MRI: Development of a New Generation of Miniature Search/Rescue Robots

MRI：新一代微型搜索/救援机器人的开发

• 批准号: 0420836
• 负责人: Janice Pearce
• 金额: $ 80万
• 依托单位: Berea College
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2004
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2004-09-01 至 2010-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0420836&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: MRI; Development; New; Generation; Miniature

This work, developing a robot platform based on the University of Minnesota Scout robot, proposes a suite of well-orchestrated efforts to design a new Scout robot that addresses some challenges involving flexibility for later design upgrades and mobility over rough terrain. The efforts include a completely new overall design with an impact on performance in terms of mobility, manipulation, and communication capabilities, the creation of a software backbone system for sensory processing and communication among different miniature robots in order to create an effective team, and the development of a saddle pack structure based in the MegaScouts platform. Expected to contribute to the field of miniature robot design resulting in heterogeneous robot teams that will be far more effective in tasks such as search/rescue operation, the project involves: Development of a new Scout robot with a new smaller form factor designed with new mobility, manipulation, and robot-linking mechanisms. A low-cost, flexible platform will be created with multiple direct applications, including serving as an educational tool. Creation of a software backbone system addressing autonomous Scout operation, intelligent failure recovery, software reusability, and automatic creation of mission scenarios.* Development of a saddle pack system based on the MegaScout platform and used for Scout deployment and control.* Investigation of communication methodologies applicable to the Scout platform, focusing on transparent integration of new communication technologies (e.g., ultra-wideband, various 802.11 standards) as these arise, without the design of entirely new communication hardware to fit the Scouts.* Development of multi-modal interfaces for the new Scout robot.* Experimental validation through a series of experiments involving a large number of the new scout robots in diverse environments to examine the relative merits and tradeoffs involved in team- versus single-robot operations.* Transition from experimental robotics to real world applications with the creation of a large number of low-cost (and thus expendable) robots.The underlying small mobile Minnesota Scout robot can be employed in a variety of applications, including search/rescue missions, locating the source of a biological or chemical release, decontamination and decommissioning efforts, and monitoring highly sensitive areas of populations, such as elderly or disabled patients in residential care.Broader Impacts involve: * Re-designing relevant courses ( Robotics, AI, Communication Systems, introductory CS courses),* Integration of the robotics platform into various levels of the curricula, * Outreach activities for retaining members of underrepresented groups in CS, CE, EE,* Outreach efforts through demonstrations at local K-12 schools and youth groups,* Seminars promoting cross-disciplinary interaction,* Creation of web resources for web-based design and execution of formation strategies for mobile miniature robotics teams, * Innovative use of the algorithms and hardware in sites (elderly care centers with the goals of improving resident's safety).

这项工作基于明尼苏达大学的侦察机器人开发了一个机器人平台，提出了一套精心策划的努力来设计一种新的侦察机器人，解决了一些挑战，包括后期设计升级的灵活性和在崎岖地形上的机动性。这些努力包括一个全新的整体设计，对机动性、操作和通信能力的性能产生影响，创建一个软件骨干系统，用于不同微型机器人之间的感官处理和通信，以创建一个有效的团队，以及基于MegaScouts平台的鞍包结构的开发。该项目旨在为微型机器人设计领域做出贡献，从而形成异构机器人团队，从而在搜索/救援行动等任务中更加有效。该项目涉及：开发一种新型Scout机器人，其外形尺寸更小，设计具有新的移动性、操作和机器人连接机制。一个低成本、灵活的平台将被创造出来，具有多种直接应用，包括作为教育工具。创建一个软件骨干系统，解决自主侦察操作、智能故障恢复、软件可重用性和任务场景的自动创建。*基于MegaScout平台开发鞍包系统，用于童军部署和控制。*研究适用于童军平台的通讯方法，重点是在新通讯技术（例如超宽频、各种802.11标准）出现时，透明地整合新通讯技术，而无需为童军设计全新的通讯硬件。*为新的侦察兵机器人开发多模态接口。*实验验证，通过一系列涉及不同环境中大量新侦察机器人的实验，以检查团队与单个机器人操作的相对优点和权衡。*创造大量低成本（因此是消耗性的）机器人，从实验机器人向现实世界应用过渡。潜在的小型移动明尼苏达侦察兵机器人可以用于各种应用，包括搜索/救援任务，定位生物或化学物质释放的来源，净化和退役工作，以及监测高度敏感的人群区域，如老年人或残疾患者的住宿护理。更广泛的影响包括：*重新设计相关课程（机器人、人工智能、通信系统、计算机科学入门课程），*将机器人平台整合到课程的各个层面，*为留住计算机科学、行政行政中代表性不足的群体的成员而开展的外展活动，EE，*通过在当地K-12学校和青年团体进行示范的推广工作，*促进跨学科互动的研讨会，*为基于网络的移动微型机器人团队设计和执行队形策略创建网络资源，*在现场（以提高居民安全为目标的老年护理中心）创新地使用算法和硬件。