This study is about a design method for deriving task safety scenarios for the application of collaborative robots. A five-step process for deriving task safety scenarios for collaborative robots has been proposed, which focuses on the type of collaboration between human and collaborative robot. The three types of collaboration were classified according to the collaboration workspace and the worktime of human and collaborative robot. Based on these three types of collaboration, task safety scenarios include scenarios that predict risk from unintended use during work. Collaboration with collaborative robot is a human-centered process because human actions can create dangerous situations. Besides, we improved the understanding of this design methodology by presenting examples of the application of task safety scenarios according to the process for each type of collaboration.

This paper dealt with a pincers-type gripper being able to grip a heavy-weighted cylindrical object having various size with itself. This gripper should be designed to seize the objects without any change of jaw shape. Grasping achieved equilibrium after the object slipped on the jaw while grasping it. To cope with this situation, we suggested the slip considered gripper design procedure based on grasping equilibrium. The obtained slip condition can provide a limit friction coefficient depending on the contact angle when initiating contact between jaw and object. Consequently, the gripping force and the required actuating force can be calculated. In order to verify the proposed slip condition, the simulations were performed using a dynamic software.

Since its introduction (e.g., [4, 6]), virtual coupling technique has been de facto way to connect a haptic device with a virtual proxy for haptic rendering and control. However, because of the single dependence on spring-damper feedback action, this virtual coupling suffers from the degraded transparency particularly during contact tasks when large device/proxy-forces are involved. In this paper, we propose a novel virtual coupling technique, which, by utilizing passive decomposition, reduces device-proxy position deviation even during the contact tasks while also scaling down (or up) the apparent inertia of the coordinated device-proxy. By doing so, we can significantly improve transparency between multiple degree of freedom (possibly nonlinear) haptic device and virtual proxy. In other to use passive decomposition, disturbance observer of [3] is adopted to estimate human force with some dead-zone modification to avoid “winding-up” force estimation in the presence of device torque saturation. Some preliminary experimental results are also given to illustrate efficacy of the proposed technique.

It is well-known that when singularities are located within the workspace of the parallel mechanism (PM), the usefulness of its workspace is significantly deteriorated. To handle this problem, we suggest an optimal design method which leads to more useful and larger workspace of the PM by taking its singularity locations into consideration in design process. Kinematic models of three selected planar PMs, a 5R type PM, a 3-RPR type planar PM, and a 3-RRR type planar PM, are derived via screw theory and their singularity analyses are conducted. Then workspace optimal designs for those three PMs are conducted to verify that the suggested design method leads more useful and larger workspace in which deterioration by singularity is minimal.

In this paper, we propose a methodology for classfying types of lower limb disability and their mechanical structure, based on extensive survey of previous developments. We also propose a task-oriented design with human-friendly and energy-efficient assistive system. The result can be used for optimal design of wearable walking-assistive robot donsidering the type of disability and the content of task.

해상작업 모니터링 시스템은 해상에서 수행될 수 있는 국가와 국가 간의 광케이블 매설 작업이나 낙도의 전기 공급을 위한 해저의 전선 매설 작업, 천연가스공사의 파이프라인 매설 작업 등 각종 해상작업에서 사용되는 선박 자동화를 위한 모니터링 시스템이다. 다양한 센서로부터의 입력과 환경 설정을 통해 얻어진 데이터를 가공 처리하고, 전자해도 데이터를 읽어 GPS의 위치정보와 함께 나타낸다. 또한, 작업과 관련한 루트파일의 정보를 오버레이해서 관련 데이터를 처리하며, 무선 네트워크 환경으로 구축된 무선접속장치(AP; Access Point)와 클라이언트 측의 휴대용 개인정보단말기(PDA; Personal Digital Assistants)를 무선 랜으로 연동시켜 실시간으로 정보를 처리하도록 하며, 유효 반경 내에서의 자유로운 이동을 가능하게해서 작업의 효용성을 높일 수 있다. 본 연구는 이러한 상황 하에서 해상작업과 관련한 모니터링 시스템을 임베디드 환경에서 설계 및 구현함으로써 선박 자동화와 선박의 안전 항해를 지원하고 해상에서의 작업 부하를 최소화시키며 사고 방지를 통한 선박의 경쟁력을 높일 수 있다.

해저 광테이블 공사는 해양조사, PLGR(Pre Lay Grapnel Run), 천해부공사, 포설/매설 순서로 이루어진다. PLGR은 케이블의 해저면 안착을 용이하게 하고, Plough 및 ROV(Remotely-Operated Vehicle)매설작업의 성능을 향상시키며, 매설 장비를 보호하기 위한 작업이다. 본 논문은 해저 광테이블 건설 작업 중에서 PLGR 작업을 효율적으로 관리할 수 있는 실시간 모니터링 시스템의 설계 및 구현에 대해서 논한다. 본 논문에서는 이를 위하여 전체적인 실시간 모니터링 시스템을 설계하고, 시리얼 멀티포트 통신 모듈, 실시간 처리 모듈, 환경 설정 모듈, 그리고 그래프 및 프린터 출력 모듈을 설계 및 구현하였다. 끝으로 본 논문의 타당성 검토를 위하여 시리얼 멀티포트 통신, 실시간 데이터 추출, 그래프 출력을 실험하였다.

Industrial ventilation is a crucial engineering measure to protect workers from hazardous airborne contaminants. Designing a ventilation system is not an easy task. To solve this problem, many U. S. computer programs and softwares have been developed. In Korea, asoftware, called as VPMC, was developed by Korea Industrial Safety Corporation. But VPMC could not stand alone since it can be used to design not a hood, but a ventilation system. In this research, therefore, a preprocessing software was developed. It can be used to design general ventilation system, canopy hood, open surface tank hood. The program was written in Microsoft Visual Basic. In near future, this software will be incorporated into a total package software which can be used to design a whole ventilation system.