An Inventors Perspective of the Invention Process

1. An Inventors Perspective of the Invention Process Roger Bostelman Engineering Project Manager roger.bostelman@nist.gov Intelligent Systems Division Engineering Laboratory National Institute of Standards and Technology Gaithersburg, MD April 2012

2. Outline • Background • Path to Career • Current Project • How I became an inventor • Three example inventions: • Subsea RoboCrane • Flying Carpet • HLPR Chair • Tour

3. Roger Bostelman’s Path to Career • Grade School: • Damascus Elementary, Baker Junior High and Damascus High, MD • Hobbies: • Woodworking, music, sports, mechanics/electronics (fixing bikes, installing car stereos, …) • Various high school jobs • Dishwashing, mowing lawns, selling seeds, … Horticulture (expected career – own a Nursery) – laid off in the winter. • Requested from high school guidance if there were government jobs - they suggested NIST • Started NIST in Fall 1977 (senior year) with on-the-job training after school • NIST Chemistry: Polarimetry – measured optical rotation of quartz control plates – sugar purity • Graduated high school in 1978 • On to Robotics at NIST: • Always liked mechanics, didn’t want work to ruin hobby – robotics sounded cool. • Moved to current division to try electronics - Electronics Tech. building electronics • Later designed electronics through college • Received a BS Electrical Engineering - George Washington University • Wanted to be part of the entire robot project, not just electronics • MS Technology Management - University of Maryland University College • 25 years managing research projects • Now, almost 34 years at NIST

4. Current Project • Manage the “Mobile Autonomous Vehicles for Manufacturing” Project • Performing research for writing the safety standard for autonomous and semi-autonomous industrial vehicles • Activities: • Manage a team of scientists and engineers • Build and assemble test equipment • Design and perform tests with autonomous vehicles • Serve on and present research to the ANSI standards committee

5. 3D Data 3D Data from IFM LIDAR 3D Data from Kinect

6. How I Became an Inventor • Imagination … to virtually “see” what can be • Motivation … to explore and test ideas, concepts • “I’ll just make it” attitude - designed, built, and repaired many things I wanted or needed • Hands-on … to test ideas • Built furniture while in school - designed most pieces on my own • CAD course at Montgomery Comm. College to design furniture • Exploit concepts learned … to generate ideas • Built and studied electronics – added ideas and won best university senior design project • Strings can make lightweight, yet rigid robots – developed many concepts for NIST sponsors of RoboCrane • Heard of nurses having back problems – developed multipurpose patient chair • Mentors … to provide direction • Lou Palombo – electronics technician designer • James Albus – division chief, engineer – genius, idea person

7. Invention Process Example 1 Underwater Work Platform Support System 5,507,596 issued 4/16/96 -- Inventors: Bostelman, Roger V. / Albus, James S. / Watt, Andrew • Jim Albus invented RoboCrane to stabilize crane loads (i.e., the platform); we demonstrated it in the lab • On a trip to apply RoboCrane to waste storage tank remediation, I met Andy Watt where we discussed his oceanography work and my RoboCrane work and then began discussing possible subsea applications: salvage, pipeline repair, etc. • Thinking of it’s stability and in a conversation of water currents, I joined the two concepts • I thought that if the platform can be controlled in 6 DOF, why can’t the platform remain stable and the instead move the support. A ship moves while the suspended platform is stable. • Jim added buoyancy and thruster platform stability control • I modeled the platform in a water tank • We met with NIST lawyers and followed through on the patent process.

8. RoboCrane Conceptbased on Flight Simulator Technology • Stewart Platform configuration • Turned upside-down • Cables instead of linear actuators • Similar rigidity and control Upper Support Platform or Support Points 6 cables Work Platform (tools, equipment attach here)

9. Undersea RoboCrane

10. Undersea RoboCrane

11. Undersea RoboCrane

12. RoboCrane Concepts Since This Invention

13. Material Handlingwith no uncontrolled sway or rotations Manufacturing and Construction Industry Projects US Navy & Marines Projects • Cargo handling at sea • Rapid bridge construction (handling large objects) Material handling of: • beams, • bridge sections • pipes, • pallets, • equipment, • etc.

14. Tool Control direct from a suspended RoboCrane platform • Grinder • Welder • Saw • Cutter • Gripper • Pipe • I-beam • Barrel • Manipulators • Peg-in-hole • Access

15. Retrofit to Cranes • Navy and Marine Corp Projects • Luffing, gantry or rail crane retrofits have been designed mainly for military applications and for bridge construction • The existing crane cables can be used with augmented load stabilization cables for full 6 DOF control in real time.

16. Invention Process Example 2 Suspended Dry-Dock Platform (Flying Carpet) 6,648,102 issued 10/18/03 -- Inventors: Bostelman, Roger V. / Albus, James S. • Working on a project at a shipyard, we were to study ship repairs and see how NIST can help the industry • I watched ship repair in dry dock operations consuming 8 workers 1 ½ days and a crane to fix a plate 80’ above the floor. • I thought of RoboCrane but the rigging was in the way and would also tie up a crane. • I tried various platform rigging concepts and eventually flipped the platform and separated two cables. • I discussed the concept with Jim where we worked on stick and string models in the lab • We then started the patent process through NIST.

17. Flying Carpet • Designed for shipbuilders to access exterior ship surfaces quickly and safely • 26 deg. Yaw rotation • Lift and maneuver people, tools, equipment under joystick control • Full scale (50’) prototype built and tested at NIST • Ready to install and test in a shipyard or other location • Cover story of Hoist Magazine

18. Submarine Manufacturing • Entire Submarine Section Access • Larger platforms (i.e., could even be constructed as entire circles) • OR move towers and support points • OR towers and low tie points could be mounted to circular rails

19. Retrofit to Facilities • 9 cable system allows large rotational capability • Welding can occur directly from the platform or with an additional manipulator • Possible applications: • Well deck, Wash down Robot • Ship Stiffener Welder

20. Retrofit to Facilities

21. RoboCrane Technology Transfers Aerial Manipulator Platform for removing aircraft paintUS Technology license at Warner Robins Air Force Base, GA RoboCrane Manipulator for Chernobyl CleanupPAR Systems license to be built in 2013

22. Invention Process Example 3 Home lift position and rehabilitation (HLPR) Apparatus 6,648,102 issued 10/18/03 -- Inventors: Bostelman, Roger V. / Albus, James S. • Jim brought in a model of a person suspended by cables in a RoboCrane configuration. • I helped make the concept into a simple lift on wheels system • Later, we started looking at how to seat, raise/lower, roll, etc. and put a seat on a mobile lift (manual forklift) • I made it into more like a wheelchair • We then wanted to remove the chair and seat the person on a toilet and comfortable chair, thus developing the seat that goes away” • The first patent application was suggested by lawyers that we can’t work on it and patent it. • I continued modifications with better mechanisms, more ergonomic design, and robotic control • We began the second patent process on the modifications which went through.

23. Surveyed the Industry … Uncovered Challenges • Nurses and caregivers have back injury rates 2 ½ times that of any other industry! • Current devices typically require more than one piece of equipment + a caregiver for homes or facilities to: mobilize, transfer and rehabilitate wheelchair dependents • No standards exist for lift-wheelchairs safety and design PatientMobility Patient Lift

24. HLPR Chair 1 – Mobility and Lift • Developed HLPR Chair: • to demonstrate mobility, lift, transfer and rehabilitation capabilities in one device • to improve standards when devices like these hit the market • to demonstrate intelligent mobility for patients • under a 3 yr Healthcare Mobility Project – ended FY07

25. HLPR Chair 1 – Positioning (or Patient Transfer) Rotated chair for seat access

26. HLPR Chair 1 Designed to fit into tight spaces, such as bathrooms

27. HLPR Chair 1 - Rehabilitation

28. HLPR Chair 2Improved Seat Design HLPR Chair 1 Base frame Seat frame Torso lift arms Patient sling Standard seat

29. HLPR Chair 2Patient Seated-Sling Design The HLPR Chair sling showing (left) the sling ready for the patient to be seated, (center) a patient with the sling ready to lift while seated on the HLPR Chair seat, and (right) the patient fully supported by the sling with the HLPR Chair seat rotated behind the patient.

30. HLPR Chair 2 • HLPR Chair 1 • Being converted into a material handling system for manufacturing research • Recently added • SkyTrax tracking system • Pallet loader • Load sensor • Line-scan LADAR • HLPR Chair 2 • Recently loaned to Florida Gulf Coast University • Bioengineering Product Design Course Example

31. Technology Transfer Concept of a Commercial Version HLPR Chair From: Robotic Rehabilitation Resources, Courtesy Innova Robotics NIST HLPR Chair Prototype

32. HLPR Stability Tests * * Rear static stability tests were greater than 25º. This angle significantly exceeds the dynamic capability of the HLPR chair.

33. Initial Standards Upgrade Suggestions • “Loose” tie-down supports for the vehicle base to the ramp allowing wheel lift from the ramp without catastrophic tip, • Safety straps to support structures near or at the top of a lift-wheelchair, • i.e. tall enough facility with support structure, etc. • Duplicate tests for: • aligned-seat-with-base-frame • and various misaligned-seat-with-base-frame configurations. • use a ‘paper-retractor’ device for single test operator for the static tests.

34. Intelligent HLPR • Adding a 4D/RCS controller to HLPR • Some low level control is functional = • Waypoint following has been demonstrated • Will allow plug-and-play of algorithms and sensors. • E.g., obstacle detection LADAR Obstacle detection sensor = Indoor absolute positioning

35. Waypoint Following • Teamed with Sunil Agrawal’s group at the University of Delaware • Studied the behavior generation of HLPR using only wheel encoders • UDel provided control and simulation • NIST helped integrate the code onto HLPR and demonstrate functionality.

36. Evaluated Absolute Position Sensors 7m high barcodes • Onboard-vehicle camera tracks ceiling-mounted, 2D barcodes • Provides vehicle position and orientation within ~ +/- 7 cm • Commercially available 2.5 m high barcodes (video shown at 10X actual)

37. HLPR Chair AdaptationPatient Removal From Vehicles at the Emergency Room lift drive top view

38. HLPR Transition to ManufacturingSemi-Autonomous Pallet/Box Loader/Transporter

39. HLPR Material Handler • forklift tynes move forward to acquire load • then worker power-lifts/manually rotates load • secures and stabilizes load to itself • vehicle can drive from one end to the other loaded manually, then autonomous delivery to others

40. Thanks for your attention!For more information:roger.bostelman@nist.govRoboCranehttp://www.isd.mel.nist.gov/robocraneHLPR Chairhttp://www.isd.mel.nist.gov/healthcaremobility/concepts.htmlQuestions?