Autonomy of Service Robots in Cluttered and Dynamic Environments

前沿机器人研究的重点是服务机器人和无人驾驶车辆在动态环境中的自主性，在动态环境中，其他物体可以移动并扰乱任务空间。今天的机器人被期望在静态和结构化的工作空间中完成更多的重复性任务。他们必须进行复杂的操作，从战斗到堵塞泄漏的海上石油管道，从切除脑瘤到警告司机到用吸尘器清理忙碌的走廊。 为了消除人为错误并使机器人完全自动化以用于这种现实世界的应用，必须处理以变化的边界以及可移动、可变形和铰接的周围物体为特征的动态环境。这些看似不同的应用的共同需求是机器人感知其环境并定位自身的能力，即，感知，计划适当的行动，即，运动规划，并最终执行计划，即，控制在动态环境的背景下的特定挑战是，这些步骤是耦合的，并且必须同时执行，因为例如，由于移动的障碍物而导致的环境中的轻微变化将使先验计划过时。捕获动态环境的动机不仅与提高自主水平的愿望有关，而且与新兴机器人应用所需的安全性和精度有关，以及在人类干预成本高、有限或不可能的情况下使用无人地面、空中和水下航行器。该研究的重点是在动态环境中进行传感，规划和控制的鲁棒和计算效率高的解决方案，以开发下一代自主机器人的螺母和螺栓，以科普现实世界应用的挑战。申请人有一个良好的记录，有能力和积极的团队和国家的最先进的实验室在拟议的研究取得成功。研究人员对这一领域的兴趣日益增长，主要是因为机器人或机器人协调组在动态环境中工作的能力将开辟许多新的研究前沿和应用，从军事系统到运输安全到环境研究，并对我们的生活质量，健康和经济产生重大影响。

Leading-edge robotics research focuses on autonomy of service robots and unmanned vehicles in dynamic environments where other objects can move and clutter the task space. Today's robots are expected to do more than repetitive tasks in a static and structured workspace. They must carry out complex operations ranging from fighting battles to plugging leaky offshore oil pipes to removing brain tumors to warning drivers to vacuuming busy corridors. To eliminate human error and fully automate a robot for such real-world applications, one has to deal with dynamic environments characterized by changing boundaries as well as movable, deformable and articulated surrounding objects. The common need of these seemingly different applications is the ability of robots to perceive their environments and locate themselves i.e., sensing, plan an appropriate action i.e., motion planning, and finally execute the plan i.e., control. The particular challenge in the context of dynamic environments is that these steps are coupled and have to be executed concurrently since, for example, a slight change in the environment due to a moving obstacle will make an a priori plan obsolete. The motivation of capturing dynamic environments is related to not only the desire for an increased level of autonomy but also safety and precision required for emerging robotics applications and the use of unmanned ground, aerial and underwater vehicles where human intervention is costly, limited or impossible. This research focuses on robust and computationally efficient solutions for sensing, planning and control in dynamic environments to develop the nuts and bolts of the next generation of autonomous robots to cope the challenges of real-world applications. The applicant has a proven record, capable and motivated team and state-of-the-art laboratory to succeed in the proposed research. Interests in this field are increasingly growing among researchers mainly because the ability of a robot or a coordinated group of robots to work in a dynamic environment will open numerous new research frontiers and applications ranging from military systems to transportation safety to environmental studies, and create a great impact on our quality of life, health and economy.