“Design, Development and Characterization of a Thermal Sensor Brick System for Modular Robotics

This thesis presents the work on thermal imaging sensor brick (TISB) system for modular robotics. The research demonstrates the design, development and characterization of the TISB system. The TISB system is based on the design philosophy of sensor bricks for modular robotics. In under vehicle surveillance for threat detection, which is a target application of this work we have demonstrated the advantages of the TISB system over purely vision-based systems. We have highlighted the advantages of the TISB system as an illumination invariant threat detection system for detecting hidden threat objects in the undercarriage of a car. We have compared the TISB system to the vision sensor brick system and the mirror on a stick. We have also illustrated the operational capability of the system on the SafeBot under vehicle robot to acquire and transmit the data wirelessly. The early designs of the TISB system, the evolution of the designs and the uniformity achieved while maintaining the modularity in building the different sensor bricks; the visual, the thermal and the range sensor brick is presented as part of this work. Each of these sensor brick systems designed and implemented at the Imaging Robotics and Intelligent Systems (IRIS) laboratory consist of four major blocks: Sensing and Image Acquisition Block, Pre-Processing and Fusion Block, Communication Block, and Power Block. The Sensing and Image Acquisition Block is to capture images or acquire data. The Pre-Processing and Fusion Block is to work on the acquired images or data. The Communication Block is for transferring data between the sensor brick and the remote host computer. The Power Block is to maintain power supply to the entire brick. The modular sensor bricks are self-sufficient plug and play systems. The SafeBot under vehicle robot designed and implemented at the IRIS laboratory has two tracked platforms one on each side with a payload bay area in the middle. Each of these tracked platforms is a mobility brick based on the same design philosophy as the modular sensor bricks. The robot can carry one brick at a time or even multiple bricks at the same time. The contributions of this thesis are: (1) designing and developing the hardware implementation of the TISB system, (2) designing and developing the software for the TISB system, and (3) characterizing the TISB system, where this characterization of the system is the major contribution of this thesis. The analysis of the thermal sensor brick system provides the user and future designers with sufficient information on parameters to be considered to make the right choice for future modifications, the kind of applications the TISB could handle and the load that the different blocks of the TISB system could manage. Under vehicle surveillance for threat detection, perimeter / area surveillance, scouting, and improvised explosive device (IED) detection using a car-mounted system are some of the applications that have been identified for this system

Millimeter and sub-millimeter wave radiometers for atmospheric remote sensing from CubeSat platforms

2018 Fall.Includes bibliographical references.To view the abstract, please see the full text of the document

Flight Operations for the LCROSS Lunar Impactor Mission

The LCROSS (Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite) mission was conceived as a low-cost means of determining the nature of hydrogen concentrated at the polar regions of the moon. Co-manifested for launch with LRO (Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter), LCROSS guided its spent Centaur upper stage into the Cabeus crater as a kinetic impactor, and observed the impact flash and resulting debris plume for signs of water and other compounds from a Shepherding Spacecraft. Led by NASA Ames Research Center, LCROSS flight operations spanned 112 days, from June 18 through October 9, 2009. This paper summarizes the experiences from the LCROSS flight, highlights the challenges faced during the mission, and examines the reasons for its ultimate success

Body of Knowledge for Graphics Processing Units (GPUs)

Graphics Processing Units (GPU) have emerged as a proven technology that enables high performance computing and parallel processing in a small form factor. GPUs enhance the traditional computer paradigm by permitting acceleration of complex mathematics and providing the capability to perform weighted calculations, such as those in artificial intelligence systems. Despite the performance enhancements provided by this type of microprocessor, there exist tradeoffs in regards to reliability and radiation susceptibility, which may impact mission success. This report provides an insight into GPU architecture and its potential applications in space and other similar markets. It also discusses reliability, qualification, and radiation considerations for testing GPUs

OzFuel Pre-Phase A Study

This document presents the results of a Pre-Phase A study for the OzFuel bushfire fuel monitoring mission in accordance with NASA system engineering standards. The OzFuel Pre-Phase A Study (Australian Forest Fuel Monitoring from Space) report was developed by the Australian National University (ANU) Institute for Space for Geoscience Australia (GA) and CSIRO in support of their contribution to Australia’s Satellite Cross-Calibration Radiometer (SCR) and AquaWatch missions (UNSW Canberra Space, 2021). The OzFuel study conceptualises a multispectral bushfire fuel monitoring satellite mission to fulfil two major goals: To launch a dedicated science and research mission to mitigate the risk of future catastrophic bushfires; and To deliver an Australian designed and built pathfinder mission to de-risk the SCR program. Key outcomes of the OzFuel mission are: Australian capability enables the forward-looking development of a fully operational satellite constellation for bushfire prevention, mitigation and resilience. ANU expertise in global fuel hazard spatial data augments international commercial and government fire detection initiatives. Space-proven Australian detector technology becomes available for national and commercial small satellite missions. This report comprises two parts: Part 1: OzFuel Mission Requirements developed by Nicolas Younes and Marta Yebra from the ANU Fenner School of Environment & Society. The report introduces the OzFuel mission, the need for a dedicated fuel monitoring mission, and the remote sensing requirements for a pathfinder mission. Part 2: OzFuel Technical Overview developed by Rob Sharp from the ANU Advanced Instrumentation & Technology Centre. The overview outlines the technical design and payload options for the OzFuel-1mission. The climate crisis over the past decade culminated in the unprecedented 2019/2020 Australian bushfire conditions that were more catastrophic than expected or modelled. The risk of larger and more frequent mega-fires is only going to increase in future years. Allocating further ground resources to suppress fires is extremely costly and dangerous, and needs to be augmented with more effective prediction, prevention and mitigation strategies before an unforeseen ignition event burns out of control. One of the most crucial aspects of fire prevention is understanding vegetative fuel state. The 2020 Royal Commission into National Natural Disasters highlights the need for whole-of-continent visibility of vegetative fuel state – how much fuel there is and how dry it is. Australia relies on foreign satellite data which is not optimised for measuring our unique bush landscape. The growing need forsovereign satellites to remotely sense Australia’s unique vegetation has been supported by recommendations from government, agencies, industry and research institutions.Geoscience Australi

Hyperspectral imaging for the remote sensing of blood oxygenation and emotions

This PhD project is a basic research and it concerns with how human’s physiological features, such as tissue oxygen saturation (StO2), can be captured from a stand-off distance and then to understand how this remotely acquired physiological feature can be deployed for biomedical and other applications. This work utilises Hyperspectral Imaging (HSI) within the diffuse optical scattering framework, to assess the StO2 in a contactless remote sensing manner. The assessment involves a detailed investigation about the wavelength dependence of diffuse optical scattering from the skin as well as body tissues, under various forms of optical absorption models. It is concluded that the threechromophore extended Beer Lambert Law model is better suited for assessing the palm and facial tissue oxygenations, especially when spectral data in the wavelengths region of [516-580]nm is used for the analysis. A first attempt of using the facial StO2 to detect and to classify people’s emotional state is initiated in this project. The objective of this work is to understand how strong emotions, such as distress that caused by mental or physical stimulations, can be detected using physiological feature such as StO2. Based on data collected from ~20 participants, it is found that the forehead StO2 is elevated upon the onset of strong emotions that triggered by mental stimulation. The StO2 pattern in the facial region upon strong emotions that are initiated by physical stimulations is quite complicated, and further work is needed for a better understanding of the interplays between bodily physique, individual’s health condition and blood transfusion control mechanism. Most of this work has already been published and future research to follow up when the author returns back to China is highlighted

PyrSat - Prevention and response to wild fires with an intelligent Earth observation CubeSat

Forest fires are a pervasive and serious problem. Besides loss of life and extensive environmental damage, fires also result in substantial economic losses, not to mention property damage, injuries, displacements and hardships experienced by the affected citizens. This project proposes a low-cost intelligent hyperspectral 3U CubeSat for the production of fire risk and burnt area maps. It applies Machine Learning algorithms to autonomously process images and obtain final data products on-board the satellite for direct transmission to users on the ground. Used in combination with other services such as EFFIS or AFIS, the system could considerably reduce the extent and consequences of forest fires

Augmented reality device for first response scenarios

A prototype of a wearable computer system is proposed and implemented using commercial off-shelf components. The system is designed to allow the user to access location-specific information about an environment, and to provide capability for user tracking. Areas of applicability include primarily first response scenarios, with possible applications in maintenance or construction of buildings and other structures. Necessary preparation of the target environment prior to system\u27s deployment is limited to noninvasive labeling using optical fiducial markers. The system relies on computational vision methods for registration of labels and user position. With the system the user has access to on-demand information relevant to a particular real-world location. Team collaboration is assisted by user tracking and real-time visualizations of team member positions within the environment. The user interface and display methods are inspired by Augmented Reality1 (AR) techniques, incorporating a video-see-through Head Mounted Display (HMD) and fingerbending sensor glove.*. 1Augmented reality (AR) is a field of computer research which deals with the combination of real world and computer generated data. At present, most AR research is concerned with the use of live video imagery which is digitally processed and augmented by the addition of computer generated graphics. Advanced research includes the use of motion tracking data, fiducial marker recognition using machine vision, and the construction of controlled environments containing any number of sensors and actuators. (Source: Wikipedia) *This dissertation is a compound document (contains both a paper copy and a CD as part of the dissertation). The CD requires the following system requirements: Adobe Acrobat; Microsoft Office; Windows MediaPlayer or RealPlayer