A New Sensor System for Accurate 3D Surface Measurements and Modeling of Underwater Objects

Featured Application A potential application of the work is the underwater 3D inspection of industrial structures, such as oil and gas pipelines, offshore wind turbine foundations, or anchor chains. Abstract A new underwater 3D scanning device based on structured illumination and designed for continuous capture of object data in motion for deep sea inspection applications is introduced. The sensor permanently captures 3D data of the inspected surface and generates a 3D surface model in real time. Sensor velocities up to 0.7 m/s are directly compensated while capturing camera images for the 3D reconstruction pipeline. The accuracy results of static measurements of special specimens in a water basin with clear water show the high accuracy potential of the scanner in the sub-millimeter range. Measurement examples with a moving sensor show the significance of the proposed motion compensation and the ability to generate a 3D model by merging individual scans. Future application tests in offshore environments will show the practical potential of the sensor for the desired inspection tasks

Real-time 3D Mine Modelling in the ¡VAMOS! Project

The project Viable Alternative Mine Operating System (¡VAMOS!) develops a new safe, clean and low visibility mining technique for excavating raw materials from submerged inland mines. During operations, the perception data of the mining vehicle can only be communicated to the operator via a computer interface. In order to assist remote control and facilitate assessing risks a detailed view of the mining process below the water surface is necessary. This paper presents approaches to real-time 3D reconstruction of the mining environment for immersive data visualisation in a virtual reality environment to provide advanced spatial awareness. From the raw survey data a more consistent 3D model is created using postprocessing techniques based on a continuous-time simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) solution. Signed distance function (SDF) based mapping is employed to fuse the measurements from multiple views into a single representation and reduce sensor noise. Results of the proposed techniques are demonstrated on a dataset captured in an submerged inland mine

Web: A Wireless Experiment Box for the Dextre Pointing Package ELC Payload

The Wireless Experiment Box (WEB) was proposed to work with the International Space Station (ISS) External Wireless Communication (EWC) system to support high-definition video from the Dextre Pointing Package (DPP). DPP/WEB was a NASA GSFC proposed ExPRESS Logistics Carrier (ELC) payload designed to flight test an integrated suite of Autonomous Rendezvous and Docking (AR&D) technologies to enable a wide spectrum of future missions across NASA and other US Government agencies. The ISS EWC uses COTS Wireless Access Points (WAPs) to provide high-rate bi-directional communications to ISS. In this paper, we discuss WEB s packaging, operation, antenna development, and performance testing

Cardiac troponins: from myocardial infarction to chronic disease.

Elucidation of the physiologically distinct subunits of troponin in 1973 greatly facilitated our understanding of cardiac contraction. Although troponins are expressed in both skeletal and cardiac muscle, there are isoforms of troponin I/T expressed selectively in the heart. By exploiting cardiac-restricted epitopes within these proteins, one of the most successful diagnostic tests to-date has been developed: cardiac troponin (cTn) assays. For the past decade, cTn has been regarded as the gold-standard marker for acute myocardial necrosis: the pathological hallmark of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Whilst cTn is the cornerstone for ruling-out AMI in patients presenting with a suspected acute coronary syndrome (ACS), elevated cTn is frequently observed in those without clinical signs indicative of AMI, often reflecting myocardial injury of 'unknown origin'. cTn is commonly elevated in acute non-ACS conditions, as well as in chronic diseases. It is unclear why these elevations occur; yet they cannot be ignored as cTn levels in chronically unwell patients are directly correlated to prognosis. Paradoxically, improvements in assay sensitivity have meant more differential diagnoses have to be considered due to decreased specificity, since cTn is now more easily detected in these non-ACS conditions. It is important to be aware cTn is highly specific for myocardial injury, which could be attributable to a myriad of underlying causes, emphasising the notion that cTn is an organ-specific, not disease-specific biomarker. Furthermore, the ability to detect increased cTn using high-sensitivity assays following extreme exercise is disconcerting. It has been suggested troponin release can occur without cardiomyocyte necrosis, contradicting conventional dogma, emphasising a need to understand the mechanisms of such release. This review discusses basic troponin biology, the physiology behind its detection in serum, its use in the diagnosis of AMI, and some key concepts and experimental evidence as to why cTn can be elevated in chronic diseases

Traumatic events, other operational stressors and physical and mental health reported by Australian Defence Force personnel following peacekeeping and war-like deployments

Background: The association between stressful events on warlike deployments and subsequent mental health problems has been established. Less is known about the effects of stressful events on peacekeeping deployments. Methods: Two cross sectional studies of the Australian Defence Force were used to contrast the prevalence of exposures reported by a group deployed on a peacekeeping operation (Bougainville, n=1704) and those reported by a group deployed on operations which included warlike and non-warlike exposures (East Timor, n=1333). A principal components analysis was used to identify groupings of non-traumatic exposures on deployment. Multiple regression models were used to assess the association between self-reported objective and subjective exposures, stressors on deployment and subsequent physical and mental health outcomes. Results: The principal components analysis produced four groups of non-traumatic stressors which were consistent between the peacekeeping and more warlike deployments. These were labelled ‘separation’, ‘different culture’, ‘other people’ and ‘work frustration’. Higher levels of traumatic and non-traumatic exposures were reported by veterans of East Timor compared to Bougainville. Higher levels of subjective traumatic exposures were associated with increased rates of PTSD in East Timor veterans and more physical and psychological health symptoms in both deployed groups. In Bougainville and East Timor veterans some non-traumatic deployment stressors were also associated with worse health outcomes. Conclusion: Strategies to best prepare, identify and treat those exposed to traumatic events and other stressors on deployment should be considered for Defence personnel deployed on both warlike and peacekeeping operations.Michael Waller, Susan A Treloar, Malcolm R Sim, Alexander C McFarlane, Annabel C L McGuire, Jonathan Bleier and Annette J Dobso

Artificial intelligence (AI): multidisciplinary perspectives on emerging challenges, opportunities, and agenda for research and practice

As far back as the industrial revolution, great leaps in technical innovation succeeded in transforming numerous manual tasks and processes that had been in existence for decades where humans had reached the limits of physical capacity. Artificial Intelligence (AI) offers this same transformative potential for the augmentation and potential replacement of human tasks and activities within a wide range of industrial, intellectual and social applications. The pace of change for this new AI technological age is staggering, with new breakthroughs in algorithmic machine learning and autonomous decision making engendering new opportunities for continued innovation. The impact of AI is significant, with industries ranging from: finance, retail, healthcare, manufacturing, supply chain and logistics all set to be disrupted by the onset of AI technologies. The study brings together the collective insight from a number of leading expert contributors to highlight the significant opportunities, challenges and potential research agenda posed by the rapid emergence of AI within a number of domains: technological, business and management, science and technology, government and public sector. The research offers significant and timely insight to AI technology and its impact on the future of industry and society in general

Laserscanning unter Wasser - Refraktive Kalibrierung, Selbstkalibrierung und Kartierung zur 3D Rekonstruktion

There is great interest in affordable, precise and reliable metrology underwater: Archaeologists want to document artifacts in situ with high detail. In marine research, biologists require the tools to monitor coral growth and geologists need recordings to model sediment transport. Furthermore, for offshore construction projects, maintenance and inspection millimeter-accurate measurements of defects and offshore structures are essential. While the process of digitizing individual objects and complete sites on land is well understood and standard methods, such as Structure from Motion or terrestrial laser scanning, are regularly applied, precise underwater surveying with high resolution is still a complex and difficult task. Applying optical scanning techniques in water is challenging due to reduced visibility caused by turbidity and light absorption. However, optical underwater scanners provide significant advantages in terms of achievable resolution and accuracy compared to acoustic systems. This thesis proposes an underwater laser scanning system and the algorithms for creating dense and accurate 3D scans in water. It is based on laser triangulation and the main optical components are an underwater camera and a cross-line laser projector. The prototype is configured with a motorized yaw axis for capturing scans from a tripod. Alternatively, it is mounted to a moving platform for mobile mapping. The main focus lies on the refractive calibration of the underwater camera and laser projector, the image processing and 3D reconstruction. For highest accuracy, the refraction at the individual media interfaces must be taken into account. This is addressed by an optimization-based calibration framework using a physical-geometric camera model derived from an analytical formulation of a ray-tracing projection model. In addition to scanning underwater structures, this work presents the 3D acquisition of semi-submerged structures and the correction of refraction effects. As in-situ calibration in water is complex and time-consuming, the challenge of transferring an in-air scanner calibration to water without re-calibration is investigated, as well as self-calibration techniques for structured light. The system was successfully deployed in various configurations for both static scanning and mobile mapping. An evaluation of the calibration and 3D reconstruction using reference objects and a comparison of free-form surfaces in clear water demonstrate the high accuracy potential in the range of one millimeter to less than one centimeter, depending on the measurement distance. Mobile underwater mapping and motion compensation based on visual-inertial odometry is demonstrated using a new optical underwater scanner based on fringe projection. Continuous registration of individual scans allows the acquisition of 3D models from an underwater vehicle. RGB images captured in parallel are used to create 3D point clouds of underwater scenes in full color. 3D maps are useful to the operator during the remote control of underwater vehicles and provide the building blocks to enable offshore inspection and surveying tasks. The advancing automation of the measurement technology will allow non-experts to use it, significantly reduce acquisition time and increase accuracy, making underwater metrology more cost-effective.Das Interesse an präziser, zuverlässiger und zugleich kostengünstiger Unterwassermesstechnik ist groß. Beispielsweise wollen Archäologen Artefakte in situ mit hoher Detailtreue dokumentieren und in der Meeresforschung benötigen Biologen Messwerkzeuge zur Beobachtung des Korallenwachstums. Auch Geologen sind auf Messdaten angewiesen, um Sedimenttransporte zu modellieren. Darüber hinaus ist für die Errichtung von Offshore-Bauwerken, sowie deren Wartung und Inspektion eine millimetergenaue Vermessung von vorhandenen Strukturen und Defekten unerlässlich. Während die Digitalisierung einzelner Objekte und ganzer Areale an Land gut erforscht ist und verschiedene Standardmethoden, wie zum Beispiel Structure from Motion oder terrestrisches Laserscanning, regelmäßig eingesetzt werden, ist die präzise und hochauflösende Unterwasservermessung nach wie vor eine komplexe und schwierige Aufgabe. Die Anwendung optischer Messtechnik im Wasser ist aufgrund der eingeschränkten Sichttiefe durch Trübung und Lichtabsorption eine Herausforderung. Optische Unterwasserscanner bieten jedoch Vorteile hinsichtlich der erreichbaren Auflösung und Genauigkeit gegenüber akustischen Systemen. In dieser Arbeit werden ein Unterwasser-Laserscanning-System und die Algorithmen zur Erzeugung von 3D-Scans mit hoher Punktdichte im Wasser vorgestellt. Es basiert auf Lasertriangulation und die optischen Hauptkomponenten sind eine Unterwasserkamera und ein Kreuzlinienlaserprojektor. Das System ist mit einer motorisierten Drehachse ausgestattet, um Scans von einem Stativ aus aufzunehmen. Alternativ kann es von einer beweglichen Plattform aus für mobile Kartierung eingesetzt werden. Das Hauptaugenmerk liegt auf der refraktiven Kalibrierung der Unterwasserkamera und des Laserprojektors, der Bildverarbeitung und der 3D-Rekonstruktion. Um höchste Genauigkeit zu erreichen, muss die Brechung an den einzelnen Medienübergängen berücksichtigt werden. Dies wird durch ein physikalisch-geometrisches Kameramodell, das auf einer analytischen Beschreibung der Strahlenverfolgung basiert, und ein optimierungsbasiertes Kalibrierverfahren erreicht. Neben dem Scannen von Unterwasserstrukturen wird in dieser Arbeit auch die 3D-Erfassung von teilweise im Wasser befindlichen Strukturen und die Korrektur der dabei auftretenden Brechungseffekte vorgestellt. Da die Kalibrierung im Wasser komplex und zeitintensiv ist, wird die Übertragung einer Kalibrierung des Scanners in Luft auf die Bedingungen im Wasser ohne Neukalibrierung, sowie die Selbstkalibrierung für Lichtschnittverfahren untersucht. Das System wurde in verschiedenen Konfigurationen sowohl für statisches Scannen als auch für die mobile Kartierung erfolgreich eingesetzt. Die Validierung der Kalibrierung und der 3D-Rekonstruktion anhand von Referenzobjekten und der Vergleich von Freiformflächen in klarem Wasser zeigen das hohe Genauigkeitspotenzial im Bereich von einem Millimeter bis weniger als einem Zentimeter in Abhängigkeit von der Messdistanz. Die mobile Unterwasserkartierung und Bewegungskompensation anhand visuell-inertialer Odometrie wird mit einem neuen optischen Unterwasserscanner auf Basis der Streifenprojektion demonstriert. Dabei ermöglicht die kontinuierliche Registrierung von Einzelscans die Erfassung von 3D-Modellen von einem Unterwasserfahrzeug aus. Mit Hilfe von parallel aufgenommenen RGB-Bildern werden dabei farbige 3D-Punktwolken der Unterwasserszenen erstellt. Diese 3D-Karten dienen beispielsweise dem Bediener bei der Fernsteuerung von Unterwasserfahrzeugen und bilden die Grundlage für Offshore-Inspektions- und Vermessungsaufgaben. Die fortschreitende Automatisierung der Messtechnik wird somit auch eine Verwendung durch Nichtfachleute ermöglichen und gleichzeitig die Erfassungszeit erheblich verkürzen und die Genauigkeit verbessern, was die Vermessung im Wasser kostengünstiger und effizienter macht

Multisensor SLAM for Indoor Navigation

Affordable RGB-D sensors, such as Microsoft Kinect or ASUS Xtion Pro Live, have become a popular choice for gesture recognition and 3D reconstruction. However, in applications for Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) the limited range and field of view of these sensors poses a challenge with respect to achieving accurate visual odometry. This thesis presents a multisensor setup for the Rollin’ Justin service robot platform and an approach to robust 3D mapping that is suitable for indoor navigation. Via calibration of multiple sensors the measurements can be projected into a common reference coordinate system for further processing. Matching the combined data provides better motion estimates than establishing the robot pose based on the measurements of the individual sensors. Furthermore, different algorithms for RGB-D frame alignment and techniques for minimizing the accumulated drift are studied. A tree-based map structure and signed distance fields allows one to integrate noisy measurements efficiently and store large areas with a low memory footprint. Moreover, the drift of frame-to-frame registration can be minimized through pose refinement by tracking the sensor frame against the map representation. The approach is validated by comparison to state-of-the-art methods on publicly available ground truth data and experiments on the Rollin’ Justin service robot