The National Science Foundation's (NSF) Tokyo Office periodically receives and disseminates reports on research developments in Japan that are related to the Foundation's mission. NSF-sponsored researchers currently working in Japan prepare many of these reports. These reports provide information for use by the global science and engineering community.
The following report was prepared by Dr. Devendra P. Garg, Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science at Duke University, Durham, N.C. Dr. Garg visited Japan from April 15-May 14, 1999 as a Visiting Research Fellow (short-term) under the sponsorship of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS). Professor Katsuhisa Furuta of the Department of Mechanical and Environmental Informatics, Graduate School of Information Science and Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology, served as host scientist for Dr. Garg. Dr. Garg may be reached via email at: dpgarg@duke.edu
This research report summarizes activities carried out during my Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) Short-Term Invitational Fellowship from April 15 to May 14, 1999 at the Tokyo Institute of Technology's O-okayama campus. Professor Katsuhisa Furuta of the Department of Mechanical and Environmental Informatics, Graduate School of Information Science and Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology, served as the host professor for the duration of this Fellowship. While the research base was maintained at the Tokyo Institute of Technology, two universities, one industry technical center, and one government laboratory were visited, primarily for making seminar presentations, holding technical
discussions on topics of mutual professional interests, and describing collaborative research project opportunities available to the interested Japanese researchers through sponsoring agencies such as the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the United States Army Research Office - Far East. The two specific universities included in the visits were Tohoku University and the Kochi University of Technology. The government laboratory visited was the MITI's Mechanical Engineering Laboratory located in Tsukuba Science City, and the industry was the Future Projects Division of Toyota Motor Corporation's Higashi-Fuji Technical Center. In addition, a variety of collaborative activities were undertaken with Professor Furuta at Tokyo Institute of Technology itself. Details of these activities are also included in this report.
SEMINAR VISITS TO UNIVERSITIES
Two universities were visited for the purpose of giving seminar presentations and exchanging ideas on topics of mutual professional interests during the JSPS Short-Term Invitation Fellowship. These were the Tohoku University located at Aobayama in Sendai, and Kochi University of Technology located at Tosayamada in Kochi.
Tohuku University
The visit to Tohoku University was hosted by Professor Kazuhiro Kosuge (kosuge@irs.mech.tohoku.ac.jp) of the Department of Machine Intelligence and Systems Engineering of the Graduate School of Engineering. Professor Kosuge is also Vice-President of the Robotics and Automation Society of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). His research activities span the areas of teleoperation, multiple-robots, and human robot collaboration among several other topics of interest. In the area of teleoperation, Professor Kosuge is developing a task execution system with GUI (Graphical User Interface) named VISIT (Visual Interface System for Interactive Task-execution). This system consists of five modules: an image processing module, a GUI module, interactive task execution modules, a communication module, and a robot motion control module. Other topics of research in this area are bilateral teleoperation via computer network; and teleoperation on dynamic environment using environment predictive display.
In the area of multiple-robot research, Professor Kosuge is exploring innovative strategies for manipulation of flexible objects; distribution of functions among robots for handling a single object in coordination; transportation of a single object by two nonholonomic mobile robots, decentralized control of multiple mobile robots handling a single payload, and the use of impedance control for coordinating multiple robots. Other areas of activity include dynamic collision detection for manipulators; task-oriented force control of parallel link manipulator; and control of manipulator vehicle control systems floating on water. Dr. Koji Takeo (takeo@irs.mech.tohoku.ac.jp) is the Research Associate assisting Professor Kosuge on research projects in the Kosuge Laboratory. During my visit to Tohoku University, I gave a seminar presentation that was well attended and well-received. I visited the laboratories also and held discussions with graduate students involved in various research projects.
Kochi University of Technology
Kochi University of Technology is a relatively young educational institution having been established in 1997 only. There are five engineering departments at the university and each department admits 80 students each year. The President of the University is Professor Yasuharu Suematsu, who is a former President of the Tokyo Institute of Technology. My visit was organized by Professor Yoshio Inoue (inoue@mech.kochi-tech.ac.jp) of the Department of Intelligent Mechanical Engineering Systems in the Faculty of Engineering. Unfortunately, Professor Inoue became ill with back pain before my arrival at Kochi. In his place, Professor Haruo Sakamoto (hsk@mech.kochi-tech.ac.jp) moderated my seminar presentation session that was again very well attended. He was assisted by Dr. Yoshihiro Kai (kai@mech.kochi-tech.ac.jp), the Research Associate for Professor Inoue. Both Dr. Sakamoto and Dr. Kai gave a tour of the laboratory and other resources at the university. In addition, I met with Professor Koichi Kawata (kawata@mech.kochi-tech.ac.jp), Head of the Department of Intelligent Mechanical Systems Engineering. His research interests are in the area of intelligent robotics and micro-machines.
The Department of Intelligent Mechanical Systems Engineering has several members of the faculty interested in the area of robotics related research. For example, Professors Yoshio Inoue, Koichi Kawata, and Associate Professor Akitoshi Takeuchi are working in the area of technological understanding of human feelings and behavior. Control model coordinating with human behavior in robotic systems is being investigated by Professors Shuichi Isomura and Assistant Professor Shuoyu Wang and Associate Professor Taksu Cheon. Simulation and control of robotic space is being investigated by Professor Shuichi Isomura, and various aspects of robot design are being pursued by Professors Kazuhiko Kobayashi, Akira Yokogawa, Satoshi Matsui, and Associate Professor Kazuhiro Kusukawa.
VISIT TO MECHANICAL ENGINEERING LABORATORY
The specific government laboratory visited during this Fellowship period was the Mechanical Engineering Laboratory (MEL) located in Tsukuba Science City. The host researcher for this visit was Dr. Kazuo Tanie (tanie@mel.go.jp), Director of the Robotics Department. Concurrent to his responsibilities at the MEL, Dr. Tanie also serves as Adjunct Professor at the University of Tsukuba, and Visiting Professor at Waseda University. He is very active in the robotics research area, and had formerly headed the Biorobotics Division in the Robotics Department. In addition to holding discussions with Dr. Tanie, I discussed specific research projects and visited laboratories in various divisions of the Robotics Department. Specifically, these researchers included Dr. Hirihiko Arai (harai@mel.go.jp), current Head of the Biorobotics Division and his associates Dr. Nak Young Chong (chong@mel.go.jp), and Dr. Qiang Huang (huang@melcy.mel.go.jp) in the Biorobotics Division, and Dr. Hironori Adachi (adachi.h@mel.go.jp) of the Autonomous Machinery Division, and Mr. Hitoshi Arisumi (arisumi@mel.go.jp) of the Cybernetics Division.
A large number of very innovative and interesting research projects are going on at MEL some of which I had the opportunity to visit and interact with the researchers. The major emphasis of the research projects in the Robotics Division is to macroscopically understand the complex functions of living entities and to develop new technologies to implement these functions. Examples include integration and fusion of the fundamental functions of robots such as manipulation and locomotion, autonomous distributed systems for higher intelligence, human-machine interfaces and human-friendly devices for the symbiosis of humans and robots, and the development of intelligent high performance elements to respond to unanticipated events. Specific projects to accomplish these objectives are dynamic control of mobile robot, integration of multi-fingered robot arm and hand, integration of locomotion and manipulation, user friendly machines and machines for care-giving, and virtual reality. All of these are very exciting projects and will go a long way in advancing the state of understanding in kinematics, dynamics, and control of complex robotic systems.
VISIT TO TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION'S HIGASHI-FUJI TECHNICAL CENTER
The visit to Toyota Motor Corporation's Higashi-Fuji Technical Center located at Mishuku was hosted by Dr. Akira Ohata (ohata@square.mk.toyota.co.jp), Senior Staff Engineer for Control System Design in the Future Projects Division. The presentation discussions were also attended by Dr. Yutaka Hirano (hirano@square.mk.toyota.co.jp), Project Manager in the System Control Division. The Technical Center emphasizes research towards improving vehicle performance and safety, as well as developing a better harmony among people, society, and the global environment. A continued effort is made towards achieving a strategic balance of intrinsic vehicle functions such as stability and ride comfort along with enhanced safety. In order to meet the challenges of the 21st Century the Technical Center is involved in a wide variety of research projects dealing with energy and the environment, and with those involving sophisticated information technologies.
Recognition Technology, Advanced Human-Machine Interface, and Information and Computation Architecture are some of the future key technologies for automotive control. Recognition technology includes both visual image recognition as well as sound and voice recognition. Currently, the dominant factors affecting automotive control are the needs for environmental protection, both active and passive vehicular safety, communication and information systems, and a desire for reduction in the development period, such as rapid prototyping of engine control unit.
In my presentation, I outlined the areas of current emphasis in the National Science Foundation's strategic plan, for example -- the Knowledge and Distributed Intelligence (KDI) Initiative -- and the Directorate for Engineering's " XYZ on a Chip " initiative, and their importance for the automotive industry. In addition, I discussed the characteristics of the next generation of engineers that will be necessary to satisfy the requirements of the agile manufacturing environment. It was an excellent meeting for not only information exchange on current research projects, but also for an in-depth discussion of future trends in control and robotics related technologies.
COLLABORATIVE ACTIVITIES WITH PROFESSOR KATSUHISA FURUTA AT THE TOKYO INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
1) Planning of the Second Japan-USA-Vietnam Workshop
Professor Furuta (furuta@mei.titech.ac.jp) and I have been involved in the initiation, planning, and organization of our first Japan-USA-Vietnam Workshop held in Hanoi in May 1998. Encouraged by the enthusiastic feedback received from the various participants and a very successful outcome of the first workshop, we have been developing plans for holding a follow-up workshop in Ho Chi Minh City in June 2000. The results of the previous workshop were widely disseminated via the publication of papers in archival journals. One paper in the English language was jointly authored by Professor Masayoshi Tomizuka of the University of California at Berkeley and Professor Lucy Pao of the University of Colorado, and the other paper in the Japanese language was authored by Professor Furuta. There is a great deal of excitement in the research and education communities to foster additional collaborative activities that will benefit all three countries.
Professor Tomizuka and I are currently in the process of preparing a proposal for the next workshop for submission to the Directorate for Engineering in the National Science Foundation.
2) Interaction with the US Army Research Office - Far East
The U. S. Army Research Office has established a Far East office in Tokyo to cover Pacific Asian countries including Australia and the Indian subcontinent. The only other office outside of the United States is the European Research Office located in London which covers all European and Middle Eastern countries. The Army Research Office, located in the Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, primarily supports university researchers conducting basic research in most of the science and engineering disciplines including Physics, Chemistry, Mathematical Sciences, Biological Sciences, and Geosciences. Some of the major objectives and activities of the Army Research Office-Far East are to identify significant developments in various scientific disciplines relevant to the needs of the Army in particular, and the US Department of Defense in general; to promote the exchange of scientific information and collaboration between Army scientists and those in the Asia-Pacific countries; and to arrange and provide financial support for the exchange visits of selected scientists and to sponsor or cosponsor technical meetings and workshops on topics of interest to Army's R&D program objectives.
Professor Furuta and I held a meeting with Dr. Kailasam Iyer ( iyerk@arofe.army.mil), Director of the US Army Research Office - Far East, to discuss areas of common interest and to explore possibilities of future collaboration. This also included the identification of mechanisms for providing support to the Japanese researchers to attend and/or organize technical conferences and workshops. Dr. Iyer has very kindly volunteered to visit the Tokyo Institute of Technology to make a presentation to interested researchers to describe specific areas and possible funding mechanisms available to the Japanese researchers through his office for collaborative research activities, travel support, and workshop meetings.
3) Review of Technical Paper Coauthored by Dr. Furuta & Dr. Pan
Professor Katsuhisa Furuta of the Tokyo Institute of Technology and Dr. Yaodong Pan ( pan@k.dendai.ac.jp) of the Tokyo Denki University have jointly coauthored a paper entitled " Variable Structure Control with Sliding Sector". This paper introduces the innovative concept of using "lazy" control for both continuous time and discrete time nonlinear dynamic systems. The paper had been accepted for publication in Automatica - Journal of the International Federation of Automatic Control (IFAC) with specific suggestions made by the reviewers for revision of the manuscript. I, in collaboration with Dr. Furuta and Dr. Pan, reviewed the technical content of the paper, and incorporated the necessary changes to be made in the manuscript to improve the narration in the English language.
4) Developing Plans for an Asian Summer Institute
Professor Furuta and I discussed several mechanisms to plan and organize a Summer Institute in the area of robotics and control with participants drawn from several Asian countries such as Vietnam, North and South Korea, Thailand, India, and Malaysia. The Institute could be held in conjunction with the Second Japan-USA-Vietnam Workshop on Research and Education in Systems, Computation, and Control Engineering that is currently being planned to be held in Ho Chi Minh City in June 2000, or it could be held as a stand-alone event in an Asian country. The proposed format is a weeklong activity with leading researchers and educators from Japan, USA, and other countries in the area of robotics and control invited to present overview of fundamental developments in these areas and their potential applications to serve the needs of the industry. Attendees in the Summer Institute will include graduate students and young researchers who wish to pursue professional careers in these fields. The specific format, possible location, and details of such an event would require additional thought and are yet to be worked out.
SUMMARY
My stay at the Tokyo Institute of Technology under the JSPS Short-Term Invitation Fellowship from April 15 to May 14, 1999 provided me an excellent opportunity to interact closely with Professor Furuta to develop plans for a number of collaborative activities. In addition, the visits to Tohoku University and Kochi University of Technology, Toyota Motor Corporation's Higashi-Fuji Technical Center, and the Ministry of International Trade and Industry's (MITI's) Mechanical Engineering Laboratory at Tsukuba Science City enabled me to hold discussions with many researchers, observe their projects in their own laboratory settings, and exchange information on national needs and technological priorities.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The support provided by Professor Katsuhisa Furuta in his role as the host professor, and his staff during the tenure of my JSPS Short-Term Invitation Fellowship is deeply appreciated. In addition, the Fellowship provided by JSPS is gratefully acknowledged. Thanks are also due to the Division of International Programs at the National Science Foundation for my nomination to JSPS, and to the Army Research Office and Duke University for accommodating my stay away from these organizations in their schedules. Finally, I wish to thank the staff of International House at Tokyo Institute of Technology for providing the living quarters that made my stay as a JSPS Fellow most productive.