Robotic Monitoring of Habitats: The Natural Intelligence Approach

In this paper, we first discuss the challenges related to habitat monitoring and review possible robotic solutions. Then, we propose a framework to perform terrestrial habitat monitoring exploiting the mobility of legged robotic systems. The idea is to provide the robot with the Natural Intelligence introduced as the combination of the environment in which it moves, the intelligence embedded in the design of its body, and the algorithms composing its mind. This approach aims to solve the challenges of deploying robots in real natural environments, such as irregular and rough terrains, long-lasting operations, and unexpected collisions, with the final objective of assisting humans in assessing the habitat conservation status. Finally, we present examples of robotic monitoring of habitats in four different environments: forests, grasslands, dunes, and screes

Robotic Monitoring of Habitats: the Natural Intelligence Approach

In this paper, we first discuss the challenges related to habitat monitoring and review possible robotic solutions. Then, we propose a framework to perform terrestrial habitat monitoring exploiting the mobility of legged robotic systems. The idea is to provide the robot with the Natural Intelligence introduced as the combination of the environment in which it moves, the intelligence embedded in the design of its body, and the algorithms composing its mind. This approach aims to solve the challenges of deploying robots in real natural environments, such as irregular and rough terrains, long-lasting operations, and unexpected collisions, with the final objective of assisting humans in assessing the habitat conservation status. Finally, we present examples of robotic monitoring of habitats in four different environments: forests, grasslands, dunes, and screes

Sensor-based Collision Avoidance System for the Walking Machine ALDURO

This work presents a sensor system develop for the robot ALDURO (Antropomorphically Legged and Wheeled Duisburg Robot), in order to allow it to detect and avoid obstacles when moving in unstructured terrains. The robot is a large-scale hydraulically driven 4-legged walking-machine, developed at the Duisburg-Essen University, with 16 degrees of freedom at each leg and will be steered by an operator sitting in a cab on the robot body. The Cartesian operator instructions are processed by a control computer, which converts them into appropriate autonomous leg movements, what makes necessary that the robot automatically recognizes the obstacles (rock, trunks, holes, etc.) on its way, locates and avoids them. A system based on ultra-sound sensors was developed to carry this task on, but there are intrinsic problems with such sensors, concerning to their poor angular precision. To overcome that, a fuzzy model of the used ultra-sound sensor, based on the characteristics of the real one, was developed to include the uncertainties about the measures. A posterior fuzzy inference builds from the measured data a map of the robot’s surroundings, to be used as input to the navigation system. This whole sensor system was implemented at a test stand, where a real size leg of the robot is fully functional. The sensors are assembled in an I2C net, which uses a micro-controller as interface to the main controller (a personal computer). That enables to relieve the main controller of some data processing, which is carried by the microcontroller on. The sensor system was tested together with the fuzzy data inference, and different arrangements to the sensors and settings of the inference system were tried, in order to achieve a satisfactory result

Proceedings of the ECCOMAS Thematic Conference on Multibody Dynamics 2015

This volume contains the full papers accepted for presentation at the ECCOMAS Thematic Conference on Multibody Dynamics 2015 held in the Barcelona School of Industrial Engineering, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, on June 29 - July 2, 2015. The ECCOMAS Thematic Conference on Multibody Dynamics is an international meeting held once every two years in a European country. Continuing the very successful series of past conferences that have been organized in Lisbon (2003), Madrid (2005), Milan (2007), Warsaw (2009), Brussels (2011) and Zagreb (2013); this edition will once again serve as a meeting point for the international researchers, scientists and experts from academia, research laboratories and industry working in the area of multibody dynamics. Applications are related to many fields of contemporary engineering, such as vehicle and railway systems, aeronautical and space vehicles, robotic manipulators, mechatronic and autonomous systems, smart structures, biomechanical systems and nanotechnologies. The topics of the conference include, but are not restricted to: ● Formulations and Numerical Methods ● Efficient Methods and Real-Time Applications ● Flexible Multibody Dynamics ● Contact Dynamics and Constraints ● Multiphysics and Coupled Problems ● Control and Optimization ● Software Development and Computer Technology ● Aerospace and Maritime Applications ● Biomechanics ● Railroad Vehicle Dynamics ● Road Vehicle Dynamics ● Robotics ● Benchmark ProblemsPostprint (published version