Abstract

Abstract
The robot presented in this paper was developed with the main focus on participating in robotic competitions. Therefore, the subsystems here presented were developed taking into account performance criteria instead of simplicity. Nonetheless, this paper also presents background knowledge in some basic concepts regarding robot localization, navigation, color identification and control, all of which are key for a more competitive robot.

Abstract
Self-localization of a robot is one of the most important requirements in mobile robotics. There are several approaches to providing localization data. The Ultra Wide Band Time of Flight provides position information but lacks the angle. Odometry data can be combined by using a data fusion algorithm. This paper addresses the application of data fusion algorithms based on odometry and Ultra Wide Band Time of Flight positioning using a Kalman filter that allows performing the data fusion task which outputs the position and orientation of the robot. The proposed solution, validated in a real developed platform can be applied in service and industrial robots.

Abstract
Accurate estimation of hand shape and position is an important task in various applications, such as human-computer interaction, human-robot interaction, and virtual and augmented reality. In this paper, it is proposed a method to estimate the hand keypoints from single and colored images utilizing the pre-trained deep convolutional neural networks VGG-16 and VGG-19. The method is evaluated on the FreiHAND dataset, and the performance of the two neural networks is compared. The best results were achieved by the VGG-19, with average estimation errors of 7.40 pixels and 11.36 millimeters for the best cases of two-dimensional and three-dimensional hand keypoints estimation, respectively.

Abstract
Recent developments in dexterous robotic manipulation technologies allowed for the design of very compact, yet capable, multi-fingered robotic hands. These can be designed to emulate the human touch and feel, reducing the aforementioned need for human expertise in highly detailed tasks. The presented work focused on the application of two simulation platforms Gazebo and MuJoCo - to a use-case of a Schunk Five Finger Robotic Hand, coupled to the UR5 collaborative manipulator. This allowed to assess the relative appropriateness of each of these platforms.

Abstract
Machine Learning has been overtaken by a growing necessity to explain and understand decisions made by trained models as regulation and consumer awareness have increased. Alongside understanding the inner workings of a model comes the task of verifying how adequately we can model a problem with the learned functions. Traditional global assessment functions lack the granularity required to understand local differences in performance in different regions of the feature space, where the model can have problems adapting. Residual Analysis adds a layer of model understanding by interpreting prediction residuals in an exploratory manner. However, this task can be unfeasible for high-dimensionality datasets through hypotheses and visualizations alone. In this work, we use weak interpretable learners to identify regions of high prediction error in the feature space. We achieve this by examining the absolute residuals of predictions made by trained regressors. This methodology retains the interpretability of the identified regions. It allows practitioners to have tools to formulate hypotheses surrounding model failure on particular regions for future model tunning, data collection, or data augmentation on critical cohorts of data. We present a way of including information on different levels of model uncertainty in the feature space through the use of locally fitted Model Agnostic Prediction Intervals (MAPIE) in the identified regions, comparing this approach with other common forms of conformal predictions which do not take into account findings from weak segment identification, by assessing local and global coverage of the prediction intervals. To demonstrate the practical application of our approach, we present a real-world industry use case in the context of inbound retention call-centre operations for a Telecom Provider to determine optimal pairing between a customer and an available assistant through the prediction of contracted revenue. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.