Autonomous Trail Following

Trails typically lack standard markers that characterize roadways. Nevertheless, trails are useful for off-road navigation. Here, trail following problem is approached by identifying the deviation of the robot from the heading direction of the trail by fine-tuning a pre-trained Inception-V3 [1] network. Key questions considered in this work include the required number, nature and geometry of the cameras and how trail types -- encoded in pre-existing maps -- can be exploited in addressing this task. Through evaluation of representative image datasets and on-robot testing we found: (i) that although a single camera cannot estimate angular deviation from the heading direction, but it can reliably detect that the robot is, or is not, following the trail; (ii) that two cameras pointing towards the left and the right can be used to estimate heading reliably within a differential framework; (iii) that trail nature is a useful tool for training networks for different trail types

Information-based view initialization in visual SLAM with a single omnidirectional camera

© 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. This paper presents a novel mechanism to initiate new views within the map building process for an EKF-based visual SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) approach using omnidirectional images. In presence of non-linearities, the EKF is very likely to compromise the final estimation. Particularly, the omnidirectional observation model induces non-linear errors, thus it becomes a potential source of uncertainty. To deal with this issue we propose a novel mechanism for view initialization which accounts for information gain and losses more efficiently. The main outcome of this contribution is the reduction of the map uncertainty and thus the higher consistency of the final estimation. Its basis relies on a Gaussian Process to infer an information distribution model from sensor data. This model represents feature points existence probabilities and their information content analysis leads to the proposed view initialization scheme. To demonstrate the suitability and effectiveness of the approach we present a series of real data experiments conducted with a robot equipped with a camera sensor and map model solely based on omnidirectional views. The results reveal a beneficial reduction on the uncertainty but also on the error in the pose and the map estimate

Computational intelligence approaches to robotics, automation, and control [Volume guest editors]

No abstract available

Mobile Robots Navigation

Mobile robots navigation includes different interrelated activities: (i) perception, as obtaining and interpreting sensory information; (ii) exploration, as the strategy that guides the robot to select the next direction to go; (iii) mapping, involving the construction of a spatial representation by using the sensory information perceived; (iv) localization, as the strategy to estimate the robot position within the spatial map; (v) path planning, as the strategy to find a path towards a goal location being optimal or not; and (vi) path execution, where motor actions are determined and adapted to environmental changes. The book addresses those activities by integrating results from the research work of several authors all over the world. Research cases are documented in 32 chapters organized within 7 categories next described

DEVELOPMENT OF AN AUTONOMOUS NAVIGATION SYSTEM FOR THE SHUTTLE CAR IN UNDERGROUND ROOM & PILLAR COAL MINES

In recent years, autonomous solutions in the multi-disciplinary field of the mining engineering have been an extremely popular applied research topic. The growing demand for mineral supplies combined with the steady decline in the available surface reserves has driven the mining industry to mine deeper underground deposits. These deposits are difficult to access, and the environment may be hazardous to mine personnel (e.g., increased heat, difficult ventilation conditions, etc.). Moreover, current mining methods expose the miners to numerous occupational hazards such as working in the proximity of heavy mining equipment, possible roof falls, as well as noise and dust. As a result, the mining industry, in its efforts to modernize and advance its methods and techniques, is one of the many industries that has turned to autonomous systems. Vehicle automation in such complex working environments can play a critical role in improving worker safety and mine productivity. One of the most time-consuming tasks of the mining cycle is the transportation of the extracted ore from the face to the main haulage facility or to surface processing facilities. Although conveyor belts have long been the autonomous transportation means of choice, there are still many cases where a discrete transportation system is needed to transport materials from the face to the main haulage system. The current dissertation presents the development of a navigation system for an autonomous shuttle car (ASC) in underground room and pillar coal mines. By introducing autonomous shuttle cars, the operator can be relocated from the dusty, noisy, and potentially dangerous environment of the underground mine to the safer location of a control room. This dissertation focuses on the development and testing of an autonomous navigation system for an underground room and pillar coal mine. A simplified relative localization system which determines the location of the vehicle relatively to salient features derived from on-board 2D LiDAR scans was developed for a semi-autonomous laboratory-scale shuttle car prototype. This simplified relative localization system is heavily dependent on and at the same time leverages the room and pillar geometry. Instead of keeping track of a global position of the vehicle relatively to a fixed coordinates frame, the proposed custom localization technique requires information regarding only the immediate surroundings. The followed approach enables the prototype to navigate around the pillars in real-time using a deterministic Finite-State Machine which models the behavior of the vehicle in the room and pillar mine with only a few states. Also, a user centered GUI has been developed that allows for a human user to control and monitor the autonomous vehicle by implementing the proposed navigation system. Experimental tests have been conducted in a mock mine in order to evaluate the performance of the developed system. A number of different scenarios simulating common missions that a shuttle car needs to undertake in a room and pillar mine. The results show a minimum success ratio of 70%

Malay sound arts::Reimagining biophony and geophony materials. Commentary of original composition portfolio 2019-2023

This PhD takes the research theme of Nada Bumi or Voice of the Earth: exploring andaccentuating hidden Malaysia biophonic and geophonic materials, for expressing self-cultural identity and narrative through sound arts practice. The portfolio and accompanying commentary present eleven sound-art works ranging from instrumental electroacoustic music to Web-Audio API based sound installation. The main idea for this portfolio research is to explore the association of folklore, tales, myths, legends and art cultural narrative of the Malay race and the ancestors of Malay (proto-Malay), with the selected hidden and unheard Malaysia natural soundscape, in producing new sound art works. Therefore, I proposed two major compositional themes each comprising several works; Miroirs of Malay Rebab (MiMaR), and Seed of Life (SoL). The works in Miroirs of Malay Rebab reimagine selected unheard biophonic and geophonic materials as mirrors of several Malay performing art-cultural narrative and their stories, such as Makyung theater dance, Malay Gamelan music dance, Ulek Mayang dance and their stories that I have been exposed to during my undergraduate music studies in Malaysia. The works in Seed of Life (SoL) take a similar approach but focused more on local Malay and proto-Malay folklores, tales, legends and myths associated with my childhood experience. Furthermore, as I delved into the conceptual and compositional aspects of creating the Miroirs of Malay Rebab (MiMaR) set and Seed of Life I (SoL) set, I had the privilege to engage in an enriching journey of (self-) exploration through the creation of sound art within the vibrant Bristol soundscape with support from the local sound art community. This experience was part of my involvement in the Hidden Bristol Soundwalks project, which provided a unique platform for my creative endeavors. I have decided to include this project in this portfolio, which has similar compositional approach with Seed of Life (SoL). Both the major cycles, Miroirs of Malay Rebab (MiMaR) and Seed of Life (SoL), include Western classical music instrumentations with electronics; fixed media; and interactive media. This portfolio was composed and developed at the Studio One, Department of Music in the Faculty of Arts, University of Bristol; the Bristol Interaction Group (B.I.G.) Lab in the Faculty of Engineering, University of Bristol; and my home studios in Clevedon, UK, during the period of October 2019 until September 2022. The portfolio consists of scores, studio-audio production recordings, and several live performance recordings. The commentary comprises a set of philosophical considerations about my compositions and intent for creation based on the Nada Bumi theme and sub themes. Further chapters are dedicated to compositional techniques, related traditions and piece-specific documentations. The portfolio is supplied as a set of digital media, containing pdf files of musical scores in notation, associated software or media components of the works, recordings of the studio-based music, and recordings of several live public performances made in mid-2022 after the period of covid-19 lock-downs