ACRA 1999

Australian Conference on Robotics and Automation 1999

Gordon Wyeth & Jonathan Roberts (Conference Chairs)

March 20 – April 1, 1999
Brisbane, Australia
ISBN 0 9587583 3 6

All full papers submitted to ACRA 1999 will undergo a peer-review process. Each manuscript will be reviewed by at least two reviewers who will give detailed comments. If the submission is accepted, the authors will submit a revised (“camera-ready”) version that takes into account this feedback. The review process is managed by the program chair of the conference.

All papers are reviewed using a single-blind review process: authors declare their names and affiliations in the manuscript for the reviewers to see, but reviewers do not know each other’s identities, nor do the authors receive information about who has reviewed their manuscript.

Welcome to ACRA 1999

The 1999 Australian Conference on Robotics and Automation is an inclusive venue for the discussion and promulgation of issues in robotics and automation that are relevant to research and application in Australia. This conference, the seventh national conference to be organised by the Australian Robotics & Automation Association (ARAA), plays an important role in the cultivation of local research culture. Young new researchers value the opportunity to present their work to a sympathetic but critical audience before being thrown into the international arena. It is an excellent venue for research students to see the wider aspects of robotics and automation in Australia and to learn from established researchers. Established researchers are able to maintain the national contacts that enable cross-institutional collaboration, and guide the development of Australian robotics and automation research.

It must be recognised that this conference is competing with a crowded market of international conferences that operate with similar programme guidelines. Despite this, the conference has attracted many high quality papers forcing the organisers to reject some papers due to time constraints. The number and quality of student papers speaks well or the future of robotics in Australia.

Given the quality of the response to this conference, and the benefits to Australian robotics and automation research, the organisers feel that the Australian Conference on Robotics and Automation should become an annual event.

Gordon Wyeth & Jonathan Roberts
ACRA Co-Chairs
Brisbane, March 1999

on behalf of the Programme Committee.

Sponsoring Organisations

Australian Robotics and Automation Association Inc.
CSIRO Manufacturing Science & Technolog
The University of Queensland
Queensland Centre for Advanced Technologies
Griffith University

Co-Chairs

Jonathan Roberts
Gordon Wyeth

Programme Committee

John Billingsly
University of Southern Queensland
Thomas Braeunl
The University of Western Australia
Chris Cook
The University of Wollongong
Peter Corke
CSIRO
Saman Halgamuge
The University of Melbourne
Ray Jarvis
Monash University
Fazel Naghdy
The Universty of Wollongong
Eduardo Nebot
The University of Sydney
Andy Russel
Monash University
Ljubisa Vlacic
Griffith University
Richard Willgoss
The University of New South Wales
Graeme Winstanley
CSIRO
Alex Zilensky
The Australian National University

Table of contents

INVITED PAPERS

The Aerosonde Robotic Aircraft: The First Civilian UAV to go fully Operational
G Holland & G Tyrrell
Entertainment Robots
J Hollerbach
Development of Musician Robots in Japan
M Kajitani
Teaching Control fundamentals for Mechatronics and Robotics – the use of JavaScript for simulation and animation
J Billingsley

PEER REVIEWD PAPERS

Robots In Action I

Autonomous Transect Surveying of the Great Barrier Reef
S Williams, P Newman, S Majumbder, J Rosenblatt & H Durrant-Whyte
A Universal Theory of Fieldwork Robotics
J O’Brien

Robots In Action II

Sensor Rich Teleoperation of a Tracked, Heavy Duty Vehicle in Outdoor Rough Terrain
R Janvis
Advances in Shared Discrete Event Control of the Robotic Cane
P Ainger & B McCarragher
Behaviour-Based Docking using the DAMN Arbiter
T Bailey, E M Nebot, J K Rosenblatt & H Durrant-Whyte

Visual Navigation

Self-Learning Visual Path Recognition
P Chan & G Wyeth
Experiments in Control of Sensory Perception for Robotic Systems
T Celinski & B McCarragher
Mobile Robot Navigation based on Localisation using Hidden Markov Models
S Rahman & A Zelinsky

Neural Networks

Model Predictive Control for Robot Manipulators Using a Neural Network Model
Z Wei & G Fang
Design Issues in Hill Climbing for Neural Network Training
S Chalup & F Maire
Cerebellar Control of a Line Following Robot
D Collins & G Wyeth

Robot Competitions

Secondary School Robotics Competition
M Phythian & J Billingsley
Review of Mobile Robot Competitions
T Braeunl
Multi-Robot Coordination in the Robot Soccer Environment
A Tews & G Wyeth
A Navigation System for Robot Soccer
B Browning, G Wyeth & A Tews

3D Visual Analysis

Bounding Errors for Improved 3D Face Tracking in Visual Interfaces
J Heinzmann & A Zelinsky
An Alternative Approach to Recovering 3D Pose Information from 2D Data
G Loy, R Newman, A Zelinsky & J Moore
Error Analysis of Head Pose and Gaze Direction from Stereo Vision
R Newman & A Zelinsky

Robots that Learn

Reinforcement Learning of Behaviors in Mobile Robots Using Noisy Infrared Sensing
R Willgoss & J Iqbal
Reinforcement Learning applied to the control of an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle
C Gaskett, D Wettergreen & A Zelinsky
Learning to Avoid Objects and Dock with a Mobile Robot
K Ward, A Zelinsky & P McKerrow
Programming by Demonstration using Hybrid Dynamic System Modelling
J Chen & B McCarragher

Mechanisms

Dynamics of the Titan four-wheel drive mobile robot with floating Ackerman steering
D Ratner & P McKerrow
Position Tracking in Two Dimensjonal Workspace for SCARA Robots with Friction
J W L Simpson, C Cook & Z Li

Control I

Robot Manipulators Tracking Using Hybrid Fuzzy Logic Controller
E Kwan & M Liu
A Kalman-Filter Approach for the Multirate-Control Problem in Visual Servoing Systems
W Hoellmueller & N Haerle

Sensor and Vision Techniques

Classifying plants with ultrasonic sensing
N L Harper & P J McKerrow
Cable-Driven Pan-tilt Mechanism for Active Vision
S N Truong, J Kieffer & A Zelinsky
Improving the Angular Accuracy for a Fast Window Based Hough Transform
W Niemann & N Haerle

Control II

Model-Based Friction Compensation in Hydraulic Servo Systems
A Bonchis, Q P Ha, P I Corke & D C Rye
Feedback linearisation control for electrohydraulic systems of a robotic excavator
Q H Nguyen, Q P Ha, D C Rye & H F Durrant-Whyte
Feedforward Control Strategies for High-Speed Contouring Machine Tools
R C Ko, M C Good & S Halgamuge
Comparative Study of Feedback Sensor Locations for Servo Systems with Motor/Load Inertia Mismatch
J Moscrop, C Cook & F Naghdy

ABSTRACT REVIEWED PAPERS

Robots In Action I

Robotic Processing of Variable Products
W Friedrich & H Nicholls
Operating Experiences with Service Robots – Examples from Mail Distribution
G Schweitzer, S Tschichold-Guerman & S J Vestli

Visual Navigation

Automatic Landmark Selection for Navigation with Panoramic Vision
S Thompson, A Zelinsky & M Srinivasan

Mechanisms

Synthesis of a Manipulator of the New UWA Robot
K Miller

Control I

Neuro-Fuzzy Control of Robotics Peg in Hole Insertion
F Naghdy & J Lukasiaks
Intelligent Control and Navigation of an Outdoor AGV
P P Khaw, W S Wijesoma & E K Teoh

Sensor and Vision Techniques

Panoramic range estimation using a moving camera and a specially shaped reflective surface
J S Chahl & M V Srinivasan

Index of Authors

Author Papers
Ainger, P Advances in Shared Discrete Event Control of the Robotic Cane
Bailey, T Behaviour-Based Docking using the DAMN Arbiter
Billingsley, J Teaching Control fundamentals for Mechatronics and Robotics – the use of JavaScript for simulation and animation,
Secondary School Robotics Competition
Bonchis, A Model-Based Friction Compensation in Hydraulic Servo Systems
Braeunl, T Review of Mobile Robot Competitions
Browning, B A Navigation System for Robot Soccer
Celinski, T Experiments in Control of Sensory Perception for Robotic Systems
Chahl, J S Panoramic range estimation using a moving camera and a specially shaped reflective surface
Chalup, S Design Issues in Hill Climbing for Neural Network Training
Chan, P Self-Learning Visual Path Recognition
Colings, D Cerebellar Control of a Line Following Robot
Cook, C Position Tracking in Two Dimensjonal Workspace for SCARA Robots with Friction,
Comparative Study of Feedback Sensor Locations for Servo Systems with MotorjLoad Inertia Mismatch
Corke, P I Model-Based Friction Compensation in Hydraulic Servo Systems
Durrant-Whyte, H Autonomous Transect Surveying of the Great Barrier Reef,
Behaviour-Based Docking using the DAMN Arbiter,
Feedback linearisation control for electrohydraulic systems of a robotic excavator
Fang, G Model Predictive Control for Robot Manipulators Using a Neural Network Model
Friedrich, W Robotic Processing of Variable Products
Gaskett, C Reinforcement Learning applied to the control of an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle
Good, M C Feedforward Control Strategies for High-Speed Contouring Machine Tools
Haerle, N A Kalman-Filter Approach for the Multirate-Control Problem in Visual Servoing Systems,
Improving the Angular Accuracy for a Fast Window Based Hough Transform
Hoellmueller, W A Kalman-Filter Approach for the Multirate-Control Problem in Visual Servoing Systems
Ha, Q P Model-Based Friction Compensation in Hydraulic Servo Systems,
Feedback linearisation control for electrohydraulic systems of a robotic excavator
Halgamuge, S K Feedforward Control Strategies for High-Speed Contouring Machine Tools
Harper, N L Classifying plants with ultrasonic sensing
Heinzmann, J Bounding Errors for Improved 3D Face Tracking in Visual Interfaces
Holland, G The Aerosonde Robotic Aircraft: The First Civilian UAV to go fully Operational
Hollerback, J Entertainment Robots
Iqbal, J Reinforcement Learning of Behaviors in Mobile Robots Using Noisy Infrared Sensing
Jarvis, R Sensor Rich Teleoperation of a Tracked, Heavy Duty Vehicle in Outdoor Rough Terrain
Kjitani, M Development of Musician Robots in Japan
Khaw, P P Intelligent Control and Navigation of an Outdoor AGV
Kieffer, J Cable-Driven Pan-tilt Mechanism for Active Vision
Ko, R C Feedforward Control Strategies for High-Speed Contouring Machine Tools
Kwan, E Robot Manipulators Tracking Using Hybrid Fuzzy Logic Controller
Li, Z Position Tracking in Two Dimensjonal Workspace for SCARA Robots with Friction
Liu, M Robot Manipulators Tracking Using Hybrid Fuzzy Logic Controller
Loy, G An Alternative Approach to Recovering 3D Pose Information from 2D Data
Lukasiaks, J Neuro-Fuzzy Control of Robotics Peg in Hole Insertion
Maire, F Design Issues in Hill Climbing for Neural Network Training
Majumbder, S Autonomous Transect Surveying of the Great Barrier Reef
McCarragher, B Advances in Shared Discrete Event Control of the Robotic Cane,
Experiments in Control of Sensory Perception for Robotic Systems
McKerrow, P J Learning to Avoid Objects and Dock with a Mobile Robot,
Dynamics of the Titan four-wheel drive mobile robot with floating Ackerman steering,
Classifying plants with ultrasonic sensing
Miller, K Synthesis of a Manipulator of the New UWA Robot
Moore, J An Alternative Approach to Recovering 3D Pose Information from 2D Data
Moscrop, J Comparative Study of Feedback Sensor Locations for Servo Systems with MotorjLoad Inertia Mismatch
Naghdy, F Comparative Study of Feedback Sensor Locations for Servo Systems with Motor/Load Inertia Mismatch,
Neuro-Fuzzy Control of Robotics Peg in Hole Insertion
Nebot, E M Behaviour-Based Docking using the DAMN Arbiter
Newman, P Autonomous Transect Surveying of the Great Barrier Reef
Newman, R An Alternative Approach to Recovering 3D Pose Information from 2D Data,
Error Analysis of Head Pose and Gaze Direction from Stereo Vision
Nguyen, Q H Feedback linearisation control for electrohydraulic systems of a robotic excavator
Nicholls, H Robotic Processing of Variable Products
Niemann, W Improving the Angular Accuracy for a Fast Window Based Hough Transform
O’Brien, J A Universal Theory of Fieldwork Robotics
Phythian, M Secondary School Robotics Competition
Rahman, S Mobile Robot Navigation based on Localisation using Hidden Markov Models
Ratner, D Dynamics of the Titan four-wheel drive mobile robot with floating Ackerman steering
Rosenblatt, J K Autonomous Transect Surveying of the Great Barrier Reef,
Behaviour-Based Docking using the DAMN Arbiter
Rye, D C Model-Based Friction Compensation in Hydraulic Servo Systems,
Feedback linearisation control for electrohydraulic systems of a robotic excavator
Schweitzer, G Operating Experiences with Service Robots – Examples from Mail Distribution
Simpson, J W L Position Tracking in Two Dimensjonal Workspace for SCARA Robots with Friction
Srinivasan, M V Automatic Landmark Selection for Navigation with Panoramic Vision,
Panoramic range estimation using a moving camera and a specially shaped reflective surface
Teoh, E K Intelligent Control and Navigation of an Outdoor AGV
Tews, A Multi-Robot Coordination in the Robot Soccer Environment,
A Navigation System for Robot Soccer
Thompson, S Automatic Landmark Selection for Navigation with Panoramic Vision
Truong, S N Cable-Driven Pan-tilt Mechanism for Active Vision
Tschichold-Guerman, S Operating Experiences with Service Robots – Examples from Mail Distribution
Tyrrell, G The Aerosonde Robotic Aircraft: The First Civilian UAV to go fully Operational
Vestli, S J Operating Experiences with Service Robots – Examples from Mail Distribution
Ward, K Learning to Avoid Objects and Dock with a Mobile Robot
Wei, Z Model Predictive Control for Robot Manipulators Using a Neural Network Model
Wettergreen, D Reinforcement Learning applied to the control of an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle
Wijesoma, W S Intelligent Control and Navigation of an Outdoor AGV
Willgoss, R Reinforcement Learning of Behaviors in Mobile Robots Using Noisy Infrared Sensing
Williams, S Autonomous Transect Surveying of the Great Barrier Reef
Wyeth, G Self-Learning Visual Path Recognition,
Cerebellar Control of a Line Following Robot,
Multi-Robot Coordination in the Robot Soccer Environment,
A Navigation System for Robot Soccer
Zilensky, A Mobile Robot Navigation based on Localisation using Hidden Markov Models,
Bounding Errors for Improved 3D Face Tracking in Visual Interfaces,
An Alternative Approach to Recovering 3D Pose Information from 2D Data
,
Error Analysis of Head Pose and Gaze Direction from Stereo Vision,
Reinforcement Learning applied to the control of an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle,
Learning to Avoid Objects and Dock with a Mobile Robot,
Cable-Driven Pan-tilt Mechanism for Active Vision,
Automatic Landmark Selection for Navigation with Panoramic Vision