135 research outputs found

    Competition to identify key challenges for unmanned aerial robots in near earth environments

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    IEEE International Conference on Advanced Robotics, Seattle, WA, pp. 303-308, July 2005. Retrieved April 2006 from http://prism2.mem.drexel.edu/~paul/papers/greenIcar2005.pdfTasks like bomb-detection, search-and-rescue, and reconnaissance in near-Earth environments are time, cost and labor intensive. Aerial robots could assist in such missions and offset the demand in resources and personnel. However, flying in environments rich with obstacles presents many more challenges which have yet to be identified. For example, telephone wire is one obstacle that is known to be hard to detect in mid-flight. This paper describes a safe and easy to fly platform in conjunction with an aerial robot competition to highlight key challenges when flying in near- Earth environments

    Small business innovation research. Abstracts of completed 1987 phase 1 projects

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    Non-proprietary summaries of Phase 1 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) projects supported by NASA in the 1987 program year are given. Work in the areas of aeronautical propulsion, aerodynamics, acoustics, aircraft systems, materials and structures, teleoperators and robotics, computer sciences, information systems, spacecraft systems, spacecraft power supplies, spacecraft propulsion, bioastronautics, satellite communication, and space processing are covered

    A review of infrared thermography applications for ice detection and mitigation

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    Ice accretion on various onshore and offshore infrastructures imparts hazardous effects sometimes beyond repair, which may be life-threatening. Therefore, it has become necessary to look for ways to detect and mitigate ice. Some ice mitigation techniques have been tested or in use in aviation and railway sectors, however, their applicability to other sectors/systems is still in the research phase. To make such systems autonomous, ice protection systems need to be accompanied by reliable ice detection systems, which include electronic, mechatronics, mechanical, and optical techniques. Comparing the benefits and limitations of all available methodologies, Infrared Thermography (IRT) appears to be one of the useful, non-destructive, and emerging techniques as it offers wide area monitoring instead of just point-based ice monitoring. This paper reviews the applications of IRT in the field of icing on various subject areas to provide valuable insights into the existing development of an intelligent and autonomous ice mitigation system for general applications

    Development of an aerial robot for inspection and surveillance

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    Mestrado em Engenharia MecânicaOs veículos aéreos não tripulados são cada vez mais procurados para desempenhar diversas tarefas do quotidiano. Estes sistemas são, no entanto, caros e necessitam de equipas grandes para serem operados. O controlo de veículos aéreos autónomos num ambiente parcialmente conhecido é uma tarefa complexa. Os sistemas actuais são baseados em sensores e sistemas de controlo relativamente dispendiosos, e são frequentemente pesados, necessitando de uma grande quantidade de energia. O principal objectivo deste projecto é desenvolver um sistema aéreo não tripulado, fácil de operar, para inspecção e monitorização. Integrados neste sistema encontram-se a plataforma do robô aéreo, o sistema de controlo e a estação de controlo remoto. A plataforma desenvolvida é baseada em veículos mais leves que o ar. Pretende-se que esta plataforma seja capaz de navegar por espaços confinados e também em ambientes fechados. A esta plataforma foram incorporados sensores e sistemas de controlo leves e de baixo consumo de energia. Para a estação de supervisão foi desenvolvido um programa que permite o controlo do robô e supervisão dos objectivos da missão. A interface gráfica permite de uma forma intuitiva efectuar o controlo do robô. Os testes iniciais permitiram demonstrar as capacidades dos sistemas desenvolvidos para atingir os objectivos propostos. ABSTRACT: Unmanned aerial vehicles are being increasingly sought to perform every days tasks. But these systems are still costly and require a large crew of mission controllers and pilots to adequately manoeuvre the UAV. Managing and control an autonomous air vehicle in a partially known and uncontrolled environment is a complex problem. Current UAVs are based on costly sensors and control systems. These control systems are also usually heavy and demand large amounts of power. This thesis aims to develop an easy to operate unmanned aerial system for surveillance and monitoring missions. As part of this system will be developed an aerial platform, the embedded control system, the ground station with a graphical interface. The platform designed is based on a small lighter-than-air vehicle. To successfully complete the mission objectives the UAV must be capable of navigate through constrained areas and endow indoor flights. The UAV is equipped with low power consumption sensors and processors. For the ground station will be developed an application to control and monitor the UAV status. The graphical user interface application provide an easy to use interface to control and monitor the mission objectives. The initial tests allowed to validate the feasibility of the systems developed to achieve the proposed goals

    The 1991 research and technology report, Goddard Space Flight Center

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    The 1991 Research and Technology Report for Goddard Space Flight Center is presented. Research covered areas such as (1) earth sciences including upper atmosphere, lower atmosphere, oceans, hydrology, and global studies; (2) space sciences including solar studies, planetary studies, Astro-1, gamma ray investigations, and astrophysics; (3) flight projects; (4) engineering including robotics, mechanical engineering, electronics, imaging and optics, thermal and cryogenic studies, and balloons; and (5) ground systems, networks, and communications including data and networks, TDRSS, mission planning and scheduling, and software development and test

    Advanced virtual reality technologies for surveillance and security applications

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    We present a system that exploits advanced Virtual Reality technologies to create a surveillance and security system. Surveillance cameras are carried by a mini Blimp which is tele-operated using an innovative Virtual Reality interface with haptic feedback. An interactive control room (CAVE) receives multiple video streams from airborne and fixed cameras. Eye tracking technology allows for turning the user's gaze into the main interaction mechanism; the user in charge can examine, zoom and select specific views by looking at them. Video streams selected at the control room can be redirected to agents equipped with a PDA. On-field agents can examine the video sent by the control center and locate the actual position of the airborne cameras in a GPS-driven map. The PDA interface reacts to the user's gestures. A tilt sensor recognizes the position in which the PDA is held and adapts the interface accordingly. The prototype we present shows the added value of integrating VR technologies into a complex application and opens up several research directions in the areas of tele-operation, Multimodal Interfaces, etc. Copyright © 2006 by the Association for Computing Machinery, Inc
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