CIVIC-PG Track A: Rapidly Deployable Robotic Inspection and Mapping of Complex Spaces

这项研究的目标是在建筑物、隧道和管网中实现机器人检查和绘图任务，这对于实现城市中可持续的建筑存量和相关基础设施至关重要。目前，这项工作是人工进行的，需要侵入性的，危险的，昂贵的过程，这限制了可持续的灾前适应措施的实施。我们提出的解决方案包括一个创新的合作设计的细长和可变形的移动的机器人与伍斯特市，MA。共同设计的机器人将能够在狭窄而复杂的空间中导航，配备传感器来绘制其环境的结构和热特性，这将有助于制定预防措施。所提出的机器人解决方案结合了以前未被证明的多个功能，例如通过利用小横截面积，重量轻和低成本来导航复杂的3D环境（包括垂直管道）的能力。此外，通过开发公共利益技术框架，该项目将使机器人研究的最新发展与伍斯特的可持续基础设施和社区福祉愿景保持一致。这些挑战是由美国各地的市政当局和本研究的目的是确保开发的解决方案是广泛的generalizable.The空间和环境条件，需要监测和评估是有限的，目前的移动的机器人极具挑战性。我们的解决方案的灵感来自蜥蜴的多功能运动能力，它使用身体变形来引导和导航复杂的非结构化环境和极端混乱。我们的蜥蜴机器人将转向与推进相结合，并提供对管道内牵引力的闭环力控制，这使得垂直旅行成为可能，它可以在迷宫般的紧凑结构中导航，而不会因身体变形而卡住。使用模块化的身体结构，多个运动单元可以爬过更大的台阶或间隙。拟议的工作将与我们的合作伙伴在三个技术主题上合作，在现实世界的检测任务中开发和测试这些独特的能力：1）机器人的物理能力，通过复杂的通道，垂直攀爬和间隙; 2）机器人的智能能力，包括3D SLAM，主动感知和运动规划; 3）直观的用户接口，包括叠加的视觉、热或其他适用的传感数据流以及用户可选择的直接远程操作或监督模式。此外，与伍斯特市密切合作，确定测试的关键地点，并为评估要求提供投入，确保该方法将解决该领域的真实的问题。该项目是对公民创新挑战计划-轨道A的回应。生活在不断变化的气候中：该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The objective of this research is to enable robotic inspection and mapping tasks in buildings, tunnels, and pipe networks, which are essential for achieving a sustainable building stock and associated infrastructure in municipalities. Currently, this work is performed manually, requiring invasive, dangerous, and expensive processes, which limit the implementation of sustainable pre-disaster adaptation measures. Our proposed solution consists of an innovative co-design of a slender and deformable mobile robot in collaboration with the City of Worcester, MA. The co-designed robot will be able to navigate in narrow and intricate spaces, equipped with sensors to map both the structure and the thermal characteristics of its environment, which will help develop preventative measures. The proposed robotic solution combines multiple features that have not been demonstrated before, such as the ability to navigate complex 3-D environments including vertical pipes by harnessing a small cross-sectional area, light weight, and low cost. Moreover, by developing a public interest technology framework, this project will align most recent developments in robotics research with Worcester's vision of sustainable infrastructure and community well-being. These challenges are shared by municipalities across the US and this study aims to ensure that the developed solutions are broadly generalizable.The spaces and environmental conditions that require monitoring and assessments are confined and extremely challenging for current mobile robots. Our solution is inspired by the versatile locomotion capabilities of lizards, which use body deformation to steer and navigate complex unstructured environments and extreme clutter. Our lizard robot decouples steering from propulsion and offers closed-loop force control of its traction inside pipes, which enables vertical travel, and it can navigate maze-like tight structures without getting stuck by deforming its body. Using a modular body structure, multiple locomotion units can climb over larger steps or gaps. Proposed work will develop and test these unique capabilities in real-world inspection tasks in collaboration with our partners over three technical themes: 1) Physical Capabilities of the Robot, negotiating complex passageways, vertical climbs, and over gaps; 2) Intelligence Capabilities of the Robot, including 3D SLAM, active perception, and motion planning; 3) Intuitive User Interfacing, including superimposed visual, thermal, or other applicable sensory data streaming and user selectable modes of direct teleoperation or supervision. In addition, the close collaboration with the City of Worcester in identifying critical locations for testing and providing input into the assessment requirements assures the approach will address real problems in the field. This project is in response to the Civic Innovation Challenge program—Track A. Living in a changing climate: pre-disaster action around adaptation, resilience, and mitigation—and is a collaboration between NSF, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of Energy.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.