text: A VUI Foundation and Performance Validation for Voice-to-Motion Control of Snake-like Robots
  Casement, Sean Matthew
  Automatic speech recognition , Bio-inspired robots , Natural language processing , Voice user interface
  Snakes are unique animals whose locomotion method has been the subject of analytical research since Sir James Gray first began investigating the undulatory movement of eels in the 1930s. The locomotion of snakes is unique as it allows snakes to efficiently navigate complex and uneven terrains without articulated limbs. This movement pattern is attractive in the field of robotics exactly for its hyper redundancy and lack of requirements of limbs. These two aspects of snake like locomotion translate well into the field of robotics. A hyper redundant locomotion mode means a more robust ability to move through inhospitable terrain and a lack of limbs means a relatively uncomplex movement system. These advantages allow snake like robots to be used effectively in extreme environments like disaster relief scenarios or even space exploration. Controlling a snake like robot in an environment like this requires lots of training if traditional methods of robotic control are used but if vocal command system with a high level of intuitive intelligence is created much of the effort, on the part of the operator, involved in training and use in an extreme environment can be relieved. This thesis details the design and implementation of a voice-command based control system for a robotic snake. The snake robot used in this thesis was designed and constructed in the lab with many capabilities and locomotion modes. This complexity of the snake robot used necessitated a similarly complex remote controller to operate the robot. The voice-command based control system shown in this thesis will enable the control of the snake robot to a similar or same degree as the remote control system from previous work and serve as a foundation for further projects involving the control of the robot. The theoretical and practical considerations surrounding the construction of the system are discussed in the following paragraphs. The advantages and disadvantages of the Automatic Speech Recognition software and Natural Language Processing methods considered for this project are explored and analyzed. A Comparison between the control method demonstrated in this thesis and the control method from previous projects is drawn exploring the advantages and disadvantages of the two systems and whether they are comparable.