Abstract: A method of controlling vibration of a moving system having driving and driven units includes measuring an acceleration of the driven unit, generating a nominal acceleration by subtracting gravity from the measured acceleration, generating a control driving force according to the nominal acceleration, the driving force having a direction opposite to that of the measured acceleration, and applying the control driving force to the driven unit.

Abstract: Provided is a foot structure for a humanoid robot capable of effectively keeping its balance in a pause state or action. The foot structure includes a support; a plurality of lower structures having an upper member connected to a bottom of the support; a plurality of lower members having a plurality of independent portions each movably connected to the upper member; and a revolute joint for coupling the upper member and the lower member. Since a contact between the foot structure and the floor is smoothly made, a shock is prevented from being transferred to a body of the humanoid robot. Also, a vibration generated when the humanoid robot steps on the floor is eliminated, so that the humanoid robot can pose a stable and smooth gate.

Abstract: A spindle motor structure including a spindle motor installed on a base and having a hydrodynamic bearing supporting a shaft to be capable of rotating using hydrodynamic pressure and a driving source rotating the shaft using an electromagnetic force. A circuit board is installed to face the base and supplies driving power to the driving source. A heater is installed on the circuit board at a position facing the hydrodynamic bearing and heats the hydrodynamic bearing.

Abstract: There are provided an autonomous vehicle, and an apparatus and method for estimating the motion of the autonomous vehicle and detecting three-dimensional (3D) information of an object appearing in front of the moving autonomous vehicle. The autonomous vehicle measures its orientation using an acceleration sensor and a magnetic flux sensor, and extracts epipolar geometry information using the measured orientation information. Since the corresponding points between images required for extracting the epipolar geometry information can be reduced to two, it is possible to more easily and correctly obtain motion information of the autonomous vehicle and 3D information of an object in front of the autonomous vehicle.

Abstract: A landmark used to effectively determine the location of an autonomous vehicle, and a self-localization apparatus and method using the landmark are provided. In the self-localization method, first, first and second outer line information and shape information are extracted from a landmark image received from a camera. Next, a projective invariant is calculated from the shape information and stored in a hash table. Thereafter, the calculated projective invariant is compared with reference projective invariants for a plurality of landmarks stored in a predetermined data storage area in the form of a hash table, thereby determining which landmark corresponds to the landmark image. Then, information on the distance and orientation of the determined landmark with respect to the autonomous vehicle is analyzed in response to the first and second outer line information.

Abstract: Provided is an anthropomorphic robot having two legs and which is capable of walking upright. Each of the two legs has a foot which comprises an upper plate on which an ankle joint is installed and which is similar to a foot of a human, and a lower plate attached to a lower surface of the upper plate and having a plurality of contact portions which contact a ground and which are separated from one another.

Abstract: Provided is a hand/eye calibration method by using a projective invariant shape descriptor of a two-dimensional image. The method includes calculating a projective invariant shape descriptor of a two-dimensional image from at least two images obtained by a camera mounted on a robot hand, at a predetermined time interval, extracting corresponding points between the images by using the projective invariant shape descriptor, calculating a rotation matrix for the corresponding points from translation of the robot hand, calculating translation vector for the corresponding points from translation and rotation of the robot hand, and finding a relation between the robot hand and the camera based on the rotation matrix and the translation vector.

Abstract: A spindle motor structure including a spindle motor installed on a base and having a hydrodynamic bearing supporting a shaft to be capable of rotating using hydrodynamic pressure and a driving source rotating the shaft using an electromagnetic force. A circuit board is installed to face the base and supplies driving power to the driving source. A heater is installed on the circuit board at a position facing the hydrodynamic bearing and heats the hydrodynamic bearing.

Abstract: A ground reaction force measuring module for a walking robot includes a housing installed at a predetermined portion of the walking robot facing the ground, a moving unit installed capable of moving with respect to the housing according to the presence of a pressing force to the ground transferred from the ground to the walking robot, and a compression sensor installed in the housing to measure a reaction force of the ground from the presence of the pressing force transferred through the moving unit. Thus, a change in the ground reaction force in a wide range can be stably coped with and the installation position of the robot foot can be easily changed.

Abstract: A method of controlling a biped walking robot to balance the robot based on a sensed ground reaction force. In the method, X and Y coordinates are assigned to positions of sensors attached to a sole of a leg of the robot and a corresponding Z coordinate is assigned for at least three of the sensors based on the sensed ground reaction force sensed by at the sensors, respectively. A ground reaction force plane is specified based on the sensed ground reaction force and a normal vector perpendicular to the ground reaction force plane is calculated. A roll angle about an X-axis and a pitch angle about a Y-axis are calculated and an actuator is driven in correspondence to the roll angle and the pitch angle to move a part of the robot to align the normal vector with a reference vector of the gravity direction.

Abstract: Provided is a hand/eye calibration method by using a projective invariant shape descriptor of a two-dimensional image. The method includes calculating a projective invariant shape descriptor of a two-dimensional image from at least two images obtained by a camera mounted on a robot hand, at a predetermined time interval, extracting corresponding points between the images by using the projective invariant shape descriptor, calculating a rotation matrix for the corresponding points from translation of the robot hand, calculating translation vector for the corresponding points from translation and rotation of the robot hand, and finding a relation between the robot hand and the camera based on the rotation matrix and the translation vector.

Abstract: A spindle motor driving method and apparatus are provided. The method includes detecting the rotation speed of a spindle motor and heating a hard disc drive until the spindle motor reaches normal rotation speed. Accordingly, it is possible to enable the spindle motor to quickly reach the normal rotation speed by controlling the heating of the hard disc drive without using temperature and/or viscosity measurement sensors.

Abstract: Provided is a hand/eye calibration method by using a projective invariant shape descriptor of a two-dimensional image. The method includes calculating a projective invariant shape descriptor of a two-dimensional image from at least two images obtained by a camera mounted on a robot hand, at a predetermined time interval, extracting corresponding points between the images by using the projective invariant shape descriptor, calculating a rotation matrix for the corresponding points from translation of the robot hand, calculating translation vector for the corresponding points from translation and rotation of the robot hand, and finding a relation between the robot hand and the camera based on the rotation matrix and the translation vector.

Abstract: Provided is an anthropomorphic robot having two legs and which is capable of walking upright. Each of the two legs has a foot which comprises an upper plate on which an ankle joint is installed and which is similar to a foot of a human, and a lower plate attached to a lower surface of the upper plate and having a plurality of contact portions which contact a ground and which are separated from one another.

Abstract: A method of controlling vibration of a moving system having driving and driven units includes measuring an acceleration of the driven unit, generating a nominal acceleration by subtracting gravity from the measured acceleration, generating a control driving force according to the nominal acceleration, the driving force having a direction opposite to that of the measured acceleration, and applying the control driving force to the driven unit.

Abstract: Provided is a foot structure for a humanoid robot capable of effectively keeping its balance in a pause state or action. The foot structure includes a support; a plurality of lower structures having an upper member connected to a bottom of the support; a plurality of lower members having a plurality of independent portions each movably connected to the upper member; and a revolute joint for coupling the upper member and the lower member. Since a contact between the foot structure and the floor is smoothly made, a shock is prevented from being transferred to a body of the humanoid robot. Also, a vibration generated when the humanoid robot steps on the floor is eliminated, so that the humanoid robot can pose a stable and smooth gate.

Abstract: A method of controlling a biped walking robot to balance the robot based on a sensed ground reaction force. In the method, X and Y coordinates are assigned to positions of sensors attached to a sole of a leg of the robot and a corresponding Z coordinate is assigned for at least three of the sensors based on the sensed ground reaction force sensed by at the sensors, respectively. A ground reaction force plane is specified based on the sensed ground reaction force and a normal vector perpendicular to the ground reaction force plane is calculated. A roll angle about an X-axis and a pitch angle about a Y-axis are calculated and an actuator is driven in correspondence to the roll angle and the pitch angle to move a part of the robot to align the normal vector with a reference vector of the gravity direction.

Abstract: A ground reaction force measuring module for a walking robot includes a housing installed at a predetermined portion of the walking robot facing the ground, a moving unit installed capable of moving with respect to the housing according to the presence of a pressing force to the ground transferred from the ground to the walking robot, and a compression sensor installed in the housing to measure a reaction force of the ground from the presence of the pressing force transferred through the moving unit. Thus, a change in the ground reaction force in a wide range can be stably coped with and the installation position of the robot foot can be easily changed.

Abstract: There are provided an autonomous vehicle, and an apparatus and method for estimating the motion of the autonomous vehicle and detecting three-dimensional (3D) information of an object appearing in front of the moving autonomous vehicle. The autonomous vehicle measures its orientation using an acceleration sensor and a magnetic flux sensor, and extracts epipolar geometry information using the measured orientation information. Since the corresponding points between images required for extracting the epipolar geometry information can be reduced to two, it is possible to more easily and correctly obtain motion information of the autonomous vehicle and 3D information of an object in front of the autonomous vehicle.

Abstract: Provided is a hand/eye calibration method by using a projective invariant shape descriptor of a two-dimensional image. The method includes calculating a projective invariant shape descriptor of a two-dimensional image from at least two images obtained by a camera mounted on a robot hand, at a predetermined time interval, extracting corresponding points between the images by using the projective invariant shape descriptor, calculating a rotation matrix for the corresponding points from translation of the robot hand, calculating translation vector for the corresponding points from translation and rotation of the robot hand, and finding a relation between the robot hand and the camera based on the rotation matrix and the translation vector.