Search-and-rescue rendezvous

We consider a new type of asymmetric rendezvous search problem in which player II needs to give player I a ‘gift’ which can be in the form of information or material. The gift can either be transfered upon meeting, as in traditional rendezvous, or it can be dropped off by player II at a location he passes, in the hope it will be found by player I. The gift might be a water bottle for a traveller lost in the desert; a supply cache for Captain Scott in the Antarctic; or important information (left as a gift). The common aim of the two players is to minimize the time taken for I to either meet II or find the gift. We find optimal agent paths and drop off times when the search region is a line, the initial distance between the players is known and one or both of the players can leave gifts. A novel and important technique introduced in this paper is the use of families of linear programs to solve this and previous rendezvous problems. Previously, the approach was to guess the answer and then prove it was optimal. Our work has applications to other forms of rendezvous on the line: we can solve the symmetric version (players must use the same strategy) with two gifts and we show that there are no asymmetric solutions to this two gifts problem. We also solve the GiftStart problem, where the gift or gifts must be dropped at the start of the game. Furthermore, we can solve the Minmax version of the game where the objective function is to minimize the maximum rendezvous time. This problem admits variations where players have 0, 1 or 2 gifts at disposal. In particular, we show that the classical Wait For Mommy strategy is optimal for this setting

Responsibility modelling for civil emergency planning

This paper presents a new approach to analysing and understanding civil emergency planning based on the notion of responsibility modelling combined with HAZOPS-style analysis of information requirements. Our goal is to represent complex contingency plans so that they can be more readily understood, so that inconsistencies can be highlighted and vulnerabilities discovered. In this paper, we outline the framework for contingency planning in the United Kingdom and introduce the notion of responsibility models as a means of representing the key features of contingency plans. Using a case study of a flooding emergency, we illustrate our approach to responsibility modelling and suggest how it adds value to current textual contingency plans

Analysis of nuclear waste disposal in space, phase 3. Volume 1: Executive summary of technical report

The objectives, approach, assumptions, and limitations of a study of nuclear waste disposal in space are discussed with emphasis on the following: (1) payload characterization; (2) safety assessment; (3) health effects assessment; (4) long-term risk assessment; and (5) program planning support to NASA and DOE. Conclusions are presented for each task

Human Swarm Interaction: An Experimental Study of Two Types of Interaction with Foraging Swarms

In this paper we present the first study of human-swarm interaction comparing two fundamental types of interaction, coined intermittent and environmental. These types are exemplified by two control methods, selection and beacon control, made available to a human operator to control a foraging swarm of robots. Selection and beacon control differ with respect to their temporal and spatial influence on the swarm and enable an operator to generate different strategies from the basic behaviors of the swarm. Selection control requires an active selection of groups of robots while beacon control exerts an influence on nearby robots within a set range. Both control methods are implemented in a testbed in which operators solve an information foraging problem by utilizing a set of swarm behaviors. The robotic swarm has only local communication and sensing capabilities. The number of robots in the swarm range from 50 to 200. Operator performance for each control method is compared in a series of missions in different environments with no obstacles up to cluttered and structured obstacles. In addition, performance is compared to simple and advanced autonomous swarms. Thirty-two participants were recruited for participation in the study. Autonomous swarm algorithms were tested in repeated simulations. Our results showed that selection control scales better to larger swarms and generally outperforms beacon control. Operators utilized different swarm behaviors with different frequency across control methods, suggesting an adaptation to different strategies induced by choice of control method. Simple autonomous swarms outperformed human operators in open environments, but operators adapted better to complex environments with obstacles. Human controlled swarms fell short of task-specific benchmarks under all conditions. Our results reinforce the importance of understanding and choosing appropriate types of human-swarm interaction when designing swarm systems, in addition to choosing appropriate swarm behaviors

Towards human control of robot swarms

In this paper we investigate principles of swarm control that enable a human operator to exert influence on and control large swarms of robots. We present two principles, coined selection and beacon control, that differ with respect to their temporal and spatial persistence. The former requires active selection of groups of robots while the latter exerts a passive influence on nearby robots. Both principles are implemented in a testbed in which operators exert influence on a robot swarm by switching between a set of behaviors ranging from trivial behaviors up to distributed autonomous algorithms. Performance is tested in a series of complex foraging tasks in environments with different obstacles ranging from open to cluttered and structured. The robotic swarm has only local communication and sensing capabilities with the number of robots ranging from 50 to 200. Experiments with human operators utilizing either selection or beacon control are compared with each other and to a simple autonomous swarm with regard to performance, adaptation to complex environments, and scalability to larger swarms. Our results show superior performance of autonomous swarms in open environments, of selection control in complex environments, and indicate a potential for scaling beacon control to larger swarms

RMAX Wireless Communications

The goal of the RMAX wireless communications team is to establish an in flight communications link between the Yamaha RMAX helicopter and ground station to send and receive recorded flight data. Data including GPS coordinates for the RMAX will be distributed by the ground station, and used by other subsystems to track a specified on ground target. Once the target is located a UGV will be deployed for rendezvous as well as a UAV supply drop in simulation of common search and rescue scenarios. The following document outlines our teams collaborative design effort to establish communications