NRI: Coordinated Detection and Tracking of Hazardous Agents with Aerial and Aquatic Robots to Inform Emergency Responders

需要新的工具和技术来快速评估环境中的有害物质并通知应急人员。无人水面航行器（usv）已被用于监测水生环境中的污染物羽流。然而，usv只能提供羽流的近距离视图。无人机系统（UASs）可以对大面积区域进行调查，但只能从远处进行。该项目利用UASs和usv团队解决了跟踪污染物流动的挑战。UASs被用作侦察兵，指导usv有效地对水进行采样以进行测试。研究结果将为应急人员提供技术，使其能够提供关于危险物质扩散的快速、可操作的信息。这项技术将在开发空气传播危害（如化学品和放射性粒子）的早期预警系统方面具有直接价值。为了鼓励机器人和应急响应方面的职业发展，该项目为75名高中生提供了一个独特的跨学科机器人单元。为了充分利用地面和空中自动驾驶车辆感知的异质性，需要高效的协调算法。当在水中移动时，有害物质的羽流可能分成不同的流态，使采样和控制方案复杂化。本项目：(1)开发用于多分辨率、信息轨迹规划的近似算法，与UAS团队一起跟踪时空羽流；(2)开发自主无人潜航器，对水和空气中的替代有害物质进行取样和表征；(3)与应急响应人员（弗吉尼亚理工大学救援队，一个由50名学生组成的独特利益相关者小组）一起开展实地抽样活动，以查找和定位替代危险剂的来源；(4)为代表不同年龄、种族和社会经济阶层的75名高中生开发了一个独特的跨学科机器人单元。

New tools and technology are needed to rapidly assess hazardous agents in the environment and inform emergency responders. Unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) have been used to monitor pollutant plumes in aquatic environments. However, USVs can only provide a close-up view of the plumes. Unmanned aerial systems (UASs) can survey large areas, but only from a distance. This project addresses the challenges in tracking flows of pollutants using a team of UASs and USVs. UASs are used as scouts to direct USVs to efficiently sample the water for testing. The results will provide emergency responders with technology that can provide rapid, actionable information on the dispersal of hazardous agents. This technology will be of immediate value in the development of early-warning systems for airborne hazards such as chemicals and radioactive particles. In an effort to encourage careers in robotics and emergency response, this project delivers a unique interdisciplinary robotics unit for 75 high school students. Efficient coordination algorithms are required to fully exploit heterogeneity in sensing of teams of autonomous surface and aerial vehicles. When moving through the water, a plume of hazardous agents may bifurcate into different flow regimes, complicating the sampling and control scenario. This project: (1) develops approximation algorithms for multi-resolution, informative trajectory planning to track spatio-temporal plumes with UAS teams; (2) develops an autonomous USV to sample and characterize a surrogate hazardous agent in the water and air; (3) conducts field sampling campaigns with emergency responders (Virginia Tech Rescue Squad, a unique group of stakeholders consisting of 50 student members) to find and localize sources of a surrogate hazardous agent; and (4) develops a unique interdisciplinary robotics unit for 75 high school students representing a range of ages, ethnicities, and socioeconomic classes.