Classifying the Capabilities of Robotic Systems. What is a robot?

There are various types of robots, yet there are no defined characteristics that relate them to each other. In order to compare robots, a detailed cross-domain classification system is required. The classification needs to be simple enough to be applicable to all robotic fields, yet comprehensive enough to capture robots accurately. The aim of the research reported in this thesis is to develop a novel classification scheme, subsequently named ‘ToRCH’ (Toward Robot CHaracterization), that categorizes robots according to their characteristics via a hierarchical structure. The layers of the hierarchy capture robot capabilities, sub-categorizes them and provides appropriate measurement levels. Some capabilities were adopted from the Multi-Annual Road map (MAR), that was developed to shape the European research development and innovation program, and the research reported in this thesis first extends MAR in a number of important dimensions. Then the study utilizes the extensive capability layers in ToRCH to characterize a robot’s performance in a form defined as the ‘Robot Capability Profile’ (RCP). The RCP helps in designing, developing, deploying and testing a robot for specific applications. It also facilitates the assessment of the best application that matches the specification of any particular robot. Finally, several aspects of ToRCH are evaluated including its structure, its usability and its generated RCPs. The results confirm that ToRCH is able to capture the capabilities of different robots in a way that could answer the question ‘what is a robot?’.