On the Use of Simulation in Robotics: Opportunities, Challenges, and Suggestions for Moving Forward

Details

• Personal Author:
  Choi HS ; Crump C ; Duriez C ; Elmquist A ; Hager G ; Han D ; Hearl, Frank J. ; Hodgins J ; Jain A ; Leve F ; Li C ; Meier F ; Negrut D ; Righetti L ; Rodriguez A ; Tan J ; Trinkle J
• Description:
  The last five years marked a surge in interest for and use of smart robots, which operate in dynamic and unstructured environments and might interact with humans. We posit that well-validated computer simulation can provide a virtual proving ground that in many cases is instrumental in understanding safely, faster, at lower costs, and more thoroughly how the robots of the future should be designed and controlled for safe operation and improved performance. Against this backdrop, we discuss how simulation can help in robotics, barriers that currently prevent its broad adoption, and potential steps that can eliminate some of these barriers. The points and recommendations made concern the following simulation-in-robotics aspects: simulation of the dynamics of the robot; simulation of the virtual world; simulation of the sensing of this virtual world; simulation of the interaction between the human and the robot; and, in less depth, simulation of the communication between robots. This Perspectives contribution summarizes the points of view that coalesced during a 2018 National Science Foundation/Department of Defense/National Institute for Standards and Technology workshop dedicated to the topic at hand. The meeting brought together participants from a range of organizations, disciplines, and application fields, with expertise at the intersection of robotics, machine learning, and physics-based simulation. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Manufacturing And Industrial Facilities Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Robotics Communication Systems Computerized Simulation Controls Design Machine Learning Machine Operation Machine Operators Simulation Simulation Methods Virtual Reality

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• ISSN:
  0027-8424
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  California ; District of Columbia ; Maryland ; Massachusetts ; New York ; OSHA Region 1 ; OSHA Region 2 ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 5 ; OSHA Region 6 ; OSHA Region 9 ; Pennsylvania ; Texas ; Virginia ; Wisconsin
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  OD - Office of the Director ; DSR - Division of Safety Research
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  118
• Issue:
  1
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20061786
• Citation:
  Proc Natl Acad Sci U.S.A. 2021 Jan; 118(1):e1907856118
• Contact Point Address:
  Dan Negrut, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706
• Email:
  negrut@wisc.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2021
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:fe2ce7b0fb95b3d4297d4ba6c8a51349fce813ca4542e511d5a79edd1d275c6868ec96cc6b178cd0b34f8598e2cb2b401fa00feaa219d430de80a705855dbf5d
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/225173/cdc_225173_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 577.66 KB ]