Enabling a Freely Accessible Open Source Remotely Controlled Robotic Articulator with a Neuro-Inspired Control Algorithm

Authors

  • Asha Vijayan Amrita School of Biotechnology, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham (Amrita University), Amritapuri campus, Clappana PO, Kollam, 690 525, Kerala, India.
  • Chaitanya Nutakki Amrita School of Biotechnology, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham (Amrita University), Amritapuri campus, Clappana PO, Kollam, 690 525, Kerala, India.
  • Dhanush Kumar Amrita School of Biotechnology, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham (Amrita University), Amritapuri campus, Clappana PO, Kollam, 690 525, Kerala, India.
  • Krishnashree Achuthan VALUE Virtual Labs, Amrita School of Engineering, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham (Amrita University), Amritapuri campus, Clappana PO, Kollam, 690 525, Kerala, India.
  • Bipin Nair Amrita School of Biotechnology, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham (Amrita University), Amritapuri campus, Clappana PO, Kollam, 690 525, Kerala, India.
  • Shyam Diwakar Amrita School of Biotechnology, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham (Amrita University), Amritapuri campus, Clappana PO, Kollam, 690 525, Kerala, India. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1546-0184

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3991/ijoe.v13i01.6288

Keywords:

remote labs, robotic articulator, neural network, open source, ICT

Abstract


Internet-enabled technologies for robotics education are gaining importance as online platforms promoting skill training.  Understanding the use and design of robotics are now introduced at university undergraduate levels, but in developing economies establishing usable hardware and software platforms face several challenges like cost, equipment etc. Remote labs help providing alternatives to some of the challenges. We developed an online laboratory for bioinspired robotics using a low-cost 6 degree-of-freedom robotic articulator with a neuro-inspired controller. Cerebellum-inspired neural network algorithm approximates forward and inverse kinematics for movement coordination. With over 210000 registered users, the remote lab has been perceived as an interactive online learning tool and a practice platform. Direct feedback from 60 students and 100 university teachers indicated that the remote laboratory motivated self-organized learning and was useful as teaching material to aid robotics skill education.

Author Biographies

Krishnashree Achuthan, VALUE Virtual Labs, Amrita School of Engineering, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham (Amrita University), Amritapuri campus, Clappana PO, Kollam, 690 525, Kerala, India.

Professor and Dean of PG programs at Amrita University, she is also the Director and main investigator of Amrita University's Virtual Labs project, VALUE.

Bipin Nair, Amrita School of Biotechnology, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham (Amrita University), Amritapuri campus, Clappana PO, Kollam, 690 525, Kerala, India.

Professor and Dean at Amrita School of Biotechnology, Dr. Bipin iis the Discipline-wise National Coordinator of Biotechnology and Biomedical Engineering Virtual Labs for Government of India's Virtual Labs project.

Shyam Diwakar, Amrita School of Biotechnology, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham (Amrita University), Amritapuri campus, Clappana PO, Kollam, 690 525, Kerala, India.

Dr. Shyam Diwakar is the  lab director of the computational neuroscience laboratory and is an associate professor at the School of Biotechnology, Amrita University. He is a institute integration coordinator and the co-investigator of VALUE (Virtual and Accessible Laboratories for Universalizing Education), a major virtual labs initiative supported by Sakshat mission of MHRD, Government of India and is also the main PI of two ongoing cognitive science projects on neuroscience and on bio-inspired neural processor design funded by DST. He holds a Ph.D. in computational sciences from University of Milan, Italy, a bachelors degree in Electronics and Communications Engineering and a post graduate diploma in Bioinformatics from Bharathiar University, India. He worked on neuroscience as a postdoctoral researcher at the department of General Physiology, University of Pavia, Italy. He has authored two books, one on data mining and another on computational neuroscience.

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Published

2017-01-18

How to Cite

Vijayan, A., Nutakki, C., Kumar, D., Achuthan, K., Nair, B., & Diwakar, S. (2017). Enabling a Freely Accessible Open Source Remotely Controlled Robotic Articulator with a Neuro-Inspired Control Algorithm. International Journal of Online and Biomedical Engineering (iJOE), 13(01), pp. 61–75. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijoe.v13i01.6288

Issue

Vol. 13 No. 01 (2017)

Section

Papers