Acoustical Awareness for Intelligent Robotic Action

With the growth of successes in pattern recognition and signal processing, mobile robot applications today are increasingly equipping their hardware with microphones to improve the set of available sensory information. However, if the robot, and therefore the microphone, ends up in a poor location acoustically, then the data will remain noisy and potentially useless for accomplishing the required task. This is compounded by the fact that there are many bad acoustic locations through which a robot is likely to pass, and so the results from auditory sensors often remain poor for much of the task. The movement of the robot, though, can also be an important tool for overcoming these problems, a tool that has not been exploited in the traditional signal processing community. Robots are not limited to a single location as are traditionally placed microphones, nor are they powerless over to where they will be moved as with wearable computers. If there is a better location available for performing its task, a robot can navigate to that location under its own power. Furthermore, when deciding where to move, robots can develop complex models of the environment. Using an array of sensors, a mobile robot can build models of sound flow through an area, picking from those models the paths most likely to improve performance of an acoustic application. In this dissertation, we address the question of how to exploit robotic movement. Using common sensors, we present a collection of tools for gathering information about the auditory scene and incorporating that information into a general framework for acoustical awareness. Thus equipped, robots can make intelligent decisions regarding control strategies to enhance their performance on the underlying acoustic application.Ph.D.Committee Chair: Arkin, Ronald; Committee Member: Anderson, Dave; Committee Member: Balch, Tucker; Committee Member: Dellaert, Frank; Committee Member: Starner, Tha

The jǫtunn, the Jew, and Snorri: A case study in traditional referentiality

This thesis concerns bodies of traditional referentiality in Gylfaginning. While the presence of Christian influence in Norse mythology has been thoroughly discussed, the deep roots of that influence have sometimes been overlooked. This essay uses oral theory to argue that Snorri Sturluson and the readers of his work were aware of different interfacing traditions. Rather than treating oral tradition and paganism as opposing literate Christianity, this essay presents the two as interactive. Skaldic poetry was especially receptive to influence from Christian sources. This thesis traces Christian influence in Scandinavia to the inception of Roman Christianity. The second part of this thesis is a case study that discusses the role of the jǫtnar in Gylfaginning as an example of the deep roots of Christian influence in Norse mythology. The jotnar are key figures in the universe of Norse mythology, especially in Gylfaginning. Their role in Ragnarok mirrors the role of Jews in Christian apocalyptic theology. Despite the lack of presence of Jews in medieval Scandinavia, the idea of the Jew in medieval Christianity was central to Christian identity and especially to the conception of the apocalypse. Identifying the parallels between anti-Jewish polemic and the treatment of the jǫtnar opens new doors in the study of Norse mythology.Þessi ritgerð fjallar um hefð og vísanir í Gylfaginningu. Þó að fræðimenn hafi iðulega fjallað um kristni áhrif í norrænni goðafræði hefur þeim stundum sést yfir hinar djúpu rætur þessara áhrifa. Þessi ritgerð styðst við hugmyndir um munnmenntir sem rök fyrir því að að Snorri Sturluson og lesendur hans voru meðvitaðir um mismunandi hefðir. Í stað þess að líta á munnlega hefð og heiðni sem andstæðu kritinnar bókmenntar, er hér litið á þetta tvennt sem gagnvirkt. Dróttkvæði voru sérstaklega móttækileg fyrir áhrifum úr kristnum heimildum. Eins eru kristin áhrif á Norðurlöndum rakin til upphafs rómverskrar kristni. Seinni hluti þessa ritgerðar fjallar sérstaklega um jötna í Gylfaginningu sem dæmi um hinar dýpri rætur kristinna áhrifa á norræna trú. Jötnarnir eru lykilpersónur í heimsmynd norrænnar goðafræði, einkum í Gylfaginningu. Hlutverk þeirra í ragnarökum endurspeglar hlutverk gyðinga í kristna heimsendaguðfræði. Þrátt fyrir fjarveru gyðinga á hinum norrænum miöldum var hugmyndin um “gyðinginn“ í miðaldakristni þungamiðja kristinnar sjálfsmyndar og sérstaklega hugmyndinni um heimsendi. Með því að bera kennsl á hliðstæður á milli miðaldagyðingahaturs og meðferðar norrænnar goðafræði á jötnum er ný slóð rekin í norrænni goðafræði.

Marco Polo Localization

We introduce the Marco Polo Localization approach, where we apply sound as a tool for gathering range measurements between robots, and use those to solve a range-only Simultaneous Localization and Mapping problem. Range is calculated by correlating two recordings of the same sound, recorded on a pair of robots, after which the resulting time delay estimate is converted to a range measurement. The algorithmic approach we use is a straightforward application of the Bayesian estimation framework. We also present two complementary views on the associated optimization problem that provide insight into the problem and allows one to devise initialization strategies, indispensable in a range-only scenario. We illustrate the approach with both simulated and experimental results

Marco Polo Localization

We introduce the Marco Polo Localization approach, where we apply sound as a tool for gathering range measurements between robots, and use those to solve a range-only Simultaneous Localization and Mapping problem. Range is calculated by correlating two recordings of the same sound, recorded on a pair of robots, after which the resulting time delay estimate is converted to a range measurement. The algorithmic approach we use is a straightforward application of the Bayesian estimation framework. We also present two complementary views on the associated optimization problem that provide insight into the problem and allows one to devise initialization strategies, indispensable in a range-only scenario. We illustrate the approach with both simulated and experimental results