Sensor-Based Control of a Mechanical Snake

本研究通过开发避障和运动规划算法，探索了基于传感器的机械蛇控制。这条机械蛇是一种类似机器人的机械装置，其原型目前正在实验室进行测试。它由一个传感头链（探测障碍物）和六个相同的常规链（提供运动）组成。当检测到障碍物时，头部链路中的计算机将能够推荐每个链路的运动，以便当该链路到达障碍物附近时不会与障碍物相撞。与目前用于移动机器人和机械臂的最先进的实时避碰策略相比，开发使该系统工作的算法更具挑战性。完成后，这条蛇将能够进入人类无法进入的区域（例如，地震后倒塌的高速公路上的小裂缝）或对人类来说太危险的区域（例如，放射性环境）。在这些地点，他们将进行监视（例如，通过远程视频寻找幸存者，检查放射性水平）或执行任务（例如，为幸存者提供药物）。

This research explores sensor-based control of a mechanical snake through development of obstacle-avoidance and motion-planning algorithms. The mechanical snake is robot-like mechanism, a prototype of which is now being tested in the laboratory. It consists of a sensorized head link (that detects obstacles) and six identical regular links (that provide motion). As an obstacle is detected, the computer in the head link will be able to recommend a motion of each link so that when that link arrives in the neighborhood of the obstacle it will not collide with it. Developing the algorithms to make this system work is a far more challenging problem than the state-of-the-art, real-time collision avoidance strategies currently in use for mobile robots and robot arms. When completed, the snake will be able to move into areas that people cannot enter (e.g., small cracks in collapsed highway after an earthquake) or are too dangerous for people (e.g., a radioactive environment). At these locations, the will perform surveillance (e.g., look for survivors through remote video, check radioactivity levels) or a task (e.g., bring medicine to survivors).