Model development and simulation of a two-robot work cell for workpiece manipulation

• Main Author: Chen, Stark Wenhong
• Other Authors: Hu Guoqiang
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: Nanyang Technological University 2023
• Subjects: Engineering::Electrical and electronic engineering::Control and instrumentation::Robotics
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/167212
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

This project aims to propose and develop a simulation for multi-robot collaborative systems. The simulation consists of a two-robot work cell with workpiece manipulation (scarfing): i. Setting up of the simulation environment ii. Modelling and setting up of the dual-robot work cell iii. Monitoring of the workpiece by one robot (Evaluator) iv. Tooling of the workpiece by one robot (Processor) The goal of such a simulation lies in overcoming the existing limitations to the implementation of collaborative multi-robot systems. While there is great potential, replicating and verifying the value of such systems in workplaces can be costly and resource intensive. Faced with such uncertainty, the justification for investments would be a tall order. Thus, an easily accessible testbed for carrying out such investigations can provide the necessary insights to make calculated decisions. Additionally, by ensuring that the simulation allows for robot self- reflection, their human counterparts can be more confident in collaborating instead of babysitting. The simulation is built upon ROS, Gazebo, and MoveIt, with the scarfing process as the simulation scenario. A total of 3 methods were tested to ensure a viable simulation setup: the Namespace method, the Prefix method, and the MoveIt bypass method. The experiments showed that the MoveIt bypass method was the most viable, and the scarfing process was used to verify that. The overall simulation has successfully implemented and achieved the following: • Integration of MoveIt with Gazebo for a complete simulation testbed • Path plan of 3D coverage region with a custom data structure (kd-tree) for efficient topographical projection • Self-reflection of multi-robot system with workspace segmentation for scalability Hence, this shows the promise of such simulation and the possible future of bridging the test bench and workbench.