16,060 research outputs found
MOMA: Visual Mobile Marker Odometry
In this paper, we present a cooperative odometry scheme based on the
detection of mobile markers in line with the idea of cooperative positioning
for multiple robots [1]. To this end, we introduce a simple optimization scheme
that realizes visual mobile marker odometry via accurate fixed marker-based
camera positioning and analyse the characteristics of errors inherent to the
method compared to classical fixed marker-based navigation and visual odometry.
In addition, we provide a specific UAV-UGV configuration that allows for
continuous movements of the UAV without doing stops and a minimal
caterpillar-like configuration that works with one UGV alone. Finally, we
present a real-world implementation and evaluation for the proposed UAV-UGV
configuration
Robotic Wireless Sensor Networks
In this chapter, we present a literature survey of an emerging, cutting-edge,
and multi-disciplinary field of research at the intersection of Robotics and
Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) which we refer to as Robotic Wireless Sensor
Networks (RWSN). We define a RWSN as an autonomous networked multi-robot system
that aims to achieve certain sensing goals while meeting and maintaining
certain communication performance requirements, through cooperative control,
learning and adaptation. While both of the component areas, i.e., Robotics and
WSN, are very well-known and well-explored, there exist a whole set of new
opportunities and research directions at the intersection of these two fields
which are relatively or even completely unexplored. One such example would be
the use of a set of robotic routers to set up a temporary communication path
between a sender and a receiver that uses the controlled mobility to the
advantage of packet routing. We find that there exist only a limited number of
articles to be directly categorized as RWSN related works whereas there exist a
range of articles in the robotics and the WSN literature that are also relevant
to this new field of research. To connect the dots, we first identify the core
problems and research trends related to RWSN such as connectivity,
localization, routing, and robust flow of information. Next, we classify the
existing research on RWSN as well as the relevant state-of-the-arts from
robotics and WSN community according to the problems and trends identified in
the first step. Lastly, we analyze what is missing in the existing literature,
and identify topics that require more research attention in the future
Cooperative localization for mobile agents: a recursive decentralized algorithm based on Kalman filter decoupling
We consider cooperative localization technique for mobile agents with
communication and computation capabilities. We start by provide and overview of
different decentralization strategies in the literature, with special focus on
how these algorithms maintain an account of intrinsic correlations between
state estimate of team members. Then, we present a novel decentralized
cooperative localization algorithm that is a decentralized implementation of a
centralized Extended Kalman Filter for cooperative localization. In this
algorithm, instead of propagating cross-covariance terms, each agent propagates
new intermediate local variables that can be used in an update stage to create
the required propagated cross-covariance terms. Whenever there is a relative
measurement in the network, the algorithm declares the agent making this
measurement as the interim master. By acquiring information from the interim
landmark, the agent the relative measurement is taken from, the interim master
can calculate and broadcast a set of intermediate variables which each robot
can then use to update its estimates to match that of a centralized Extended
Kalman Filter for cooperative localization. Once an update is done, no further
communication is needed until the next relative measurement
Cooperative Relative Positioning of Mobile Users by Fusing IMU Inertial and UWB Ranging Information
Relative positioning between multiple mobile users is essential for many
applications, such as search and rescue in disaster areas or human social
interaction. Inertial-measurement unit (IMU) is promising to determine the
change of position over short periods of time, but it is very sensitive to
error accumulation over long term run. By equipping the mobile users with
ranging unit, e.g. ultra-wideband (UWB), it is possible to achieve accurate
relative positioning by trilateration-based approaches. As compared to vision
or laser-based sensors, the UWB does not need to be with in line-of-sight and
provides accurate distance estimation. However, UWB does not provide any
bearing information and the communication range is limited, thus UWB alone
cannot determine the user location without any ambiguity. In this paper, we
propose an approach to combine IMU inertial and UWB ranging measurement for
relative positioning between multiple mobile users without the knowledge of the
infrastructure. We incorporate the UWB and the IMU measurement into a
probabilistic-based framework, which allows to cooperatively position a group
of mobile users and recover from positioning failures. We have conducted
extensive experiments to demonstrate the benefits of incorporating IMU inertial
and UWB ranging measurements.Comment: accepted by ICRA 201
Low-cost, multi-agent systems for planetary surface exploration
The use of off-the-shelf consumer electronics combined with top-down design methodologies have made small and inexpensive satellites, such as CubeSats, emerge as viable, low-cost and attractive space-based platforms that enable a range of new and exciting mission scenarios. In addition, to overcome some of the resource limitation issues encountered with these platforms, distributed architectures have emerged to enable complex tasks through the use of multiple low complexity units. The low-cost characteristics of such systems coupled with the distributed architecture allows for an increase in the size of the system beyond what would have been feasible with a monolithic system, hence widening the operational capabilities without significantly increasing the control complexity of the system. These ideas are not new for Earth orbiting devices, but excluding some distributed remote sensing architectures they are yet to be applied for the purpose of planetary exploration. Experience gained through large rovers demonstrates the value of in-situ exploration, which is however limited by the associated high-cost and risk. The loss of a rover can and has happened because of a number of possible failures: besides the hazards directly linked to the launch and journey to the target-body, hard landing and malfunctioning of parts are all threats to the success of the mission. To overcome these issues this paper introduces the concept of using off-the-shelf consumer electronics to deploy a low-cost multi-rover system for future planetary surface exploration. It is shown that such a system would significantly reduce the programmatic-risk of the mission (for example catastrophic failure of a single rover), while exploiting the inherent advantages of cooperative behaviour. These advantages are analysed with a particular emphasis put upon the guidance, navigation and control of such architectures using the method of artificial potential field. Laboratory tests on multi-agent robotic systems support the analysis. Principal features of the system are identified and the underlying advantages over a monolithic single-agent system highlighted
Multirobot heterogeneous control considering secondary objectives
Cooperative robotics has considered tasks that are executed frequently, maintaining the
shape and orientation of robotic systems when they fulfill a common objective, without taking
advantage of the redundancy that the robotic group could present. This paper presents a proposal
for controlling a group of terrestrial robots with heterogeneous characteristics, considering primary
and secondary tasks thus that the group complies with the following of a path while modifying its
shape and orientation at any time. The development of the proposal is achieved through the use
of controllers based on linear algebra, propounding a low computational cost and high scalability
algorithm. Likewise, the stability of the controller is analyzed to know the required features that have
to be met by the control constants, that is, the correct values. Finally, experimental results are shown
with di erent configurations and heterogeneous robots, where the graphics corroborate the expected
operation of the proposalThis research was funded by Corporación Ecuatoriana para el Desarrollo de la Investigación
y Academia–CEDI
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