Portfolio
Products/Projects
Robot Raconteur open-source communication framework
PyRI Open-Source Teach Pendant
Tesseract Robot Motion Planner Python interface and general contributions
Please see the Products and Services page for more details
ARM Institute Projects
Wason Technology has participated in 6 projects supported by the United States Advanced Robotics in Manufacturing (ARM) Institute.
Prime Organization: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Team Members: Wason Technology, Southwest Research Institute, United Technology Corporation
Wason Technology Role: Co-Principle Investigator and Technical Lead
The Robot Raconteur ARM project supported the ongoing development of Robot Raconteur and focused on the development of device drivers for automation equipment. The developed device drivers support robots, sensors, simulation, and other miscellaneous devices. This project contributed to the development of Robot Raconteur, a project that began in 2010 independent of ARM. Development of Robot Raconteur has continued since the completion of this project.
Prime Organization: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Team Members: Wason Technology, Southwest Research Institute, United Technology Corporation, GE Global Research
Wason Technology Role: Co-Principle Investigator and Technical Lead
The Python Restricted Industrial (PyRI) Open Source Teach Pendant began as project supported by the ARM institute. This project builds on the capabilities of Robot Raconteur to create a robot programming environment for advanced open-source technologies that can be used by technicians without engineering level training.
Prime Organization: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Team Members: GE Global Research, Wason Technology, Southwest Research Institute, IEEE GlobalSpec, Vistex, Fuzehub, SME, Army Benet Laboratory
Wason Technology Role: Software Development Lead
This project focused on the robotic placement of large composite segments.
Prime Organization: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Team Members: Wason Technology, Southwest Research Institute, GE Global Research
Wason Technology Role: Software Development
Wason Technology provided software development assistance to this project. During the project, additional Robot Raconteur device drivers were developed, and a user interface was implemented for the PyRI teach pendant.
Prime Organization: Raytheon Technologies Research Center
Team Members: Wason Technology, Carnegie Mellon University, Collins Aerospace
Wason Technology Role: System Integration and Software Development
This is an ongoing project, expected to finish at the end of 2023.
Prime Organization: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Team Members: Wason Technology, Southwest Research Institute, GE Global Research, Yaskawa (Motoman Robots)
Wason Technology Role: Automation System Architect, System Integration, Software Development
This project aims to develop a control system architecture using Robot Raconteur for convergent manufacturing. A WAAM process is used as the example application.
This is an ongoing project, exected to finish at the end of 2023.
Center for Automation Technologies and Systems, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
March 2006 - December 2011
Advisor: Professor John Wen
John Wason was a student and/or Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute employee during this time
Visually-Guided Multi-probe Microassembly
Primary research project, Dissertation and Thesis
Collaboration with National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD
Process to assemble sub-millimetre parts to create complex MEMS devices
Uses sharp-tip probes instead of more complex and fragile microgrippers
Capable of grasping rectangular and curved objects
Full spatial manipulation capability
Microscope computer vision used for spatial feedback
Optical MEMS fiber alignment in collaboration with General Electric Global Research, Schenectady, NY
Applications:
Assembled MEMS
Microrobotics
Microsurgery
Nanotechnology instrumentation and fabrication
Lab-on-chip devices
Novel actuator technology
Optical-MEMS devices
Closeup view of the Microassembly Testbed manipulation workspace
Assembled microstructure consisting of four parts with overall dimensions of 800 um by 400 um
A micropart grasped and manipulated by probes
View of the Microassembly Testbed workcell
Motoman SDA10 Programming and Kinect Demonstration
Developed high-level programming interface for industrial robot with high-speed controller option
Developed a demonstration where the robot will mirror motion of a human through Microsoft Kinect sensor
Demonstrated for two members of the US Congress
Smart Lighting ERC Smart Room
Developed system integration software for smart room consisting of LED RGB lights, cameras, and wireless color sensors
Developed algorithm for feedback control of light fixtures through sensors
Testbed for next generation light control algorithm
Dual Arm System Upgrade and Refurbishment
Refurbished a robotic system consisting of two PUMA 560 robots and a robot transporter system with three joints supporting each robot
Developed new computer-based controller using MATLAB xPC Target
Developed distributed control architecture and programming API
Live Cell Marker Tracking
Developed tracking software for 3D microscopy of GFP markers
Used to measure behaviour of chromosomes during mitosis
Continued work by team after being reassigned to other project
ASOM scanning microscope adaptive optics control
Large region scanning microscope using adaptive optics
Developed system integration software
Developed reduced order Zernike function optimization method for adaptive optics mirror
iRobot Create Mobile Robots
Specified components and set up several robots with enhanced computers and vision systems
Used for simulation in formation control
Modeling and Control of a High Temperature Aluminum-Nitride Crystal Growth Furnace
Collaboration with Crystal IS, Green Island, NY
Used FEM software to model high temperature furnace and identify low-order model
Developed optimal controller based on Kalman estimator
Human Spine Kinematic Testing
Robot used to move cadaver spine to replicate motions captured on live subjects
Sensors used to determine effects of fused vertebrae
Provided robot and data capture programming for biomedical team
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA
Summer 2004 and 2005
Mentors: Dr. Bob Balaram and Dr. Abhi Jain
John Wason was a Summer Undergraduate Research Fellow (SURF) at NASA/JPL
SHERPA Electromechanical Testbed
Testbed for electromechanical portion of advanced Martian entry guidance system
For use in hardware-in-the-loop simulation
Developed, specified, built, and programmed testbed
PDS and USGS Data importers for ROAMS SimScape
Developed software to import Martian and Lunar satellite data into robot simulation software
Used during software development of Mars Science Laboratory robot.