Session 11C: Mechanical Systems, Robotics & VR

Title: Interactive FMU-Based Visualization for an Early Design Experience
Authors: Volker Waurich and Jürgen Weber
Abstract:User experience is an eminent part of holistic product design. Especially in the field of mobile machinery, the driver’s impression of the machine handling is crucial for successful design. To get an early understanding of the ergonomic aspects of a new concept of operation, interactive simulation can be applied. This paper presents the tools to develop a functional prototype using free software and low-cost hardware. This includes prototyping of control devices, interfaces to the simulation models and a generic visualization using a game engine. In order to speed up the process of functional prototyping, an approach to automatically visualizing FMUs based on a scene description file is presented. The application of interactive simulation was used to support the development of a novel control device for excavators in a student project at TU Dresden.
Links: Full paper, Additional material

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Title: Using Modelica for advanced Multi-Body modelling in 3D graphical robotic simulators
Authors: Gianluca Bardaro, Luca Bascetta, Francesco Casella and Matteo Matteucci
Abstract:This paper describes a framework to extend the 3D robotic simulation environment Gazebo, and similar ones, with enhanced, tailor-made, multi-body dynamics specified in the Modelica language. The body-to-body interaction models are written in Modelica, but they use the sophisticated collision detection capabilities of the Gazebo engine. This contribution is a first step toward the simulation of complex robotics systems integrating detailed physics modelling and realistic sensors such as lidar and cameras. A proof-of-concept implementation is described in the paper integrating Gazebo collider and the Modelica MultiBody library, and the results obtained when simulating the interaction of an elastic sphere with a rigid plane are shown.
Links: Full paper

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Title: A New Object-Oriented Approach for Integrating Discrete Element Method into Modelica
Authors: Christian Richter, Jürgen Weber, Florian Ohser and Thomas Beutlich
Abstract:In this paper we present a new library for co-simulation of discrete element method and modelica models. For this a component-based approach is used which allows closed modeling and visualization of discrete element systems in a modelica tool. Translation into a native DEM description language and co-simulation is done by a separate compiler and backend. Usage and functionality are shown in a simple use case of a bucket excavator digging a hole.
Links: Full paper

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Title: Modeling and Simulation of Wheel Driving Systems based on Terramechanics for Planetary Explanation Rover using Modelica
Authors: Hiroki Yoshikawa, Takatsugu Oda, Kenichiro Nonaka and Kazuma Sekiguchi
Abstract:Planetary exploration rovers have to accomplish various missions on uneven and loose terrain. In recent years, systems of rovers adopting terramechanics which determine the force and moment characteristics of the wheel on loose soil is studied. In this study, using Modelica language, we construct a wheel model based on terramechanics, and we identify the wheel characteristics as a linear for a control. We conduct a numerical simulation of the rover using a controller including the identified longitudinal force model. It is shown that when the rover follows a straight line on a plane, the longitudinal force model identified using known soil parameters has sufficient accuracy on the wheel response based on terramechanics and could be used as a control model.
Links: Full paper