Development of an AI-based Drone Autonomy Platform & Applications for ING Robotic

本提案的目的是为ING Robotic（ING Robotic Avionics Inc.）开发一个人工智能（AI）平台（开发和运行环境）。无人机，以便使它们在执行使命时尽可能自主。该平台将使嵌入无人机内部的本地智能能够在无需与地面控制站通信的情况下做出本地实时决策。ING机器人无人机，无论是现在还是将来，都有10到100公里的航程，而且可能在遥测范围之外运行，没有移动的互联网，甚至没有GPS;因此，自主执行其使命的能力至关重要。借助AI平台，我们还计划提供一套应用程序，用于电力线、管道、铁路轨道、道路和桥梁的自主视觉检测。我们的应用研究方法是将敏捷软件开发与信息系统方法中的设计科学研究相结合，其中研究成果是一个工件（无人机AI平台和应用程序）。这项应用研究将由Collège La Cité和INGRobotic的智能原型专家中心（CEPI）联合进行。ING Robotic的好处是提高了应用程序开发人员的生产力，缩短了产品的上市时间，并降低了对人工智能技能的依赖，而人工智能技能在市场上是出了名的难以获得。另一个长期的好处是他们的产品在任何竞争中的差异化。对学院的好处是我们的学生在一个最相关的行业需求领域的重点培训，这些学生的就业率较高。应用研究学科的主要好处是增加了学科知识库，增加了与行业需求密切相关的实时嵌入式AI知识，专有技术和软件技术。

The objective of this proposal is to develop an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Platform (development and run-timeenvironments) for ING Robotic (ING Robotic Avionics Inc.) drones in order to make them as autonomous aspossible in the execution of their mission. This platform will enable local intelligence embedded inside thedrone to make local real-time decisions without having to communicate with the Ground Control Station. INGRobotic drones, current and future, have a range of 10 to 100 km, and may operate beyond the range oftelemetry, without mobile internet, or even GPS; therefore, the ability to execute their mission autonomously iscritical. With the AI Platform, we also plan to deliver one set of Applications for the autonomous visualinspection of power lines, pipelines, rail tracks, roads and bridges. Our approach to applied research is tocombine Agile software development with the Design Science Research in Information Systems methodology,where the research outcome is an artifact (the Drone AI Platform and the Applications). This applied researchwill be undertaken jointly by the Center of Expertise in Smart Prototyping (CEPI) of Collège La Cité and INGRobotic. The benefits for ING Robotic would be an increased productivity for their application developers, ashorter time-to-market for their products, and a lower dependency on Artificial Intelligence skills which arenotoriously difficult to acquire on the market. Another longer-term benefit is an increased differentiation oftheir products against any competition. The benefits for the Collège are a focused training of our students in anarea most relevant to industry needs, and a higher hiring rate of these students. The main benefits to the appliedresearch discipline are an increase in the discipline knowledge base with the addition of real-time embedded AIknowledge, know-how, and software technology which are deeply relevant to the industry needs.