A novel method of sensing and classifying terrain for autonomous unmanned ground vehicles

Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs) play a vital role in preserving human life during hostile military operations and extend our reach by exploring extraterrestrial worlds during space missions. These systems generally have to operate in unstructured environments which contain dynamic variables and unpredictable obstacles, making the seemingly simple task of traversing from A-B extremely difficult. Terrain is one of the biggest obstacles within these environments as it could potentially cause a vehicle to become stuck and render it useless, therefore autonomous systems must possess the ability to directly sense terrain conditions. Current autonomous vehicles use look-ahead vision systems and passive laser scanners to navigate a safe path around obstacles; however these methods lack detail when considering terrain as they make predictions using estimations of the terrain’s appearance alone. This study establishes a more accurate method of measuring, classifying and monitoring terrain in real-time. A novel instrument for measuring direct terrain features at the wheel-terrain contact interface is presented in the form of the Force Sensing Wheel (FSW). Additionally a classification method using unique parameters of the wheel-terrain interaction is used to identify and monitor terrain conditions in real-time. The combination of both the FSW and real-time classification method facilitates better traversal decisions, creating a more Terrain Capable system

Improving the mobility performance of autonomous unmanned ground vehicles by adding the ability to 'Sense/Feel' their local environment.

This paper follows on from earlier work detailed in output one and critically reviews the sensor technologies used in autonomous vehicles, including robots, to ascertain the physical properties of the environment including terrain sensing. The paper reports on a comprehensive study done in terrain types and how these could be determined and the appropriate sensor technologies that can be used. It also reports on work currently in progress in applying these sensor technologies and gives details of a prototype system built at Middlesex University on a reconfigurable mobility system, demonstrating the success of the proposed strategies. This full paper was subject to a blind refereed review process and presented at the 12th HCI International 2007, Beijing, China, incorporating 8 other international thematic conferences. The conference involved over 250 parallel sessions and was attended by 2000 delegates. The conference proceedings are published by Springer in a 17 volume paperback book edition in the Lecture Notes in Computer Science series (LNCS). These are available on-line through the LNCS Digital Library, readily accessible by all subscribing libraries around the world, published in the proceedings of the Second International Conference on Virtual Reality, ICVR 2007, held as Part of HCI International 2007, Beijing, China, July 22-27, 2007. It is also published as a collection of 81 papers in Lecture Notes in Computer Science Series by Springer

Investigating the mobility of unmanned ground vehicles.

Unmanned Vehicles have to be as capable if not more capable than a human in the same situation, especially when used by the military to serve as an extension of the soldiers capability on the battlefield. All unmanned systems types have obstacles and encounter difficulties when trying to complete their missions, but none more so than the Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV). This is because UGV’s have to operate in environments with a large amount of variables which includes a range of different obstacles, and terrain types; making the simple task of driving from A to B very hard. This highlights the fact that a UGV’s capability is predominantly dependant on its mobility and is seen as one of the most important factors in their development, because the more capable of traversing over all types of terrain the vehicle is, then the less likely it will become stuck and need human assistance. This paper investigates current military UGV’s, their mobility capabilities and the future of UGV development

Development of a co-axial tri-rotor UAV.

This paper discusses the initial design requirements and development of a Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (SUAV), sometimes referred to as a Miniature Aerial Vehicle (MAV) or Micro Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (μUAV) as the backdrop to an entry for the MoD Grand Challenge Event 2008 (MoD GC 2008). A review of 61 SUAVs has been undertaken together with the development of a methodology for evaluation, review and rating against specific design criteria. This analysis concludes with a list of the top ten systems currently available which have been found to be best suited to the particular requirements of operating in the cluttered urban environment. Finally, we present a novel design of Co-Axial Tri-Rotor UAV (named HALO™) which has been developed by the i-Spy team at Middlesex University as our entry to the MoD GC 2008

Reconfigurable unmanned aerial vehicles.

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) have been developing dramatically due to wars and miniaturisation of technology, which has made the UAV industry a very lucrative business. Research organisations have been funded by various research committees or military groups to push UAV developments at a very fast pace. Although these UAVs are high in capability, they are limited to a single use application or mission. This paper will analyse current UAV systems to determine how the use of a novel reconfigurable UAV could benefit the end user

The future of battlefield micro air vehicle systems.

The most recent survey of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) adoption rates shows that the area of small, man-portable systems (generally defined as Micro Air Vehicles or MAVs of maximum take-off weight between 1-5 kg) has one of the highest growth rates of any of the market sectors. There is a growing realisation by military planners that to win the insurgency wars of the present and future, forward units will have to operate within the close confines of urban conurbations and for prolonged periods of time without support. Real-time information and intelligence on enemy strength, dispositions and tactics is therefore essential for battlefield success

Investigating the use of the coanda effect to create novel unmanned aerial vehicles.

In recent years the demand for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles(UAV's) has increased rapidly across many different industries and they are used for various applications. Such systems have the ability to enter dangerous or inaccessible environments and allow vital information to be collected without human risk. In order to carry out a task, a UAV has to face many different challenges. This has led to the development of novel platforms that move away from traditional aircraft design in order to make them more capable. A good example of this type of craft is one which uses the Coanda Effect to assist propulsion. This effect was discovered in 1930 by Henri-Marie Coanda who found that if a thin film of air is directed over a curved body, then the air follows the curve. When used to propel a UAV, the Coanda Effect also entrains air from above and lowers the air pressure in this region, which in turn generates more lift. Many organizations have attempted to use this phenomenon to aid the lift of various unusual air vehicles

Safety Considerations for Malaria Volunteer Infection Studies: A Mini-Review

Malaria clinical studies entailing the experimental infection of healthy volunteers with Plasmodium parasites by bites from infected mosquitos, injection of cryopreserved sporozoites, or injection of blood stage parasites provide valuable information for vaccine and drug development. Success of these studies depends on maintaining safety. In this mini-review, we discuss the safety risks and associated mitigation strategies of these three types of experimental malaria infection. We aim to inform researchers and regulators who are currently involved in or are planning to establish experimental malaria infection studies in endemic or non-endemic settings

Using acoustic sensor technologies to create a more terrain capable unmanned ground vehicle

Unmanned Ground Vehicle’s (UGV) have to cope with the most complex range of dynamic and variable obstacles and therefore need to be highly intelligent in order to cope with navigating in such a cluttered environment. When traversing over different terrains (whether it is a UGV or a commercial manned vehicle) different drive styles and configuration settings need to be selected in order to travel successfully over each terrain type. These settings are usually selected by a human operator in manned systems on what they assume the ground conditions to be, but how can an autonomous UGV ‘sense’ these changes in terrain or ground conditions? This paper will investigate noncontact acoustic sensor technologies and how they can be used to detect different terrain types by listening to the interaction between the wheel and the terrain. The results can then be used to create a terrain classification list for the system so in future missions it can use the sensor technology to identify the terrain type it is trying to traverse, which creating a more autonomous and terrain capable vehicle. The technology would also benefit commercial driver assistive technologies