MobileCharger: an Autonomous Mobile Robot with Inverted Delta Actuator for Robust and Safe Robot Charging

TL;DR

MobileCharger introduces an autonomous mobile robot with an inverted delta actuator and vision-tactile perception for safe, precise, and reliable robot charging, demonstrating high accuracy and success rates in electrode detection and connection.

Contribution

It presents a novel integrated vision and tactile perception system for autonomous robot charging using an inverted delta actuator, enhancing safety and robustness.

Findings

84.2% average precision in electrode detection

83% success rate in electrode connection trials

60 seconds average execution time

Abstract

MobileCharger is a novel mobile charging robot with an Inverted Delta actuator for safe and robust energy transfer between two mobile robots. The RGB-D camera-based computer vision system allows to detect the electrodes on the target mobile robot using a convolutional neural network (CNN). The embedded high-fidelity tactile sensors are applied to estimate the misalignment between the electrodes on the charger mechanism and the electrodes on the main robot using CNN based on pressure data on the contact surfaces. Thus, the developed vision-tactile perception system allows precise positioning of the end effector of the actuator and ensures a reliable connection between the electrodes of the two robots. The experimental results showed high average precision (84.2%) for electrode detection using CNN. The percentage of successful trials of the CNN-based electrode search algorithm reached 83% and the average execution time accounted for 60 s. MobileCharger could introduce a new level of charging systems and increase the prevalence of autonomous mobile robots.