I/UCRC Collaborative Research: Miniature Ground/Water Robot

该提案为明尼苏达大学（牵头）及其在丹佛大学的研究伙伴开展的安全、安保和救援研究中心寻求资金。基础研究的资金申请由NSF批准的征求授权，NSF 10-507。本次招标邀请I/ ucrc提交支持行业定义基础研究的提案。该提案是关于进一步发展正在进行的机器人安全设计活动。本文的研究重点是水下机器人的设计，包括防水、浮力控制、相机稳定和传感器融合策略。提议的工作建立在以前的良好记录上，团队也很强大。与大多数现有的方法不同，提出的努力应该提供具有高机动性的微型机器人。本提案提出了一套机器人系统（包括一个两栖、翻滚机器人）和算法，这些算法利用了工业/大学安全、安保和救援研究合作研究中心早期的相关工作。该方案还为传感器套件提供了创新的稳定算法和硬件，以提高提供给第一响应者的数据质量。此外，还提出了用于水下导航的新型传感器融合方案。拟议工作的更广泛影响范围从计划将本科生纳入研究计划到拯救生命的商业设备最终可能从所描述的工作中产生的可能性。这项工作与美国国家科学基金会安全、安保和救援研究中心的联系将确保拟议的技术将在拟议的现场试验中暴露给第一响应者。

This proposal seeks funding for the Center for Safety, Security, and Rescue Research studies conducted by the University of Minnesota (lead) and its research partner at the University of Denver. Funding Requests for Fundamental Research are authorized by an NSF approved solicitation, NSF 10-507. The solicitation invites I/UCRCs to submit proposals for support of industry-defined fundamental research. The proposal is about further developing ongoing robot design activities for safety and security. The presented research focus is in the area of underwater robot design, and it describes activities regarding the waterproofing, buoyancy control, camera stabilization and sensor fusion strategies. The proposed work builds on the strong previous track record, and the team is strong. Unlike most existing approaches, the proposed effort should provide miniature size robots with high mobility. This proposal presents a set of robotic systems (including an amphibious, tumbling robot) and algorithms that capitalize on earlier pertinent work at the Industry/University Cooperative Research Center for Safety, Security, and Rescue Research. The proposal also offers innovative stabilization algorithms and hardware for the sensor suite in order to improve the quality of data provided to the first responder. In addition, innovative sensor fusion schemes for underwater navigation are proposed. The broader impacts of the proposed work range from a planned inclusion of undergraduates into the research plan to the possibility that life-saving commercial devices could eventually result from the work described. The connection of this work with the NSF Safety, Security, and Rescue Research Center will ensure that the proposed technologies will be exposed to first responders at the proposed field trials.