CPS: Synergy: Collaborative Research: Designing semi-autonomous networks of miniature robots for inspection of bridges and other large infrastructures

根据美国交通部的数据，美国有605102座桥梁，其中64%的桥梁使用年限在30年或以上，11%的桥梁存在结构缺陷。目视检查是一种标准程序，用于识别结构缺陷，并可能预测桥梁即将倒塌，并确定有效的预防措施和维修。执行这一艰巨任务的专家必须前往桥梁所在地，花费数小时评估结构的完整性。 该提案旨在建立（i）新的设计和性能分析原则，以及（ii）创建小型机器人自组织网络的技术，以帮助对桥梁和其他大型民用基础设施进行目视检查。其主要思想是使用这样的网络来帮助专家远程和定期检查复杂的结构，例如支撑悬索桥甲板的典型梁组件。机器人将使用无线信息交换来自主协调和合作检查桥梁的预定部分。在任务结束时，或在可能的情况下，他们将向专家报告图像以及其他关键测量结果，以供进一步评估。辅助目视检查的常见系统依赖于视野有限的固定摄像机或系留的地面车辆。无人驾驶飞行器不能进入狭窄的空间，并且由于电力要求和不间断通信的需要而必须被拴系，以支持由一个或多个操作员进行的持续安全关键监督。 相比之下，这里提出的系统将能够进入狭小的空间，在任何天气下运行，并在很长一段时间内自主执行任务。拟议的框架允许远程专家监督，这将减少检查之间的成本和时间。增加的灵活性以及增加的部署规律性和寿命将改善对问题的检测和诊断，这将提高安全性并支持有效的预防性维护。该项目将由一个多学科团队进行，该团队专门从事网络物理系统和机器人技术的不同领域，如运动，网络科学，建模，控制系统，硬件传感器设计和优化。它涉及马里兰州大学（UMD）和Resensys（专门从事远程桥梁监控）的教师之间的合作。拟议的系统将与马里兰州公路管理局合作进行测试，该管理局还将在整个项目期间提供反馈和专业知识。研究人员在STEM推广和教育方面有着良好的记录，他们还将利用马里兰州机器人中心现有的项目和资源来支持这一倡议并开展推广活动。为了使学生的参与更富有成效和教育性，拟议系统的结构符合UMD和许多其他学校采用的硬件架构，用于与网络物理系统和机器人技术相关的本科课程的教学。这笔赠款将支持机器人和网络物理系统的基本原理和设计的研究。它将侧重于控制和协调、网络科学、性能评估、微制造和系统集成的算法设计，以应对以下挑战：（i）设计新的运动和附着原理，以支持钢和混凝土梁结构内的移动性。(ii)研究位置估计器的设计，全知和协调算法，可证明是最佳的，受功率和计算约束。(iii)方法设计和分析的节能通信协议的性能，以支持机器人的协调和定位在存在的严重传播障碍所造成的金属和混凝土结构的桥梁。

Designing semi-autonomous networks of miniature robots for inspection of bridges and other large civil infrastructureAccording to the U.S. Department of Transportation, the United States has 605102 bridges of which 64% are 30 years or older and 11% are structurally deficient. Visual inspection is a standard procedure to identify structural flaws and possibly predict the imminent collapse of a bridge and determine effective precautionary measures and repairs. Experts who carry out this difficult task must travel to the location of the bridge and spend many hours assessing the integrity of the structure. The proposal is to establish (i) new design and performance analysis principles and (ii) technologies for creating a self-organizing network of small robots to aid visual inspection of bridges and other large civilian infrastructure. The main idea is to use such a network to aid the experts in remotely and routinely inspecting complex structures, such as the typical girder assemblage that supports the decks of a suspension bridge. The robots will use wireless information exchange to autonomously coordinate and cooperate in the inspection of pre-specified portions of a bridge. At the end of the task, or whenever possible, they will report images as well as other key measurements back to the experts for further evaluation. Common systems to aid visual inspection rely either on stationary cameras with restricted field of view, or tethered ground vehicles. Unmanned aerial vehicles cannot access constricted spaces and must be tethered due to power requirements and the need for uninterrupted communication to support the continual safety critical supervision by one or more operators. In contrast, the system proposed here would be able to access tight spaces, operate under any weather, and execute tasks autonomously over long periods of time. The fact that the proposed framework allows remote expert supervision will reduce cost and time between inspections. The added flexibility as well as the increased regularity and longevity of the deployments will improve the detection and diagnosis of problems, which will increase safety and support effective preventive maintenance. This project will be carried out by a multidisciplinary team specialized in diverse areas of cyber-physical systems and robotics, such as locomotion, network science, modeling, control systems, hardware sensor design and optimization. It involves collaboration between faculty from the University of Maryland (UMD) and Resensys, which specializes in remote bridge monitoring. The proposed system will be tested in collaboration with the Maryland State Highway Administration, which will also provide feedback and expertise throughout the project.This project includes concrete plans to involve undergraduate students throughout its duration. The investigators, who have an established record of STEM outreach and education, will also leverage on exiting programs and resources at the Maryland Robotics Center to support this initiative and carry out outreach activities. In order to make student participation more productive and educational, the structure of the proposed system conforms to a hardware architecture adopted at UMD and many other schools for the teaching of undergraduate courses relevant to cyber-physical systems and robotics. This grant will support research on fundamental principles and design of robotic and cyber-physical systems. It will focus on algorithm design for control and coordination, network science, performance evaluation, microfabrication and system integration to address the following challenges: (i) Devise new locomotion and adhesion principles to support mobility within steel and concrete girder structures. (ii) Investigate the design of location estimators, omniscience and coordination algorithms that are provably optimal, subject to power and computational constraints. (iii) Methods to design and analyze the performance of energy-efficient communication protocols to support robot coordination and localization in the presence of the severe propagation barriers caused by metal and concrete structures of a bridge.