Demonstration of Modbus Protocol for Robot Communication Using C#

Purpose: The Modbus is the trusted name in the industrial automation communication domain. It is a pretty simple protocol to implement and so very popular to the industrial communication personnel. Nowadays, Some industrial robots are also capable of communicating through Modbus. So our robot researchers frequently face the challenge of communicating with Modbus-enabled devices or robots. They need to know the protocol in detail before integrating it into their project. Its learning curves are a bit higher because of the lack of document which is practical oriented. The protocol selection, packet structure, CRC, or LRC calculation need to maintain precisely as standards; otherwise, the Modbus exception may happen. We experience those scenarios. Through our practical experience, we learned what is required for a new researcher who wants to implement Modbus in their project. In this paper, we demonstrate the Modbus packet structure and implement it with several practical examples. Finally, to test the written code, we provide simple tools which are easy to use and customizable. The researcher can easily integrate into their research project. The complete project source code is available in Github. Design/Methodology/Approach: The Modbus is the standard protocol to communicate between or among the devices. We need a better understanding of it and interface software to test around all aspects. Here we described some practical examples. The GUI is created using C# language inside the Microsoft Visual Studio. The application has several capabilities. In the TCP/IP mode, It can be a server or client. In RTU mode, it can play as a Master or slave device. We can also run two instances in a single system. To communicate between two running apps in RTU mode, we need virtual loopback software, two physical comm port, or two USB to Serial modules. For Modbus TCP mode, we can test within the system using the localhost address (127.0.0.1) or need an IP address for a different. Findings/results: The robot researcher can find helpful information about communicating the robot through the Modbus protocol. The practical example can help them to create packet purser. The functional CRC algorithm code can be used for better understanding and implementation into their project. Originality/Value: This work has some different features than other available utilities. We added features based on our research needs. Our created application is a little bit different from a professional approach. Various display formats are available in our GUI. That makes a difference in the originality of this work. Our GUI can be master, slave, server, or client, which is rarely available. Paper Type: Experimental-based Research.

Robot Transparency and Anthropomorphic Attribute Effects on Human–Robot Interactions

Anthropomorphic robots need to maintain effective and emotive communication with humans as automotive agents to establish and maintain effective human–robot performances and positive human experiences. Previous research has shown that the characteristics of robot communication positively affect human–robot interaction outcomes such as usability, trust, workload, and performance. In this study, we investigated the characteristics of transparency and anthropomorphism in robotic dual-channel communication, encompassing the voice channel (low or high, increasing the amount of information provided by textual information) and the visual channel (low or high, increasing the amount of information provided by expressive information). The results showed the benefits and limitations of increasing the transparency and anthropomorphism, demonstrating the significance of the careful implementation of transparency methods. The limitations and future directions are discussed.

Development of Communication Protocols between BIM Elements and 3D Concrete Printing

Historically, the construction industry has exhibited slow technological development when compared to other industries. However, during the last several years, investigations related to automation in construction have been conducted, such as additive manufacturing in concrete. This study aims to delve into this topic, providing effective communication between BIM-designed elements and its additive concrete manufacturing, with the help of an articulated robotic arm. Therefore, the paper addresses the preparation of computer code that allows such BIM–robot communication, checking the parameters utilized, and analyzing the results of tests with the equipment involved.

Issues in the Development of Conversation Dialog for Humanoid Nursing Partner Robots in Long-Term Care

The purpose of this chapter is to explore the issues of development of conversational dialog of robots for nursing, especially for long-term care, and to forecast humanoid nursing partner robots (HNRs) introduced into clinical practice. In order to satisfy the required performance of HNRs, it is important that anthropomorphic robots act with high-quality conversational dialogic functions. As for its hardware, by allowing independent range of action and degree of freedom, the burden of quality exerted in human-robot communication is reduced, thereby unburdening nurses and professional caregivers. Furthermore, it is critical to develop a friendlier type of robot by equipping it with non-verbal emotive expressions that older people can perceive. If these functions are conjoined, anthropomorphic intelligent robots will serve as possible instructors, particularly for rehabilitation and recreation activities of older people. In this way, more than ever before, the HNRs will play an active role in healthcare and in the welfare fields.

Becoming Team Members: Identifying Interaction Patterns of Mutual Adaptation for Human-Robot Co-Learning

Becoming a well-functioning team requires continuous collaborative learning by all team members. This is called co-learning, conceptualized in this paper as comprising two alternating iterative stages: partners adapting their behavior to the task and to each other (co-adaptation), and partners sustaining successful behavior through communication. This paper focuses on the first stage in human-robot teams, aiming at a method for the identification of recurring behaviors that indicate co-learning. Studying this requires a task context that allows for behavioral adaptation to emerge from the interactions between human and robot. We address the requirements for conducting research into co-adaptation by a human-robot team, and designed a simplified computer simulation of an urban search and rescue task accordingly. A human participant and a virtual robot were instructed to discover how to collaboratively free victims from the rubbles of an earthquake. The virtual robot was designed to be able to real-time learn which actions best contributed to good team performance. The interactions between human participants and robots were recorded. The observations revealed patterns of interaction used by human and robot in order to adapt their behavior to the task and to one another. Results therefore show that our task environment enables us to study co-learning, and suggest that more participant adaptation improved robot learning and thus team level learning. The identified interaction patterns can emerge in similar task contexts, forming a first description and analysis method for co-learning. Moreover, the identification of interaction patterns support awareness among team members, providing the foundation for human-robot communication about the co-adaptation (i.e., the second stage of co-learning). Future research will focus on these human-robot communication processes for co-learning.

Moving beyond the mirror: relational and performative meaning making in human–robot communication

Current research in human–robot interaction often focuses on rendering communication between humans and robots more ‘natural’ by designing machines that appear and behave humanlike. Communication, in this human-centric approach, is often understood as a process of successfully transmitting information in the form of predefined messages and gestures. This article introduces an alternative arts-led, movement-centric approach, which embraces the differences of machinelike robotic artefacts and, instead, investigates how meaning is dynamically enacted in the encounter of humans and machines. Our design approach revolves around a novel embodied mapping methodology, which serves to bridge between human–machine asymmetries and socioculturally situate abstract robotic artefacts. Building on concepts from performativity, material agency, enactive sense-making and kinaesthetic empathy, our Machine Movement Lab project opens up a performative-relational model of human–machine communication, where meaning is generated through relational dynamics in the interaction itself.