RAPID: Aerial Robots for Remote Autonomous Exploration and Mapping

提案#：CNS 11-38110PI(S)：Kumar，R.Vijay；Michael，内森研究所：宾夕法尼亚大学标题：RAPID：空中机器人快速反应：远程自主探索和测绘项目建议：这个快速项目，开发和部署一组能够进入非结构化、危险环境中探索和绘制设施的自主空中机器人，为安全、偏远地点的人类操作员提供信息。这项工作汇集了在机器人学方面具有互补专业知识的研究小组，以解决获取图像和三维地图用于灾后评估的挑战性问题。自主机器人将部署在没有直接通信链路的情况下，能够进入目前无法进入的福岛地区。为了满足紧急需求，这项工作包括重新设计空中机器人系统，以便在没有事先了解环境或GPS(全球定位系统)的情况下，在室内和室外环境中执行测绘、定位和探索功能。该系统将部署在高污染环境中，如日本福岛灾难地区，扩展了该团队开发的现有机器人系统。它应该能够构建地图，并在地图中自主地定位、计划和控制，但需要与基站交互以传达相关信息。空中机器人独立行动和部署在关键污染地区的范式转换能力显示出新颖性。日裔美国学术研究小组将从事以下一些活动：-开发从高度污染的环境中获取信息的方法，例如在发生辐射污染的情况下。-设计和部署一个或多个自主机器人(即，没有与基站的链接)，配备摄像头和激光测距仪，并可能携带可能揭示污染程度的新见解的传感器。-制定收集信息和绘制地图的算法和方法。-通过日本同事在日本部署机器人。大多数无人机(无人机)是远程操作的，每个无人机都有几个人工操作员参与部署。机器人技术和无人机技术的交叉融合，有可能创造出具有广泛民用和国防应用的新型中小型自主无人机。该项目将探索使用自动无人机从由于辐射污染而无法访问的环境中获取信息。一个或多个配备摄像头和激光测距仪的自主四旋翼机器人将被部署，以探索部分已知的环境，并建立结构的3D地图，并可能携带传感器，这些传感器可能会揭示有关污染程度的新见解。这些机器人将不得不在没有任何与基站的通信链路的情况下操作。因此，这将是第一次部署真正的自主机器人。这项工作涉及到与日本仙台东北大学的搜救机器人研究员Satoshi Tadokoro博士的合作。Tadokoro博士已经为拟议的联合研究提交了一封支持信。来自同一所大学的另一位合作者吉田和也博士领导了这个名为？极端环境中的机器人？带来了？极限机器人？这项合作研究工作的背景。该项目预计会在极端环境测试中失去机器人，因此需要建造额外的自主空中机器人来进行实验。还要求为前往日本进行合作研究和实验提供资金。更广泛的影响：仙台和福岛一号和二号核电站发生的悲惨事件已导致放射性碘、铯和锶造成严重污染，使人类几乎不可能进入核电站的许多区域评估损失。首先，使用机器人从目前无法进入的地区获取信息将对灾后恢复行动产生重大影响。其次，自主飞行机器人的使用将在机器人学上建立一个重要的里程碑，并将使核电行业在未来更好地处于快速应对灾害的地位。该提案承诺通过参与性研究范式支持日本的经济复苏努力，从而为社会带来立竿见影的好处。此外，对未来灾难的长期好处是显而易见的，因为应急响应和无人驾驶系统都是形成领域，收集的数据将促进在不可预测的情况下发现和理解以人为中心的智能系统。此外，自主空中机器人的使用将在机器人学上建立一个重要的里程碑，使核电行业能够更好地在未来快速应对灾难。最后，该项目将培养本科生和研究生，让他们接触到高影响力的应用领域。

Proposal #: CNS 11-38110PI(s): Kumar, R. Vijay; Michael, Nathan DInstitution: University of PennsylvaniaTitle: RAPID: Aerial Robots for Rapid Response: Remote Autonomous Exploration and MappingProject Proposed:This RAPID project, developing and deploying a team of autonomous aerial robots that can enter an unstructured, hazardous environment to explore and map a facility, provides information to human operators in safe, remote locations. The work brings together research groups with complementary expertise in robotics to address the challenging problem of acquiring imagery and three-dimensional maps for post-disaster assessment. Autonomous robots will be deployed without a direct communication link enabling access to areas in the Fukushima that are currently inaccessible.Addressing an urgent need, the work consists of redesigning aerial robotic systems to perform mapping, localization, and exploration functions in indoor and outdoor environments without prior knowledge of the environment or GPS (Global Positioning System). The system, to be deployed in highly contaminated environments such as the area of Fukushima disasters in Japan, expands the present robotic systems developed by the team. It should be able to build maps and localize, plan, and control autonomously in that map, but requires interactions with a base-station to communicate the relevant information. The paradigm shifting capabilities of aerial robots to act independently and be deployed in critical contaminated areas exhibit novelty. The Japanese-American academic research team will be engaged in some of the following activities: - Develop methods to acquire information from highly contaminated environments, such as in case of radiation contamination. - Engineer and deploy one or more autonomous robots (i.e., without the link to the base station) equipped with cameras and laser range finders as well as potentially carrying sensors that might reveal new insights about the degree of contamination. - Develop algorithms and methods for information gathering and map building. - Deploy the robots in Japan through Japanese colleagues.Most UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) are teleoperated with several human operators engaged in the deployment of each UAV. The cross fertilization of technologies for robotics and UAVs has potential to create new small to medium scale autonomous UAVs with a wide range of civilian and defense applications. This project will explore the use of autonomous UAVs for acquiring information from environments that are impossible to access because of radiation contamination. One or more autonomous quad rotor robots equipped with cameras and laser range finders will be deployed to explore the partially-known environment and build 3-D maps of the structure and potentially carrying sensors that might reveal new insights about the degree of contamination. These robots will have to operate without any communication link to the base station. Thus this will represent the first deployment of a truly autonomous robot of its kind.This work involves a collaboration with Dr. Satoshi Tadokoro, a researcher in search and rescue robotics, from Tohuku University in Sendai, Japan. A support letter has been submitted by Dr. Tadokoro for the proposed joint research. Another collaborator from the same University, Dr. Kazuya Yoshida, leads the project entitled ?Robotics in Extreme Environment? and brings the ?Extreme Robotics? background to this collaborative research endeavor. The project, expected to lose robots in extreme environment tests, consequently requires building additional autonomous aerial robots for the purpose of the experiments. Funding is also requested to travel to Japan for collaborative research and experimentation. Broader Impacts: The tragic sequence of events in Sendai and the Fukushima I and II nuclear power plants has resulted in significant contamination due to radioactive iodine, cesium and stronium, making it nearly impossible for humans to enter many areas in the power plants to assess damage. First, the use of robots to acquire information from currently inaccessible areas will have a significant impact on post-disaster recovery operations. Second, the use of autonomous aerial robots will establish an important milestone in robotics and will allow the nuclear power industry to be better positioned to rapidly respond to disasters in the future. This proposal promises an immediate benefit to society by supporting economic recovery efforts in Japan through a participatory research paradigm. Moreover, long term benefits for future disasters are in evidence since emergency response and unmanned systems are both formative domains and the data collected will advance the discovery and understanding of intelligent, human-centered systems in unpredictable situations. Furthermore, the use of autonomous aerial robots will establish an important milestone in robotics allowing the nuclear power industry to be better positioned to rapidly respond to disasters in the future. Finally, the project will train undergraduate and graduate students and expose them to high-impact application areas.