2020 Projects Day Booklet

https://scholarworks.seattleu.edu/projects-day/1035/thumbnail.jp

Autonomisen multikopteriparven hallinta etsintä- ja pelastustehtävissä

This thesis presents the requirements and implementation of a Ground Control Station (GCS) application for controlling a fleet of multicopters to perform a Search And Rescue (SAR) mission. The requirements are put together by analysing existing drone types, SAR practices, and available GCS applications. Multicopters are found to be the most feasible drone to use for the SAR use case because of their maneuverability, despite not having the best endurance. Several existing area coverage methods are presented and their usefulness is analyzed for SAR scenarios where different amounts of prior knowledge is available. It is stated that most search patterns can be used with a fleet of drones, by creating drone formations and by dividing the target area into sub-areas. It is noted that most currently available GCS applications are focused on controlling a single drone for either industrial or hobby use. A proof of concept prototype is developed on top of an open source GCS and tested in field tests. Based on all the previous learnings from the protype and research, a new GCS is designed and developed. The development on optimizing communications between the GCS and the autopilot leads to a filed patent application. The new software is tested with three multicopters in a water rescue scenario and several user interface improvements are made as a result of the learnings. The development of a GCS for controlling a drone fleet for search and rescue is proven feasible.Työssä esitetään multikopteriparven hallintaan käytettävän Ground Control Station (GCS) ohjelmiston vaatimukset ja toteutus Search And Rescue (SAR) etsintä- ja pelastustehtävien suorittamiseksi. Vaatimukset kootaan yhteen analysoimalla saatavilla olevia droonityyppejä, SAR pelastuskäytäntöjä, sekä GCS ohjelmistoja. Multikopterit osoittautuvat liikkuvuutensa ansiosta pelastustehtäviin sopivimmaksi vaihtoehdoksi, vaikka niiden saavutettavissa oleva lentoaika ei ole parhaimmasta päästä. Erilaisia etsintämetodeja esitetään alueiden kattamiseksi ja niiden hyödyllisyyttä analysoidaan SAR tilanteissa, joissa ennakkotietoa on saatavilla vaihtelevasti. Osoitetaan, että useimpia etsintäalgoritmeja voidaan hyödyntää drooniparvella, muodostamalla lentomuodostelmia, sekä jakamalla kohdealue pienempiin osa-alueisiin. Huomataan, että suurin osa tällä hetkellä saatavilla olevista GCS ohjelmistoista on suunnattu teollisuuden tai harrastelijoiden käyttöön, pääasiassa yksittäisen droonin hallintaan. Prototyyppi kehitetään avoimen lähdekoodin GCS ohjelmiston pohjalta ja testataan kenttätesteissä. Tästä saadun tiedon avulla suunnitellaan ja kehitetään uusi GCS ohjelmisto. Kehitystyö viestinnän optimoinniksi autopilotin ja GCS ohjelmiston välillä johtaa patenttihakemukseen. Uusi ohjelmisto testataan kolmella multikopterilla vesipelastustilanteessa ja sen seurauksena käyttöliittymään tehdään useita parannuksia. GCS ohjelmiston luominen drooniparven hallintaan etsintä- ja pelastustehtävissä todetaan mahdolliseksi

Demonstration of Prognostics-Enabled Decision Making Algorithms on a Hardware Mobile Robot Test Platform

Prognostics-enabled Decision Making (PDM) is an emerging research area that aims to integrate prognostic health information and knowledge about the future operating conditions into the process of selecting subsequent actions for the system. Previous work developing and testing PDM algorithms has been done in simulation; this paper describes the effort leading to a successful demonstration of PDM algorithms on a hardware mobile robot platform. The hardware platform, based on the K11 planetary rover prototype, was modified to allow injection of selected fault modes related to the rovers electrical power subsystem. The PDM algorithms were adapted to the hardware platform, including development of a software module framework, a new route planner, and modifications to increase the algorithms robustness to sensor noise and system timing issues. A set of test scenarios was chosen to demonstrate the algorithms capabilities. The modifications to run with a hardware platform, the test scenarios, and the test results are described in detail. The results show a successful use of PDM algorithms on a hardware test platform to optimize mission planning in the presence of electrical system faults

Developing a Public Transportation Application for the Elderly

The purpose of this study was to develop a public transportation application, to assess the prevalence of public transportation among older adults in Turku and to describe the conditions and physical functions these older adults. A prototype application for older adults was developed and tested. Data gathered from Turku healthcare study consisting of 75-year-old participants was used to assess prevalence and conditions of the passengers. This data shows that most older adults in Turku use public transportation and their health status is good. Good health status, female gender, and not using a car turned out to be significant factors increasing the possibility for older adults to use public transportation. The testing of the prototype seems to indicate that current public transportation application used in Turku does not manage as well as the prototype. Prototype’s minimalistic design with vertically structured interface and clear page titles seems to function better compared to the official application’s design. Test group brought up that their reasons to not use public transportation applications are caused by the perceived complexity of technology and the lack of perceived usefulness which led to frustration

Seeing New in the Familiar: Intensifying Aesthetic Engagement with the City through New Location-Based Technologies

Understanding better the effects of the use of mobile apps to the use and appreciation of urban environments has been gaining more prominence as a research topic recently due to the increasing everyday use of these apps. Whether this type of digital mediation changes the lived experience is of interest in this article. The intention is to show that besides changing the prevailing practices and behaviour, new technologies also enhance and add positive value to the everyday urban experience. This positive experiential value is approached with the framework consisting of recent advances in philosophical urban and everyday aesthetics, which put emphasis on both familiarity and fun as important qualities that describe the everyday experience in urban environments. We claim that new digital tools increase the quality of fun when moving in familiar surroundings. Fun, understood through the lens of the aesthetic, precedes the experienced quality of playfulness. It alters the existing affordances of the urban environment in a way that make more complex aesthetic qualities emerge. The case examples are GPS-based wayfinding applications such as route planners and navigation tools for pedestrian use and related AR applications such as the popular game app Pok?mon GO.Peer reviewe

Policy briefing:further strategies for smart specialisation of the North Sea region

This report uses experience gained during the EU Interreg IVB project ITRACT and shares transnational learning on how to deploy IT-based solutions as part of Smart Specialisation Strategies, for example, while creating answers to societal challenges. ITRACT concentrates on rural areas, where the availability of an adequate digital infrastructure is often lacking and where people may lack the digital skills and literacy to adopt the smart solutions (known as Intelligent Transport Services; ITS) offered. The project addresses transport services as an enabler for smart specialisation

Hangout! A Comprehensive Outdoor Activity Planner & Information Sharing Platform

Hangout! is a mobile social-activity app, encouraging users to connect with friends and family. Users can specify their preferred leisure activity, whether that may be camping or caving, kayaking or surfing, running or rock climbing—whatever type of fun they are looking for. Combining a GPS location and a user’s history of outside recreational experiences, the app provides news about the area in real time, along with any emergency notifications for issuing caution. As the name implies, Hangout! is an application celebrating the recreational places you frequent and the people you socialize with. High-quality imagery and video helps bolster a high aesthetic

Application of automatic vehicle location in law enforcement: An introductory planning guide

A set of planning guidelines for the application of automatic vehicle location (AVL) to law enforcement is presented. Some essential characteristics and applications of AVL are outlined; systems in the operational or planning phases are discussed. Requirements analysis, system concept design, implementation planning, and performance and cost modeling are described and demonstrated with numerous examples. A detailed description of a typical law enforcement AVL system, and a list of vendor sources are given in appendixes