Title: Interval analysis and reliability in robotics

Authors: Jean-Pierre Merlet

Addresses: INRIA, Sophia-Antipolis, France

Abstract: A robot is typical of systems that are inherently submitted to uncertainties although they should be highly reliable (i.e. for a robot used in surgical applications). The sources of uncertainties are the manufacturing tolerances of the mechanical parts constituting the robot which make the real robot always different from its theoretical model and control errors. We exhibit properties of a robot that are sensitive to the uncertainties and we present methods, using mainly interval analysis, that allow one to manage these uncertainties to ensure the reliability of the robot.

Keywords: interval analysis; robotics; robot reliability; uncertainty; manufacturing tolerances.

DOI: 10.1504/IJRS.2009.026837

International Journal of Reliability and Safety, 2009 Vol.3 No.1/2/3, pp.104 - 130

Published online: 27 Jun 2009 *

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