Biography: Dr. M Annadurai, was Director, URSC from April 01, 2015 to July 31, 2018. Before taking over as Director, URSC, he was Programme Director for Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) and Small Satellite Systems (SSS) at URSC, Bengaluru. As Project Director, Dr Annadurai made the most crucial contribution to the realisation of India's first Lunar Mission, Chandrayaan-1, which won many appreciations and awards including the prestigious Space Pioneer Award, 2009. In 2011, Dr Annadurai became the Programme Director of Indian Remote Sensing Satellites (IRS) and Small Satellite Systems (SSS) and realised five satellite projects. His other major contribution is the realisation of the successful Mars Orbiter Mission in record time. He has been awarded the prestigious Padma Shri, 2016 for his contributions in the field of Science & Engineering by the President of India.
Title:
Abstract:

Biography: Ashok Midha received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from R.I.T., Jamshedpur, India (1968), and M.S. (1970) and Ph.D.(1977) in Mechanical Engineering, from University of Minnesota. He is currently a professor of Mechanical Engineering, at Missouri University of Science and Technology.
Title:
Abstract:

Biography: Biography:NOMURA M. Shin-ichiro received his B.S. degree from theShizuoka University (1997), M.S. degree from the Nagoya University(1999), and Dr. of Science degree from the Kyoto University (2002). He then spent five years in Tokyo Medical & Dental University as post-doc and Research Associate Professor (junior). Next, he spent three years in iCeMS, Kyoto Univ. (2008-2011). Then he joined the TOHOKU University. He was a researcher of JST PRESTO (Structures and control of interfaces).
Title:
Abstract:

Biography:Ashitava Ghosal is a Professor in Mechanical Engineering Department and the Centre for Product Design and Manufacturing at IISc, Bangalore. He completed his PhD from Stanford University, California in 1986, M.S from University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida in 1982 and B.Tech from Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur in 1980. His broad research areas are kinematics, dynamics, control and design of robots and other computer controlled mechanical systems. His current interests are in design of bio-medical devices and tools for minimally invasive surgery, design of parallel mechanisms for tracking the sun for concentrated solar power systems and product design. He has authored a text book entitled “Robotics: Fundamental Concepts and Analysis” by Oxford University Press. He has 3 patents, around 70 archival journal papers and 70 papers in national and international conferences. He has guided 14 PhDs, 16 MSc (Engg) and more than 35 ME students. He was elected to the Executive Committee IFToMM for the term 2016-19 and was elected Fellow of the Indian National Academy of Engineering in 2010.
Title:Redundancy in robots and human arms
Abstract: To arbitrarily position and orient a rigid body in three-dimensional space, six parameters are required. A robot with six independent actuators can be used to position and orient an end-effector in three-dimensional space. However, many robots with more than six actuators have been built and in biological systems, more than six actuated joints are ubiquitous. Such systems are termed as redundant and a key problem in redundant systems is that for a desired position and orientation of the end-effector, there exists infinite possibilities for the actuated joints. The problem of choosing a unique solution is known as resolution of redundancy. In this talk we look at some approaches for resolution of redundancy in robots. We also present new results on how redundancy is used in human arms.

Biography:
Title: Stable gait generation and analysis for bipedal robot locomotion
Abstract: Stability is the most important factor to be considered for the bipedal robot locomotion, since the dynamics of these robots are highly complex due to high mobility and internal and external disturbances. During the last few years, a lot of research has been reported on theoretical simulation and experimentation in bipedal locomotion. Many researchers have attempted different problems in bipedal/humanoid locomotion and proposed solutions for improvement. There has been a rapid increase in the building of humanoid/biped robots because of their adaptability to human environment. These robots are beginning to be used in many applications such as medical, welfare, house works, education, arts, surveillance, space exploration, warfare and entertainment. However, present humanoid/bipeds are not capable of offering human-like locomotion. Most of the humanoid/ biped robots are of large foot size. This creates the problem of collision with other parts of the robot. Pure dynamic walking is possible only when the foot size is very small: approximately a point. Biped robot with pointed foot size will be able to move in different terrains without feet collisions. This research work mainly focuses on some of the challenging issues such as stable gait generation and determination of near optimal foot size in Single Support Phase (SSP). Dynamic stable gait is analysed for a biped robot based on Zero Moment Point (ZMP) criterion.

Biography:Prof. Sujatha Srinivasan heads the TTK Center for Rehabilitation Research and Device Development (R2D2) in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at IIT Madras. She received a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the Ohio State University, Columbus, USA, and worked in the prosthetics industry for about 8 years prior to starting her PhD. She has been at IIT Madras since 2008 and her research focuses on biomechanics and mechanisms geared towards the development of assistive devices for people with locomotor disability.
Title: From Mechanism to Product - Design Journey of the Standing Wheelchair
Abstract: The TTK Center for Rehabilitation Research and Device Development at IIT Madras focuses on the development of orthotic, prosthetic and assistive devices that are biomechanically and economically suited to lifestyles and conditions in low-resource settings. The talk will describe the design evolution of one of the devices, a standing wheelchair, currently being developed and field-tested, and its journey so far to commercialization.

Biography:Sunil K. Agrawal received a Ph.D. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University in 1990. He is currently a Professor and Director of Robotics and Rehabilitation (ROAR) Laboratory at Columbia University, located both in engineering and medical campuses of Columbia University. He has published close to 500 journal and conference papers. Dr. Agrawal is a Fellow of the ASME and AIMBE. His honors include a NSF Presidential Faculty Fellowship from the White House in 1994, a Bessel Prize from Germany in 2003, and a Humboldt US Senior Scientist Award in 2007. He is a recipient of 2016 Machine Design Award from ASME for “seminal contributions to design of robotic exoskeletons for gait training of stroke patients” and 2016 Mechanisms and Robotics Award from the ASME for “cumulative contributions and being an international leading figure in mechanical design and robotics”. He is a recipient of several Best Paper awards in ASME and IEEE sponsored robotics conferences. He has held positions of a Distinguished Visiting Professor at Hanyang University in Korea, a Professor of Robotics at the University of Ulster in Northern Ireland, and a Visiting Professor at the Biorobotics Institute of SSSA in Pisa. He actively serves on editorial boards of conferences and journals published by the ASME, IEEE, and other professional societies.
Title: Robotics to Restore and Retrain Human Movements
Abstract: Neural disorders limit the ability of humans to perform activities of daily living. Robotics can be used to probe the human neuromuscular system and create new pathways to relearn, restore, and improve functional movements. Dr. Agrawal’s group at Columbia University Robotics and Rehabilitation (ROAR) Laboratory has designed innovative robots for this purpose and tested these on human subjects. Human experiments have targeted patients with stroke, cerebral palsy, Parkinson’s disease, ALS, Vestibular disorders, elderly subjects and others. The talk will provide an overview of some of these scientific studies.

Biography:Dr. Dede graduated from Istanbul Technical University, Middle East Technical University and Florida International University earning BSc, MSc and PhD degrees respectively. He worked as a mechatronics design engineer in Aselsan Inc. for 3 years. During his PhD years, he worked on bilateral teleoperation systems in a US Air Force funded project. He reintegrated back to Turkey by receiving the Marie-Curie Fellowship in 2009. He is currently an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering in Izmir Institute of Technology (IzTech). He was the principal investigator (PI) of one EU FP7 project on haptic device design and one Industrial Thesis project on laser cutting machines. He is currently the PI in the TÜBİTAK funded project titled “Robot-Assisted endoscope Control that can be controlled by the surgical tools (NeuRoboScope)”. He has more than 70 publications including a book, book chapters, articles and papers on mechanism design, robotics, teleoperation systems, underwater control applications and haptics. Recently, he is a 2016-2019 term Executive Committee Members of International Federation for the Promotion of Mechanism and Machine Science (IFToMM). He is the director of IzTech Robotics Lab and co-director of Modelling and Prototyping Lab in IzTech.
Title: A Macro-Micro Manipulator: Planar Laser Cutting Machine
Abstract: In the industry, there is always a demand to shorten the task completion durations in order to maximize the efficiency of the operation. A special type of kinematic redundancy, macro-micro manipulation, can be used to minimize the task completion duration. In this case, the two kinematically different mechanisms have different advantages such as large workspace, high acceleration, etc. Nevertheless, the control design including the trajectory planning should be devised taking into account the distinct advantages of both mechanisms. A practical use of macro-micro manipulation is in planar laser cutting machines with high acceleration limits and large workspace. This talk focuses on the mechanism and control design, and implementation of the macro-micro manipulation system for laser cutting applications.

Biography:
Title: Operation Mode Analysis of 4-CRU Parallel Mechanism for 3D Printing Building Based on Algebraic Geometry
Abstract: 3D printing is a process in which physical objects are created by depositing materials in layers. As the technology continues to grow, 3D printing technology can be used to make simple parts to buildings. This is promising technique that may lead to revolutionize construction industry in near future. When printing with non-symmetrical nozzle, the thickness of printed parts should be maintained equal which means that the 3D printing should not only perform 3 translational motions but also possess the orienting function. Therefore, we aim to develop the 3D printing building based on the 4-CRU parallel mechanism which consists of four identical CRU (Cylindrical, Revolute, Universal) legs. The algebraic geometry approach by means of Euler quaternions parameters and Cartesian displacements are used to derive the constraint equations in which they define the motion of CRU legs. The primary decomposition is computed over a set of constraint equations and it turns out that the 4-CRU parallel mechanism has three distinct operation modes, namely Schonflies mode, reversed Schonflies mode and additional mode. The additional mode can perform 4-DOF motion or it can even degenerate into 3-DOF mode, depending on the dimension ratio of the platform to the base. This additional mode is also a transition mode for the mechanism to switch from Schonflies mode to the reversed Schonflies mode, and vice versa. This condition makes the 4-CRU parallel mechanism become reconfigurable parallel mechanism as long as the extra mode exists. The ability to reconfigure itself allows the robot to print highly curvilinear forms, rather than being cost and process limited to rectilinear forms, which opens a whole new realm of possibilities for architects everywhere.

Biography: Dr. Shital S. Chiddarwar is specialized in Robot Motion Planning, Machine Vision, Artificial Intelligence, Adaptive Control. She has done B.E. (Mechanical Engineering) from VRCE (now VNIT) Nagpur and M.Tech. (Production Engineering) from Nagpur University. She has done Ph.D. in Robot Motion Planning from IIT Madras. She has 10 years of teaching experience. She has taught Manufacturing process automation, Metrology and Quality Assurance, Industrial robotics, Robotics and Machine Vision, Machine Vision and its Applications, Artificial Intelligence to undergraduate as well as post graduate students. She has published 12 papers in SCI journals and 5 in reputes journals, 37 international conferences and 1 book to her credential. She is the member of Association for Machines and Mechanisms, IEEE, Robotics Society of India, IIIE and ISTE. She has completed DST Fast Track Project and COE Humanoid project. She has filed seven patents with her students. She has guided 5 Ph.D. students and currently 3 are pursuing PhD in her guidance.
Title: Adaptive sliding mode control of omnidirectional mobile robot
Abstract: This talk covers an implementation of an adaptive robust second-order sliding mode control (ARSSMC) on a mobile robot with four Mecanum wheels. Each wheel of the mobile robot is actuated by separate motors. Then the higher-order sliding mode control method is implemented for the trajectory tracking control of Mecanum-wheeled mobile robot. Kinematic and dynamic modelling of the robot is done to derive an equation of motion in the presence of friction, external force disturbance, and uncertainties. In order to make the system robust, second-order sliding mode control law is derived. Further, adaptive laws are defined for adaptive estimation of switching gains. To check the tracking performance of the proposed controller, simulations are performed and comparisons of the obtained results are made with adaptive robust sliding mode control (ARSMC) and PID controller. In addition, a new and low-cost experimental approach is proposed to implement the proposed control law on a real robot. Experimental results prove that without compromising on the dynamics of the robot, real-time implementation is possible in less computational time. The simulation and experimental results obtained confirms the superiority of ARSSMC over ARSMC and PID controller in terms of integral square error (ISE), integral absolute error (IAE), and integral time-weighted absolute error (ITAE), control energy and total variance (TV).