, and the larger wheels cause the robot to travel farther but rotate slower. But bigger, heavier robots
also have challenges. Larger robots draw more current. Farther distances mean drawing more current from
the batteries, which are already being taxed. When the motor stalls, it draws a large amount of current.

3
Does the larger robot have indirect drive that can help with lessening the load on the motors? What type of
mobility? If wheels, what size, what type? Are treads better across any type of terrain? They are the obvious
choice for tough terrains, but they can complicate the mechanical design. Large wheels with four-wheel drive
are also an obvious choice, but with larger wheels comes a decrease in the maximum available torque.

Bipedal legs and legs that simulate other animals such as insects are much more complicated mechanical
devices for mobile robots. They are good in narrow circumstances though. They are also good for tricky,
inconsistent terrains, but they require a lot of servos and more importantly complex programming. The
torque and speed capabilities depend on the motors they are using.

The table-4.3 lists different types of robot mobility and the motor concerns for each.

Table 4.3 – Robot Mobility for various Terrains

4.3 Floor Plan

A floor plan is a type of drawing that shows you the layout of a home or property from above. Floor plans
typically illustrate the location of walls, windows, doors, and stairs, as well as fixed installations such as
bathroom fixtures, kitchen cabinetry, and appliances. The floorplan (map) can be a simple 2D layout or
floorplan of the environment using geometric shapes, icons, or colors to represent objects or robots.

For the hypothetical birthday robot described in the previous section, a typical following floor plan is shown
in figure-4.1.

4
 Figure – 4.1 – Floorplan for Birthday Robot (BR-1)

The floorplan shows the locations of objects that are to be recognized like colored squares, objects the robot
will interact with, or obstacles to be avoided. If objects are too high or too far away, sensors may not be able
to determine their location. Determining the path the robot must navigate to reach those locations can also
be planned by using this map. The dimension of the space and of the robot (the robot footprint) may affect
the capability of the robot to navigate the space and perform its tasks. For example, for the birthday robot,
what is the location of the cake relative to the location of the robot? Is there a path? Are there obstacles?
Can the robot move around the space? This is what the map helps determine.

5
In figure 4.1, the objects of interest are designated: locations of the robot, the table, and the cake on the
table. The floorplan marks the dimensions of the area and the footprint of the robot. The lower-left corner
is marked (0,0) and the upper-right corner is marked (300,400). This shows the dimensions of the area in cm.
It also marks distances between objects and the birthday robot. Although this floorplan is not to scale, lengths
and widths have a relative relationship. The robot’s footprint length is 50 cm and width is 30 cm.

The robot must light the candles on the cake. The cake is located at the center of an area that is 400 cm ×
300 cm. The cake has a diameter of 30 cm on a table that is 100 cm × 100 cm. That means the robot arm
should have a reach of at least 53 cm from the edge of the table to reach the candle at the farthest point in
the X dimension. The maximum extension of the robot arm to the tip of the end-effector is 80 cm, and the
length of the lighter adds an additional 10 cm.

The task also depends on some additional considerations:

• The height of the candle

• The height of the cake
• The length of BR-1 from the arm point to the top of the candle wick
• The location of the robot

4.4 Subroutines

When thinking about what role a robot is to play in a scenario or situation, the role is broken down into a
series of actions. Each task for a robot is broken down into a series of steps or also known as subroutines.

For the birthday robot described in the previous sections, the role is to be a host at a birthday party. This role
is broken down into following states:
• Idle
• Traveling
• Lighting candles
• Waiting
• Removing dishes

The above states can be broken down into a series of actions or tasks:

1. Wait until singing begins.

a. Travel to birthday cake table.
b. Light the candles on the cake.
c. Travel to the original location.
2. Wait until party is over.
a. Remove dishes from cake table.
b. Travel back to original location.

6
These are short descriptions of tasks. Each task can be further broken down into a series of steps or
subroutines. “Lighting candles” is a composite state that is broken down into other substates: Locating wick
Igniting wick Actually, “Remove dishes from cake table” and “Travel back to original location” should also be
broken down into subroutines. Removing dishes from the cake table requires the positioning of the robot
arm to remove each plate and cup subroutines and traveling requires the rotating of motors subroutines.
Figure 4.2 shows the flowchart for Lighting Candles and its subroutines Locating Wick and Igniting Wick.

Figure 4.2 – Flowchart using Subroutines

The above notes have been compiled from the following source:

1. Robot Programming: A Guide to Controlling Autonomous Robots by Hughes, Cameron; Hughes,

Tracey.