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Einar Nielsen

OST Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences, EMS Institute for Development of Mechatronic Systems, Faculty Member

NTB Interstate University of Applied Sciences Buchs, Robotics, Faculty Member

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Einar Nielsen has over 20 years’ experience in robot development. He realized sensor-guided robotic systems for industry, surgery, rehabilitation, container handling, research, haptic feedback displays or high precision and high speed robotic applications. In the more than 30 robot projects a big experience in the realization of mechanical and electrical hardware as well as in the development of robot control software has been obtained for that serve as the basis for further developments.

Einar Nielsen's research interests lie in the development and control of sensor guided robotic systems, which finds their practical used in industry, medicine, logistics or service. His main focus is on an application driven development process and philosophy, where the dynamic behavior of the robot is defined by an optimized choice of mechanical design and control strategy. The goal is to push the performance high up, while the complexity of the overall system is reduced.
Phone: +41 78 738 90 41
Address: Eisgasse 17
8004 Zurich
Switzerland

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Papers by Einar Nielsen

Hey robot, where is my drink?" : Project agebots ; multidisciplinary perspectives on service robotics in the field of elderly care

Service robotics offers great potential for retirement and nursing homes. In the present project ... more Service robotics offers great potential for retirement and nursing homes. In the present project Agebots (Im-plementation of service robotics in the field of elderly care), founded by the Swiss Innovation Agency (Innosuis-se), a multidisciplinary team is investigating and testing the implementation of service robotics in elderly care. The pursued dimensions are human, technology, business, and law. The project is carried out in cooperation with two implementation partners: a retirement and nursing home and a robot manufacturer, both based in Switzerland. The project is still ongoing and will be completed by 2022. So far, the use of robots in elderly care has proven to be challenging regarding all different dimensions. These challenges have yet to be overcome to ensure a safe implementation that adds value for both caregivers and the elderly and efficiently supports the operations at the retirement and nursing home. The humancentered and iterative approach of the present project allows an early identification of potential challenges and the end-users' needs. This way, the challenges can be addressed proactively, prior to the implementation in the retirement and nursing home.

Autonomous Rollator: A Case Study in the Agebots Project

In this paper, we present an iterative development process for a functional model of an autonomou... more In this paper, we present an iterative development process for a functional model of an autonomous, location-orienting rollator. An interdisciplinary team was involved in the development, working closely with the end-users. This example shows that the design thinking method is suitable for the development of frontier technology devices in the care sector.

An Accuracy Approach to Robotic Microsurgery in the Ear

Concerns of rising healthcare costs and the ever increasing desire to improve surgical outcome ha... more Concerns of rising healthcare costs and the ever increasing desire to improve surgical outcome have motivated the development of a new robotic assisted surgical procedure for the implantation of artificial hearing devices (AHDs). This paper describes our efforts to enable minimally invasive, cost effective surgery for the implantation of AHDs. We approach this problem with a fundamental goal to reduce errors from every component of the surgical workflow from imaging and trajectory planning to patient tracking and robot development. These efforts were successful in reducing overall system error to a previously unattained level.

Autonomous Rollator: A Case Study in the Agebots Project

ArXiv, 2021

In this paper, we present an iterative development process for a functional model of an autonomou... more In this paper, we present an iterative development process for a functional model of an autonomous, locationorienting rollator. An interdisciplinary team was involved in the development, working closely with the end-users. This example shows that the design thinking method is suitable for the development of frontier technology devices in the care sector.

Modelling and Control of a Harmonic Drive Joint

by Einar Nielsen, Marc Baumgartner, and Guenter Nagel

The goal of this work is the development of control concepts for a high precision robot joint. Th... more The goal of this work is the development of control concepts for a high precision robot joint. These proposed concepts are used to overcome the negative effects of the gear transmission. Thereby, the lowest achievable dynamic positioning error for the given setup is identified. For this purpose, a mechanical setup was used, in which the torque is generated by a permanent magnet synchron machine (PMSM) and transferred to the load through a Harmonic Drive gear. Two angular encoders on each side of the Harmonic Drive gear are supplemented by a Ferraris acceleration sensor on the load side.

Within this work a detailed model of the system, including the relevant non-linearities, is derived using Matlab/Simulink. The simulation results are verified using the described hardware and the model is refined in several iterations. This allows to gain a better understanding of the existing effects and therefore to develop appropriate concepts to increase the dynamic positioning precision. Finally, the control algorithms were implemented on the servo drive as a C# real time application. Beside a conventional cascade controller structure, a so called active damping for the suppression of resonant oscillations, as well as a compensation of the gear transmission error have been implemented. By this means a maximum load position error of 150 μrad could be achieved.

EEROS Mechatronikforum 2013 Full Paper V1-1

Um Roboter auch in Anwendungen einsetzen zu können, für die klassische Industrierobotersteuerunge... more Um Roboter auch in Anwendungen einsetzen zu können, für die klassische Industrierobotersteuerungen nicht geeignet sind, braucht es einfache, beherrschbare, zuverlässige und sichere Steuerungen, die aber offener, flexibler und ausbaufähiger sind als jene klassischer industrieller Roboter. Dass die Kosten für die Entwicklung solcher Robotersteuerungen sehr hoch sind, stellt eine grosse Barriere für den Markteintritt dieser Produkte dar. EEROS realisiert deshalb eine industriefähige Open Source Robotersoftware, welche die Flexibilität einer universellen und offenen Plattform bietet, aber trotzdem sicher und gleichzeitig einfach zu warten ist.

Neural Network Applications in Robotics

Kohonens topological feature maps were extended by H.Ritter with a new layer to build motoric map... more Kohonens topological feature maps were extended by H.Ritter with a new layer to build motoric maps. We successfully applied this new network model to several robotics problems. This paper discusses three applications: the Controlling of a robot for pole balancing in 2 dimensions, the visuomotor coordination of a robot arm and the modelling of the dynamics of a SCARA robot with both an extended Kohonen and a Backpropagation network model. We compare the neural network methods and classical algorithms.

ISBN 978-3-033-02655-1 ifm 2010 Systemtechnikprojekt Nielsen Graf U Graf J Ritter

Der Bau von Roboter für das problembasierte Lernen wird an der an der NTB seit mehr als zehn Jahr... more Der Bau von Roboter für das problembasierte Lernen wird an der an der NTB seit mehr als zehn Jahren erfolgreich praktiziert und ist zum festen Bestandteil der modernen Systemtechnikausbildung geworden. Dies vorwiegend aus dem Grund heraus, dass die Vernetzung des Gelernten dann besonders gut gelingt, wenn der Sinn des Gelernten nicht nur theoretisch erklärt wird, sondern im eigentlichen Sinn auch erlebt werden kann. Systemdenken, das an der NTB zum zentralen Bildungsanliegen gehört, kann nur bis zu einem bestimmten Grad klassisch ausgebildet werden und bleibt ohne praktische Umsetzung blanke Theorie.

Publikation BJung 20110712

EEROS Mechatronikforum 2013 Full Paper V1-1

Um Roboter auch in Anwendungen einsetzen zu können, für die klassische Industrierobotersteuerunge... more Um Roboter auch in Anwendungen einsetzen zu können, für die klassische Industrierobotersteuerungen nicht geeignet sind, braucht es einfache, beherrschbare, zuverlässige und sichere Steuerungen, die aber offener, flexibler und ausbaufähiger sind als jene klassischer industrieller Roboter. Dass die Kosten für die Entwicklung solcher Robotersteuerungen sehr hoch sind, stellt eine grosse Barriere für den Markteintritt dieser Produkte dar. EEROS realisiert deshalb eine industriefähige Open Source Robotersoftware, welche die Flexibilität einer universellen und offenen Plattform bietet, aber trotzdem sicher und gleichzeitig einfach zu warten ist.

Improving System Accuracy in Computer Aided Robotic ORL Surgery

MODRO: A MODULAR CONCEPT FOR AN APPLICATION-ADAPTED ROBOTIC SYSTEM

In common industrial robots the mechanical and electrical structure as weil as the control algori... more In common industrial robots the mechanical and electrical structure as weil as the control algorithms are given and constitute a closed system. Thls paper presents an alternative: a modular robot system that is regarded not as an isolated technical product. but as a part of an integrated solution. Instead of adapting an application to a given robot system, we are trying to adapt the robot to the application. Since the requirements of the various applications are different, no universally applicable robot structure can be found. Therefore the presented robot system is assembled from modular elements like joints, linear guides, etc. For the realisation of this modular concept it is essential that not only the robot hardware, but also the software can be adapted to suit the user's application. The configuration of the software caters to the chosen mechanical and electrical hardware as weil as to the kinematics and dynamics of the robot Frequently it is required that the control algorithms, e.g. force control, are tailored to the application. In the MODRO concept it is possible to change controllers while the robot is moving. Different control concepts have been tested on MODRO. One example that will be presented is the shape finder algorithm, with which the robot was able to follow the shape of an unknown body.

Pap-1992-Journées de microtechnique

In common industrial robots the mechanical and electrical structure as well as the control algori... more In common industrial robots the mechanical and electrical structure as well as the control algorithms are given and constitute a closed system. This paper presents an alternative: a modular robot system that is regarded not as an isolated technical product, but as a part of an integrated solution. Instead of adapting an application to a given robot system, we are trying to adapt the robot to the application. A flexible robot system should be supported by a flexible, extendible and configurable controller. Through a teach pendant it is possible to record ·named points and/or complex trajectories. These can interactively be edited and joined to form operations. Real time programming is made simple by use of process and time primitives. The necessary routines for using these features are available. Joints, motors, sensors and also filters, control algorithms and the geometry of the robot can be described and parametrised through the configuration language of the control system .

Effizienter Robotereinsatz schon bei kleinen und mittleren Serien 1 Effizienter Robotereinsatz schon bei kleinen und mittleren Serien

Concerns of rising healthcare costs and the ever increasing desire to improve surgical outcome ha... more Concerns of rising healthcare costs and the ever increasing desire to improve surgical outcome have motivated the development of a new robotic assisted surgical procedure for the implantation of artificial hearing devices (AHDs). This paper describes our efforts to enable minimally invasive, cost effective surgery for the implantation of AHDs. We approach this problem with a fundamental goal to reduce errors from every component of the surgical workflow from imaging and trajectory planning to patient tracking and robot development. These efforts were successful in reducing overall system error to a previously unattained level.

by Einar Nielsen and Guenter Nagel

ISBN 978-3-033-02655-1 ifm 2010 Cochlea-Roboter Widmer Nielsen

Hey robot, where is my drink?" : Project agebots ; multidisciplinary perspectives on service robotics in the field of elderly care

Service robotics offers great potential for retirement and nursing homes. In the present project ... more Service robotics offers great potential for retirement and nursing homes. In the present project Agebots (Im-plementation of service robotics in the field of elderly care), founded by the Swiss Innovation Agency (Innosuis-se), a multidisciplinary team is investigating and testing the implementation of service robotics in elderly care. The pursued dimensions are human, technology, business, and law. The project is carried out in cooperation with two implementation partners: a retirement and nursing home and a robot manufacturer, both based in Switzerland. The project is still ongoing and will be completed by 2022. So far, the use of robots in elderly care has proven to be challenging regarding all different dimensions. These challenges have yet to be overcome to ensure a safe implementation that adds value for both caregivers and the elderly and efficiently supports the operations at the retirement and nursing home. The humancentered and iterative approach of the present project allows an early identification of potential challenges and the end-users' needs. This way, the challenges can be addressed proactively, prior to the implementation in the retirement and nursing home.

Autonomous Rollator: A Case Study in the Agebots Project

In this paper, we present an iterative development process for a functional model of an autonomou... more In this paper, we present an iterative development process for a functional model of an autonomous, location-orienting rollator. An interdisciplinary team was involved in the development, working closely with the end-users. This example shows that the design thinking method is suitable for the development of frontier technology devices in the care sector.

An Accuracy Approach to Robotic Microsurgery in the Ear

Concerns of rising healthcare costs and the ever increasing desire to improve surgical outcome ha... more Concerns of rising healthcare costs and the ever increasing desire to improve surgical outcome have motivated the development of a new robotic assisted surgical procedure for the implantation of artificial hearing devices (AHDs). This paper describes our efforts to enable minimally invasive, cost effective surgery for the implantation of AHDs. We approach this problem with a fundamental goal to reduce errors from every component of the surgical workflow from imaging and trajectory planning to patient tracking and robot development. These efforts were successful in reducing overall system error to a previously unattained level.

Autonomous Rollator: A Case Study in the Agebots Project

ArXiv, 2021

In this paper, we present an iterative development process for a functional model of an autonomou... more In this paper, we present an iterative development process for a functional model of an autonomous, locationorienting rollator. An interdisciplinary team was involved in the development, working closely with the end-users. This example shows that the design thinking method is suitable for the development of frontier technology devices in the care sector.

Modelling and Control of a Harmonic Drive Joint

by Einar Nielsen, Marc Baumgartner, and Guenter Nagel

The goal of this work is the development of control concepts for a high precision robot joint. Th... more The goal of this work is the development of control concepts for a high precision robot joint. These proposed concepts are used to overcome the negative effects of the gear transmission. Thereby, the lowest achievable dynamic positioning error for the given setup is identified. For this purpose, a mechanical setup was used, in which the torque is generated by a permanent magnet synchron machine (PMSM) and transferred to the load through a Harmonic Drive gear. Two angular encoders on each side of the Harmonic Drive gear are supplemented by a Ferraris acceleration sensor on the load side.

Within this work a detailed model of the system, including the relevant non-linearities, is derived using Matlab/Simulink. The simulation results are verified using the described hardware and the model is refined in several iterations. This allows to gain a better understanding of the existing effects and therefore to develop appropriate concepts to increase the dynamic positioning precision. Finally, the control algorithms were implemented on the servo drive as a C# real time application. Beside a conventional cascade controller structure, a so called active damping for the suppression of resonant oscillations, as well as a compensation of the gear transmission error have been implemented. By this means a maximum load position error of 150 μrad could be achieved.

EEROS Mechatronikforum 2013 Full Paper V1-1

Um Roboter auch in Anwendungen einsetzen zu können, für die klassische Industrierobotersteuerunge... more Um Roboter auch in Anwendungen einsetzen zu können, für die klassische Industrierobotersteuerungen nicht geeignet sind, braucht es einfache, beherrschbare, zuverlässige und sichere Steuerungen, die aber offener, flexibler und ausbaufähiger sind als jene klassischer industrieller Roboter. Dass die Kosten für die Entwicklung solcher Robotersteuerungen sehr hoch sind, stellt eine grosse Barriere für den Markteintritt dieser Produkte dar. EEROS realisiert deshalb eine industriefähige Open Source Robotersoftware, welche die Flexibilität einer universellen und offenen Plattform bietet, aber trotzdem sicher und gleichzeitig einfach zu warten ist.

Neural Network Applications in Robotics

Kohonens topological feature maps were extended by H.Ritter with a new layer to build motoric map... more Kohonens topological feature maps were extended by H.Ritter with a new layer to build motoric maps. We successfully applied this new network model to several robotics problems. This paper discusses three applications: the Controlling of a robot for pole balancing in 2 dimensions, the visuomotor coordination of a robot arm and the modelling of the dynamics of a SCARA robot with both an extended Kohonen and a Backpropagation network model. We compare the neural network methods and classical algorithms.

ISBN 978-3-033-02655-1 ifm 2010 Systemtechnikprojekt Nielsen Graf U Graf J Ritter

Der Bau von Roboter für das problembasierte Lernen wird an der an der NTB seit mehr als zehn Jahr... more Der Bau von Roboter für das problembasierte Lernen wird an der an der NTB seit mehr als zehn Jahren erfolgreich praktiziert und ist zum festen Bestandteil der modernen Systemtechnikausbildung geworden. Dies vorwiegend aus dem Grund heraus, dass die Vernetzung des Gelernten dann besonders gut gelingt, wenn der Sinn des Gelernten nicht nur theoretisch erklärt wird, sondern im eigentlichen Sinn auch erlebt werden kann. Systemdenken, das an der NTB zum zentralen Bildungsanliegen gehört, kann nur bis zu einem bestimmten Grad klassisch ausgebildet werden und bleibt ohne praktische Umsetzung blanke Theorie.

Publikation BJung 20110712

EEROS Mechatronikforum 2013 Full Paper V1-1

Um Roboter auch in Anwendungen einsetzen zu können, für die klassische Industrierobotersteuerunge... more Um Roboter auch in Anwendungen einsetzen zu können, für die klassische Industrierobotersteuerungen nicht geeignet sind, braucht es einfache, beherrschbare, zuverlässige und sichere Steuerungen, die aber offener, flexibler und ausbaufähiger sind als jene klassischer industrieller Roboter. Dass die Kosten für die Entwicklung solcher Robotersteuerungen sehr hoch sind, stellt eine grosse Barriere für den Markteintritt dieser Produkte dar. EEROS realisiert deshalb eine industriefähige Open Source Robotersoftware, welche die Flexibilität einer universellen und offenen Plattform bietet, aber trotzdem sicher und gleichzeitig einfach zu warten ist.

Improving System Accuracy in Computer Aided Robotic ORL Surgery

MODRO: A MODULAR CONCEPT FOR AN APPLICATION-ADAPTED ROBOTIC SYSTEM

In common industrial robots the mechanical and electrical structure as weil as the control algori... more In common industrial robots the mechanical and electrical structure as weil as the control algorithms are given and constitute a closed system. Thls paper presents an alternative: a modular robot system that is regarded not as an isolated technical product. but as a part of an integrated solution. Instead of adapting an application to a given robot system, we are trying to adapt the robot to the application. Since the requirements of the various applications are different, no universally applicable robot structure can be found. Therefore the presented robot system is assembled from modular elements like joints, linear guides, etc. For the realisation of this modular concept it is essential that not only the robot hardware, but also the software can be adapted to suit the user's application. The configuration of the software caters to the chosen mechanical and electrical hardware as weil as to the kinematics and dynamics of the robot Frequently it is required that the control algorithms, e.g. force control, are tailored to the application. In the MODRO concept it is possible to change controllers while the robot is moving. Different control concepts have been tested on MODRO. One example that will be presented is the shape finder algorithm, with which the robot was able to follow the shape of an unknown body.

Pap-1992-Journées de microtechnique

In common industrial robots the mechanical and electrical structure as well as the control algori... more In common industrial robots the mechanical and electrical structure as well as the control algorithms are given and constitute a closed system. This paper presents an alternative: a modular robot system that is regarded not as an isolated technical product, but as a part of an integrated solution. Instead of adapting an application to a given robot system, we are trying to adapt the robot to the application. A flexible robot system should be supported by a flexible, extendible and configurable controller. Through a teach pendant it is possible to record ·named points and/or complex trajectories. These can interactively be edited and joined to form operations. Real time programming is made simple by use of process and time primitives. The necessary routines for using these features are available. Joints, motors, sensors and also filters, control algorithms and the geometry of the robot can be described and parametrised through the configuration language of the control system .

Effizienter Robotereinsatz schon bei kleinen und mittleren Serien 1 Effizienter Robotereinsatz schon bei kleinen und mittleren Serien

Concerns of rising healthcare costs and the ever increasing desire to improve surgical outcome ha... more Concerns of rising healthcare costs and the ever increasing desire to improve surgical outcome have motivated the development of a new robotic assisted surgical procedure for the implantation of artificial hearing devices (AHDs). This paper describes our efforts to enable minimally invasive, cost effective surgery for the implantation of AHDs. We approach this problem with a fundamental goal to reduce errors from every component of the surgical workflow from imaging and trajectory planning to patient tracking and robot development. These efforts were successful in reducing overall system error to a previously unattained level.

by Einar Nielsen and Guenter Nagel

ISBN 978-3-033-02655-1 ifm 2010 Cochlea-Roboter Widmer Nielsen