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Variable autonomy through responsible robotics: Design guidelines and research agenda (2024)
Journal Article
Reinmund, T., Salvini, P., Kunze, L., Jirotka, M., & Winfield, A. F. T. (2024). Variable autonomy through responsible robotics: Design guidelines and research agenda. Communications of the ACM, 13(1), 1-36. https://doi.org/10.1145/3636432

Physically embodied artificial agents, or robots, are being incorporated into various practical and social contexts, from self-driving cars for personal transportation to assistive robotics in social care. To enable these systems to better perform un... Read More about Variable autonomy through responsible robotics: Design guidelines and research agenda.

Evaluation of frameworks that combine evolution and learning to design robots in complex morphological spaces (2023)
Journal Article
Li, W., Buchanan, E., Goff, L. K. L., Hart, E., Hale, M. F., Wei, B., …Tyrrell, A. M. (in press). Evaluation of frameworks that combine evolution and learning to design robots in complex morphological spaces. IEEE Transactions on Evolutionary Computation, https://doi.org/10.1109/tevc.2023.3316363

Jointly optimising both the body and brain of a robot is known to be a challenging task, especially when attempting to evolve designs in simulation that will subsequently be built in the real world. To address this, it is increasingly common to combi... Read More about Evaluation of frameworks that combine evolution and learning to design robots in complex morphological spaces.

A methodology to support robotic polishing of moulds integrated with CAD/CAM (2023)
Journal Article
Wang, K., Ding, L., Dailami, F., & Matthews, J. (in press). A methodology to support robotic polishing of moulds integrated with CAD/CAM. Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Systems, https://doi.org/10.1142/S021968672450015X

Typically, the final process in the manufacture of molds is mechanical polishing, a process predominantly conducted manually. This is an important process step to improve the surface quality of the mold without affecting the geometry of the cavity. C... Read More about A methodology to support robotic polishing of moulds integrated with CAD/CAM.

Achieving goals using reward shaping and curriculum learning (2023)
Presentation / Conference
Studley, M., hansen, M., anca, M., thomas, J., & pedamonti, D. (2023, November). Achieving goals using reward shaping and curriculum learning. Paper presented at Future Technologies Conference, San Francisco

Real-time control for robotics is a popular research area in the reinforcement learning community. Through the use of techniques such as reward shaping, researchers have managed to train online agents across a multitude of domains. Despite these adva... Read More about Achieving goals using reward shaping and curriculum learning.

Practical hardware for evolvable robots (2023)
Journal Article
Angus, M., Buchanan, E., Le Goff, L. K., Hart, E., Eiben, A. E., De Carlo, M., …Tyrrell, A. M. (2023). Practical hardware for evolvable robots. Frontiers in Robotics and AI, 10, Article 1206055. https://doi.org/10.3389/frobt.2023.1206055

The evolutionary robotics field offers the possibility of autonomously generating robots that are adapted to desired tasks by iteratively optimising across successive generations of robots with varying configurations until a high-performing candidate... Read More about Practical hardware for evolvable robots.

Ethical assessment of a hospital disinfection robot (2023)
Journal Article
McGinn, C., Scott, R., Donnelly, N., Cullinan, M. F., Winfield, A., & Treusch, P. (2023). Ethical assessment of a hospital disinfection robot. IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, 12008-12014. https://doi.org/10.1109/ICRA48891.2023.10160903

Robots have the potential to deliver very positive impacts for society, however, it's critical that in preparing for real-world deployments, we recognize and take steps to mitigate against the potential harms, both direct and indirect, that they may... Read More about Ethical assessment of a hospital disinfection robot.

Hear here: Sonification as a design strategy for robot teleoperation using virtual reality (2023)
Conference Proceeding
Simmons, J., Bown, A., Bremner, P., McIntosh, V., & Mitchell, T. J. (2023). Hear here: Sonification as a design strategy for robot teleoperation using virtual reality.

This paper introduces a novel methodology for the sonification of data, and shares the results of a usability study, putting the method- ology into practice within an industrial use case. Working with partners at Sellafield nuclear facility, we explo... Read More about Hear here: Sonification as a design strategy for robot teleoperation using virtual reality.

The-state-of-the-art of soft robotics to assist mobility: A review of physiotherapist and patient identified limitations of current lower-limb exoskeletons and the potential soft-robotic solutions (2023)
Journal Article
Morris, L., Diteesawat, R. S., Rahman, N., Turton, A., Cramp, M., & Rossiter, J. (2023). The-state-of-the-art of soft robotics to assist mobility: A review of physiotherapist and patient identified limitations of current lower-limb exoskeletons and the potential soft-robotic solutions. Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation, 20(1), 18. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12984-022-01122-3

Background: Soft, wearable, powered exoskeletons are novel devices that may assist rehabilitation, allowing users to walk further or carry out activities of daily living. However, soft robotic exoskeletons, and the more commonly used rigid exoskeleto... Read More about The-state-of-the-art of soft robotics to assist mobility: A review of physiotherapist and patient identified limitations of current lower-limb exoskeletons and the potential soft-robotic solutions.

Impact of feedstock dilution on the performance of urine-fed ceramic and membrane-less microbial fuel cell cascades designs (2023)
Journal Article
Walter, X. A., You, J., Gajda, I., Greenman, J., & Ieropoulos, I. (2023). Impact of feedstock dilution on the performance of urine-fed ceramic and membrane-less microbial fuel cell cascades designs. Journal of Power Sources, 561(30), 232708. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpowsour.2023.232708

Recent advancements in the microbial fuel cell (MFC) field have led to the deployment of pilot-scale autonomous sanitation systems converting the organic content of urine into electricity to power lights in decentralised areas. Two designs have been... Read More about Impact of feedstock dilution on the performance of urine-fed ceramic and membrane-less microbial fuel cell cascades designs.

Enhancing tele-operation - Investigating the effect of sensory feedback on performance (2023)
Thesis
Bolarinwa, J. Enhancing tele-operation - Investigating the effect of sensory feedback on performance. (Thesis). University of the West of England. Retrieved from https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/8040185

The decline in the number of healthcare service providers in comparison to the growing numbers of service users prompts the development of technologies to improve the efficiency of healthcare services. One such technology which could offer support a... Read More about Enhancing tele-operation - Investigating the effect of sensory feedback on performance.

A soft fabric-based shrink-to-fit pneumatic sleeve for comfortable limb assistance (2022)
Conference Proceeding
Diteesawat, R. S., Hoh, S., Pulvirenti, E., Rahman, N., Morris, L., Turton, A., …Rossiter, J. (2022). A soft fabric-based shrink-to-fit pneumatic sleeve for comfortable limb assistance. In 2022 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS) (9766-9773). https://doi.org/10.1109/IROS47612.2022.9981265

Upper limb impairments and weakness are com-mon post-stroke and with advanced aging. Rigid exoskeletons have been developed as a potential solution, but have had limited impact. In addition to user concerns about safety, their weight and appearance,... Read More about A soft fabric-based shrink-to-fit pneumatic sleeve for comfortable limb assistance.

Pressure and angle sensors with optical fiber for instrumentation of the PrHand hand prosthesis (2022)
Journal Article
Arco, L. D., Pontes, M. J., Segatto, M. E. V., Monteiro, M. E., Cifuentes, C. A., & Díaz, C. A. R. (2022). Pressure and angle sensors with optical fiber for instrumentation of the PrHand hand prosthesis. Journal of Physics: Conference Series, 2407(1), 012010. https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/2407/1/012010

The principal cause of upper limb amputations is due to traumatism. The prosthesis is an assistive device to help in the activities of daily for the amputee person. However, one of the latest reports shows that in developing countries there are aroun... Read More about Pressure and angle sensors with optical fiber for instrumentation of the PrHand hand prosthesis.

Haptic teleoperation goes wireless: Evaluation and benchmarking of a high-performance low-power wireless control technology (2022)
Conference Proceeding
Bolarinwa, J., Smith, A., Aijaz, A., Stanoev, A., Sooriyabandara, M., & Giuliani, M. (2022). Haptic teleoperation goes wireless: Evaluation and benchmarking of a high-performance low-power wireless control technology. In 2022 IEEE International Symposium on Safety, Security, and Rescue Robotics (SSRR) (300-307). https://doi.org/10.1109/ssrr56537.2022.10018764

Communication delays and packet losses are commonly investigated issues in the area of robotic teleoperation. This paper investigates application of a novel low-power wireless control technology (GALLOP) in a haptic teleoperation scenario developed t... Read More about Haptic teleoperation goes wireless: Evaluation and benchmarking of a high-performance low-power wireless control technology.

The PrHand: Functional assessment of an underactuated soft-robotic prosthetic hand (2022)
Conference Proceeding
De Arco, L., Ramos, O., Múnera, M., Moazen, M., Wurdemann, H., & Cifuentes, C. A. (2022). The PrHand: Functional assessment of an underactuated soft-robotic prosthetic hand. In 2022 9th IEEE RAS/EMBS International Conference for Biomedical Robotics and Biomechatronics (BioRob). https://doi.org/10.1109/BioRob52689.2022.9925316

Functional tests aim to compare the functionality of a prosthesis with a human hand. The main objective of this work is to present and evaluate an affordable prosthesis (PrHand) built with soft robotic technologies and novel joints based on compliant... Read More about The PrHand: Functional assessment of an underactuated soft-robotic prosthetic hand.

Open-source re-configurable interfacing of Tobii Pro Glasses 2 with ROS2 (2022)
Presentation / Conference
Nunez Sardinha, E., & Ruiz Garate, V. (2022, October). Open-source re-configurable interfacing of Tobii Pro Glasses 2 with ROS2. Paper presented at XR & Robotics Workshop at IROS 2022, Kyoto International Conference Center (ICC Kyoto) Takaragaike, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-0001 Japan

Gaze tracking is a powerful assistive tool enabling people with severe disabilities to interact with complex systems intuitively. Among these, screen-based gaze-control is one of the main input tools used with people with severe mobility impairments,... Read More about Open-source re-configurable interfacing of Tobii Pro Glasses 2 with ROS2.

Optical fiber angle sensors for the PrHand prosthesis: Development and application in grasp types recognition with machine learning (2022)
Conference Proceeding
De Arco, L., Pontes, M. J., Vieira Segatto, M. E. V., Monteiro, M. E., Cifuentes, C. A., & Díaz, C. A. R. (2022). Optical fiber angle sensors for the PrHand prosthesis: Development and application in grasp types recognition with machine learning. . https://doi.org/10.1109/LAEDC54796.2022.9908232

This work presents the instrumentation of the PrHand upper-limb prosthesis with optical fiber sensors to measure the angle of the proximal interphalangeal joint. The angle sensors are based on bending-induced loss and are fabricated with polymer opti... Read More about Optical fiber angle sensors for the PrHand prosthesis: Development and application in grasp types recognition with machine learning.

Mirror-based robotic therapy for ankle recovery with a serious game: A case study with a neurological patient (2022)
Conference Proceeding
Pino, A., Gomez-Vargas, D., Garzón, A., Roberti, F., Carelli, R., Múnera, M., & Cifuentes, C. A. (2022). Mirror-based robotic therapy for ankle recovery with a serious game: A case study with a neurological patient. . https://doi.org/10.1109/ICORR55369.2022.9896510

Neuromuscular disorders, such as foot drop, severely affect the locomotor function and walking independence after a brain injury event. Mirror-based robotic therapy (MRT) has been a promising rehabilitation strategy favouring upper limb muscle streng... Read More about Mirror-based robotic therapy for ankle recovery with a serious game: A case study with a neurological patient.

Three study cases of social robotics in autism spectrum disorder treatment: Personalization and usability of CASTOR robot (2022)
Conference Proceeding
Gaitán-Padilla, M., Cifuentes, C. A., & Múnera, M. (2022). Three study cases of social robotics in autism spectrum disorder treatment: Personalization and usability of CASTOR robot. . https://doi.org/10.1109/ICORR55369.2022.9896590

Social assistive robotics in autism has been implemented in studies and therapies to improve social skills and encourage children to comply with therapies. However, autism symptoms vary in their spectrum, which generates difficulties in implementing... Read More about Three study cases of social robotics in autism spectrum disorder treatment: Personalization and usability of CASTOR robot.

EEG evaluation in a neuropsychological intervention program based on virtual reality in adults with Parkinson’s disease (2022)
Journal Article
Muñoz, D., Barria, P., Cifuentes, C. A., Aguilar, R., Baleta, K., Azorín, J. M., & Múnera, M. (2022). EEG evaluation in a neuropsychological intervention program based on virtual reality in adults with Parkinson’s disease. Biosensors, 12(9), 751. https://doi.org/10.3390/bios12090751

Nowadays, several strategies for treating neuropsychologic function loss in Parkinson’s disease (PD) have been proposed, such as physical activity performance and developing games to exercise the mind. However, few studies illustrate the incidence of... Read More about EEG evaluation in a neuropsychological intervention program based on virtual reality in adults with Parkinson’s disease.