475 research outputs found
Unsupervised Learning for Subterranean Junction Recognition Based on 2D Point Cloud
This article proposes a novel unsupervised learning framework for detecting the number of tunnel junctions in subterranean environments based on acquired 2D point clouds. The implementation of the framework provides valuable information for high level mission planners to navigate an aerial platform in unknown areas or robot homing missions. The framework utilizes spectral clustering, which is capable of uncovering hidden structures from connected data points lying on non-linear manifolds. The spectral clustering algorithm computes a spectral embedding of the original 2D point cloud by utilizing the eigen decomposition of a matrix that is derived from the pairwise similarities of these points. We validate the developed framework using multiple data-sets, collected from multiple realistic simulations, as well as from real flights in underground environments, demonstrating the performance and merits of the proposed methodology
Unsupervised Learning for Subterranean Junction Recognition Based on 2D Point Cloud
This article proposes a novel unsupervised learning framework for detecting
the number of tunnel junctions in subterranean environments based on acquired
2D point clouds. The implementation of the framework provides valuable
information for high level mission planners to navigate an aerial platform in
unknown areas or robot homing missions. The framework utilizes spectral
clustering, which is capable of uncovering hidden structures from connected
data points lying on non-linear manifolds. The spectral clustering algorithm
computes a spectral embedding of the original 2D point cloud by utilizing the
eigen decomposition of a matrix that is derived from the pairwise similarities
of these points. We validate the developed framework using multiple data-sets,
collected from multiple realistic simulations, as well as from real flights in
underground environments, demonstrating the performance and merits of the
proposed methodology
Towards a Reduced Dependency Framework for Autonomous Unified Inspect-Explore Missions
The task of establishing and maintaining situational awareness in an unknown
environment is a critical step to fulfil in a mission related to the field of
rescue robotics. Predominantly, the problem of visual inspection of urban
structures is dealt with view-planning being addressed by map-based approaches.
In this article, we propose a novel approach towards effective use of Micro
Aerial Vehicles (MAVs) for obtaining a 3-D shape of an unknown structure of
objects utilizing a map-independent planning framework. The problem is
undertaken via a bifurcated approach to address the task of executing a closer
inspection of detected structures with a wider exploration strategy to identify
and locate nearby structures, while being equipped with limited sensing
capability. The proposed framework is evaluated experimentally in a controlled
indoor environment in presence of a mock-up environment validating the efficacy
of the proposed inspect-explore policy
Autonomous 3D mapping and surveillance of mines with MAVs
A dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of Science, University of the
Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, for the degree of Master of Science.
12 July 2017.The mapping of mines, both operational and abandoned, is a long, di cult and occasionally
dangerous task especially in the latter case. Recent developments in active and passive consumer
grade sensors, as well as quadcopter drones present the opportunity to automate these
challenging tasks providing cost and safety bene ts. The goal of this research is to develop an
autonomous vision-based mapping system that employs quadrotor drones to explore and map
sections of mine tunnels. The system is equipped with inexpensive, structured light, depth cameras
in place of traditional laser scanners, making the quadrotor setup more viable to produce in
bulk. A modi ed version of Microsoft's Kinect Fusion algorithm is used to construct 3D point
clouds in real-time as the agents traverse the scene. Finally, the generated and merged point
clouds from the system are compared with those produced by current Lidar scanners.LG201
Ultrasonic and IMU based high precision UAV localisation for the low cost autonomous inspection in oil and gas pressure vessels
With the increasing demands for unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) based autonomous inspections in the oil and gas industry, one of the challenging issues for 3D UAV positioning has emerged due to the satellite signal blocking. Considering the existing characteristics of the ultrasonic based technique, such as the low cost, extremely lightweight and high positioning accuracy, it can be promising as the potential solution. Nevertheless, the low position update rate and vulnerable positioning performance to the changing environment still limit its applications on UAV. Therefore, in this article, an ultrasonic and inertial measurement unit (IMU) based localisation algorithm and low cost UAV autonomous inspection system are presented. With the incorporation of the IMU, the position update rate, accuracy and stability of the algorithm can all be significantly improved. This is done by the adaptively estimated noise covariance matrices through the proposed adaptive extended Kalman filter (AEKF) algorithm and the added weighting factors. Followed by, an additional virtual observation process is presented to overcome the unavailability of the observation information for further performance improvement. Finally, extensive numerical results and field tests demonstrate that the proposed algorithm and system can achieve the high update rate, reliable, accurate and precision UAV positioning in oil and gas pressure vessels and are feasible for the UAV autonomous inspection in these environments
Topologic Maps for Robotic Exploration of Underground Flooded Mines
The mapping of confined environments in mobile robotics is traditionally tackled in dense occupancy maps, requiring large amounts of storage. For some use cases, such as the exploration of flooded mines, the use of dense maps in processing slow down processes like path generation. I introduce a method of generating topological maps in constrained spaces such as mines. By taking a structure with fewer points, traversal and storage of explored space can be made more efficient, avoiding com plex graphs generated by methods like RRT and it’s variants. It’s simpler structure also allows for more intuitive human-machine interactions with it’s fewer points. I also introduce an autonomous frontier-based exploration approach to generate the topological map during exploration, taking advantage of it’s traversal to navigate through known space. With this work, simulation tests show it is possible to success fully extract a simpler graph structure describing the topology during autonomous exploration and that this structure is robust through explored regionsO mapeamento de ambientes confinados em robĂłtica mĂłvel, Ă© tradicionalmente abordado em mapas densos de ocupação, necessitando de grandes quantidades de armazenamento. Para certos casos, tal como a exploração de minas submersas, o uso de mapas densos no processamento, atrasa processos como geração de caminhos. Utilizando uma estrutura com menos pontos, a travessia e o armazenamento de espaço explorado tornam-se mais eficientes, evitando grafos complexos gerados por mĂ©todos como RRT e variantes. A sua estrutura mais simples permite tambĂ©m interações homem-máquina com o seu nĂşmero reduzido de pontos. Introduzo tambĂ©m uma abordagem autĂłnoma de exploração baseada em fronteiras, para gerar o mapa topo lĂłgico durante a exploração, tirando vantagem da travessia do mesmo para navegar por espaço conhecido. Com este trabalho, testes em simulação mostram ser possĂvel extrair uma estrutura sob forma de grafo, descrevendo a topologia ao longo de explorações autĂłnomas e que esta estrutura Ă© robusta para a travessia em regiões explorada
Present and Future of SLAM in Extreme Underground Environments
This paper reports on the state of the art in underground SLAM by discussing
different SLAM strategies and results across six teams that participated in the
three-year-long SubT competition. In particular, the paper has four main goals.
First, we review the algorithms, architectures, and systems adopted by the
teams; particular emphasis is put on lidar-centric SLAM solutions (the go-to
approach for virtually all teams in the competition), heterogeneous multi-robot
operation (including both aerial and ground robots), and real-world underground
operation (from the presence of obscurants to the need to handle tight
computational constraints). We do not shy away from discussing the dirty
details behind the different SubT SLAM systems, which are often omitted from
technical papers. Second, we discuss the maturity of the field by highlighting
what is possible with the current SLAM systems and what we believe is within
reach with some good systems engineering. Third, we outline what we believe are
fundamental open problems, that are likely to require further research to break
through. Finally, we provide a list of open-source SLAM implementations and
datasets that have been produced during the SubT challenge and related efforts,
and constitute a useful resource for researchers and practitioners.Comment: 21 pages including references. This survey paper is submitted to IEEE
Transactions on Robotics for pre-approva
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