Method for orthorectification of terrestrial radar maps

International audienceThe vehicle-based PELICAN radar system is used in the context of mobile mapping. The R-SLAM algorithm allows simultaneous retrieval of the vehicle trajectory and of the map of the environment. As the purpose of PELICAN is to provide a means for gathering spatial information, the impact of distortion caused by the topography is not negligible. This article proposes an orthorectification process to correct panoramic radar images and the consequent R-SLAM trajectory and radar map. The a priori knowledge of the area topography is provided by a digital elevation model. By applying the method to the data obtained from a path with large variations in altitude it is shown that the corrected panoramic radar images are contracted by the orthorectification process. The efficiency of the orthorectification process is assessed firstly by comparing R-SLAM trajectories to a GPS trajectory and secondly by comparing the position of Ground Control Points on the radar map with their GPS position. The RMS positioning error moves from 5.56 m for the raw radar map to 0.75 m for the orthorectified radar map

Mobile Robot Localization and Mapping in Extensive Outdoor Environment based on Radar Sensor - First Results

International audienceWe present in this paper a new microwave sensor developed for autonomous vehicle navigation and perception in extensive outdoor environments. Radar offers advantages as a robotic perception modality, because it is not vulnerable to the functioning conditions found in natural outdoor environments: dust, rain, fog, snow, light conditions, wind turbulences, etc. The developed radar is based on Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) technology, that is well intended for short and medium-range applications. The paper describes the spatial integration that is used in order to reduce the speckle effect in radar image. This anti-speckle filtering is obtained through a dead reckoning phase, using two proprioceptive sensors (odometer and compass heading). The radar sensor is used to develop a Simultaneous Localization And Mapping (SLAM) application. In order to fit the needs of radar image analysis complexity, the SLAM process is purely radar based. This process makes no landmark assumptions, and avoids the data association problem by storing a detailed map instead of sparse landmarks

Methods for FMCW radar map georeferencing

International audienceIn a context of mobile environment mapping, a vehicle-based radar system, K2Pi, has been developed. A mapping of the environment is carried out from the radar datasets. Given the specificities of radar maps, the main problem at this stage is to find a method to georeference these maps. This article proposes three radar map georeferencing methods. The first method is a typical manual selection of a set of control point pairs. The second method consists of matching the relative trajectory computed by a specific radar algorithm with a trajectory recorded from absolute DGPS recording. Finally, the third method, inspired by the image-to-image approach, is based on Fourier-Mellin transform which automatically registers the radar map with respect to a georeferenced aerial photograph. Successfully tested on radar datasets, this method could be applied to many other types of data

Simultaneous Localization and Map Building using Radar Sensor in Extensive Outdoor Environment: First Results

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Effects of Pulsed Low Frequency Electromagnetic Fields on Water Characterized by Light Scattering Techniques: Role of Bubbles

This paper has been withdrawn by the author.Comment: This paper has been withdraw

PrBn, a major gene controlling homeologous pairing in oilseed rape (Brassica napus) haploids.

Precise control of chromosome pairing is vital for conferring meiotic, and hence reproductive, stability in sexually reproducing polyploids. Apart from the Ph1 locus of wheat that suppresses homeologous pairing, little is known about the activity of genes that contribute to the cytological diploidization of allopolyploids. In oilseed rape (Brassica napus) haploids, the amount of chromosome pairing at metaphase I (MI) of meiosis varies depending on the varieties the haploids originate from. In this study, we combined a segregation analysis with a maximum-likelihood approach to demonstrate that this variation is genetically based and controlled mainly by a gene with a major effect. A total of 244 haploids were produced from F(1) hybrids between a high- and a low-pairing variety (at the haploid stage) and their meiotic behavior at MI was characterized. Likelihood-ratio statistics were used to demonstrate that the distribution of the number of univalents among these haploids was consistent with the segregation of a diallelic major gene, presumably in a background of polygenic variation. Our observations suggest that this gene, named PrBn, is different from Ph1 and could thus provide complementary information on the meiotic stabilization of chromosome pairing in allopolyploid species

A Mobile Ground-based Radar Sensor for Detection And Tracking of Moving Objects

International audienceThe detection and tracking of moving objects (DATMO) in an outdoor environment from a mobile robot are difficult tasks because of the wide variety of dynamic objects. A reliable discrimination of mobile and static detections without any prior knowledge is often conditioned by a good position estimation obtained using Global Positionning System/Differential Global Positioning System (GPS/DGPS), proprioceptive sensors, inertial sensors or even the use of Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) algorithms. In this article a solution of the DATMO problem is presented to perform this task using only a microwave radar sensor. Indeed, this sensor provides images of the environment from which Doppler information can be extracted and interpreted in order to obtain not only velocities of detected objects but also the robot ' s own velocity

Effects of pulsed low frequency electromagnetic fields on water using photoluminescence spectroscopy: role of bubble/water interface

The effects of a pulsed low frequency electromagnetic field were investigated on photoluminescence of well characterized water and prepared under controlled conditions (container, atmospheric, electromagnetic, and acoustic environments). When reference water samples were excited at 260 nm, two wide emission bands centered at 345 nm (3.6 eV) and 425 nm (2.9 eV) were observed. By contrast under 310 nm excitation, only one band appeared at 425 nm. Interestingly, electromagnetic treatment (EMT) induced, at both excitation wavelengths, a decrease (around 70%) in the 425 nm band relative photoluminescence intensity. However, no difference between reference and treated sample was observed in the 345 nm band. Other experiments, performed on outgassed samples (reference and treated), show that the emission bands (position, shape, intensity) under excitation at 260 nm and 310 nm were similar and close to the corresponding bands of the treated nonoutgassed samples. Similar effects were observed on photoluminescence excitation of water samples. Two excitation bands monitored at 425 nm were observed at 272 nm and 330 nm. After EMT and/or outgassing, a decrease (> 60%) was observed in the intensity of these two bands. Altogether, these results indicate that electromagnetic treatment and/or outgassing decrease in a similar fashion the photoluminescence intensity in water samples. They also suggest that this effect is most likely indirectly attributed to the presence of gas bubbles in water. The possible role of hydrated ionic shell around the bubbles in the observed extraluminescence is discussed.Comment: Journal of Chemical Physics 2005, in pres

Projet IMPALA

L’objectif du projet IMPALA est d’évaluer l’apport du radar comme solution alternative aux moyens de perception en robotique mobile d’extérieur. Cet article illustre à travers une application de localisation et de cartographie simultanées (SLAM), les potentialités d’un radar panoramique à modulation de fréquence (FMCW) qui a été développé au cours du projet. Donnant accès à l’information de distance et de vitesse des entités mobiles présentes dans l’environnement, le radar permet d’envisager des applications de détection et de suivi d’objets mobiles (DATMO) dont un premier résultat est présenté ici.The main objective of the project IMPALA is to demonstrate that radar technology is an alternative solution to classical perception systems used in outdoor mobile robotics. This paper presents the rotating FMCW radar developed during the project and results from the combined use of radar and "Simultaneous Localization And Mapping" (SLAM) techniques in outdoor environment. Range and velocity from mobile objects can be extracted, which lead to future applications of DATMO (Detection And Tracking of Moving Objects) the first results are presented here