This paper describes the development of Pathfinder - an autonomous guided vehicle (AGV) intended for the transportation of material in hospital environments. Pathfinder is equipped with the latest industrial hardware components and employs the most recent software stacks for autonomous localization, navigation and mapping. As the most significant contribution to the current robotics development, Powerlink interface enabling direct data transfers between Robot Operating System (ROS) and Powerlink compatible hardware was developed. This combination is in our best knowledge reported here for the first time and the results with comprehensive tutorial were made publicly available as a Github repository. The capabilities of Pathfinder were explored during preliminary on-site tests in local hospital. From experimental results in a hospital it was confirmed that the robot can move along its global path, and reach the goal without colliding with static and moving objects.

This paper describes the development of Phollower—an autonomous mobile robot intended to perform various logistical tasks in both industrial and civil environments. Phollower is equipped with the latest types of industrial components and sensors. It also employs advanced embedded navigation and localization software to create its own virtual maps and thereby to navigate autonomously within the mapped area. The whole development process has been focused on building a device that meets European safety standards. Phollower is a universal mobile platform that can be quickly expanded with specialized add-ons. A germicidal add-on for disinfection of indoor areas using UV-C light is described as a technology that helps to battle with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic crisis. The hardware topology combined with the proposed open Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) code and open-Powerlink communication bus creates a unique and easily extendable robot platform.

This paper presents a quadrotor drone designed for the 3D reconstruction of indoor environments using a depth camera and a tracking camera. The drone’s hardware and software components are described, including the Holybro X500V2 kit, the Intel RealSense T265 tracking camera, and the Intel RealSense D435i depth camera. The paper outlines the process of building a complete TF tree, capturing point clouds with RtabMap, and streaming video. The drone’s pose stabilization and successful test flight in an indoor environment are also discussed, including its ability to navigate through indoor spaces and provide accurate data for 3D reconstruction. The paper concludes with recommendations for future development, such as autonomous navigation and exploration of unknown areas. The results demonstrate the feasibility and potential of this drone for creating detailed and comprehensive maps of indoor environments.

Multi-motor drives, the typical examples of which are continuous lines for tension processing of various materials, are complex and coupled MIMO nonlinear systems, the parameters of which are difficult to identify. This paper presents the design of o

Linearization is a powerful tool that enables the analysis and control of nonlinear systems by simplifying their dynamics and allowing the use of well-established linear control techniques. This paper presents a new methodology for the linearization of dynamic nonlinear systems that can be applied without the need to know their internal structure and parameters solely from measured input/output data. The proposed technique, based on fuzzy logic, simplifies a higher-order nonlinear system into a first-order nonlinear fuzzy system. This enables the design of control systems based on an inverse fuzzy model in the vicinity of the chosen operating point. The properties of the proposed methodology were first verified for less complex systems by simulation in MATLAB. This paper presents the application of this method for torque control of an induction motor, which is a complex nonlinear system of the fifth order. The results were experimentally validated by measurements using an IC inverter–induction motor system. The experimental measurements confirmed the correctness and quality of the proposed methodology. Compared to traditional methods, it does not require any knowledge of the mathematical model of the nonlinear system, use of complex differential algebra, or other additional transformations. The proposed non-analytical linearization technique is primarily designed for a class of mechatronic systems with electric drives. Its simple structure and design methodology minimize the complexity of implementation, thereby enabling it to be widely used in industrial practice for other nonlinear systems with comparable structures.