VIS-NIR, SWIR and LWIR Imagery for Estimation of Ground Bearing Capacity

Ground bearing capacity has become a relevant concept for site-specific management that aims to protect soil from the compaction and the rutting produced by the indiscriminate use of agricultural and forestry machines. Nevertheless, commonly known techniques for its estimation are cumbersome and time-consuming. In order to alleviate these difficulties, this paper introduces an innovative sensory system based on Visible-Near InfraRed (VIS-NIR), Short-Wave InfraRed (SWIR) and Long-Wave InfraRed (LWIR) imagery and a sequential algorithm that combines a registration procedure, a multi-class SVM classifier, a K-means clustering and a linear regression for estimating the ground bearing capacity. To evaluate the feasibility and capabilities of the presented approach, several experimental tests were carried out in a sandy-loam terrain. The proposed solution offers notable benefits such as its non-invasiveness to the soil, its spatial coverage without the need for exhaustive manual measurements and its real time operation. Therefore, it can be very useful in decision making processes that tend to reduce ground damage during agricultural and forestry operations.The authors acknowledge funding from the European commission in the 7th Framework Programme (CROPS Grant Agreement No. 246252) and partial funding under ROBOCITY2030-III-CM project (Robótica aplicada a la mejora de la calidad de vida de los ciudadanos. Fase III; S2013/MIT-2748), funded by Programa de Actividades I + D en la Comunidad de Madrid and cofunded by Structural Funds of the EU. Héctor Montes also acknowledges support from Universidad Tecnológica de Panamá.We acknowledge support of the publication fee by the CSIC Open Access Publication Support Initiative through its Unit of Information Resources for Research (URICI).CHF 1,620 APC fee funded by the EC FP7 Post-Grant Open Access PilotPeer reviewe

TIRAMISU European Project: Design and Implementation of Tools for Humanitarian Demining

This paper presents the most relevant results of the work done within the framework of TIRAMISU European project (Toolbox Implementation for Removal of Anti-personnel Mines, Submunitions and UXO), by the Centre for Automation and Robotics CAR (CSIC-UPM). This project has been funded by European Union within the Seventh Framework Programme of R&D. In general, the works carried out during this project, currently in effect, have been the design and development of tools for training in search of landmines and other for locating anti-personnel landmines, such as: design and validation of e-tutors for land impact and non-Technical Survey tools, and landmines identification for training of trainee, who will collaborate in humanitarian demining tasks; design and implementation of a training tool to be used with compact metal detectors; design, implementation and evaluation of an intelligent prodder training tool for close-in detection of buried landmines; development of a semi-autonomous and teleoperated system for search and detection of anti-personnel mines, which consists of a hexapod robot and a scanning manipulator arm, that carries a metal detector at its end-effector.This project has been funded by European Union within the Seventh Framework Programme of R&D.Peer reviewe

Multisensory System for Fruit Harvesting Robots. Experimental Testing in Natural Scenarios and with Different Kinds of Crops

The motivation of this research was to explore the feasibility of detecting and locating fruits from different kinds of crops in natural scenarios. To this end, a unique, modular and easily adaptable multisensory system and a set of associated pre-processing algorithms are proposed. The offered multisensory rig combines a high resolution colour camera and a multispectral system for the detection of fruits, as well as for the discrimination of the different elements of the plants, and a Time-Of-Flight (TOF) camera that provides fast acquisition of distances enabling the localisation of the targets in the coordinate space. A controlled lighting system completes the set-up, increasing its flexibility for being used in different working conditions. The pre-processing algorithms designed for the proposed multisensory system include a pixel-based classification algorithm that labels areas of interest that belong to fruits and a registration algorithm that combines the results of the aforementioned classification algorithm with the data provided by the TOF camera for the 3D reconstruction of the desired regions. Several experimental tests have been carried out in outdoors conditions in order to validate the capabilities of the proposed system.The motivation of this research was to explore the feasibility of detecting and locating fruits from different kinds of crops in natural scenarios. To this end, a unique, modular and easily adaptable multisensory system and a set of associated pre-processing algorithms are proposed. The offered multisensory rig combines a high resolution colour camera and a multispectral system for the detection of fruits, as well as for the discrimination of the different elements of the plants, and a Time-Of-Flight (TOF) camera that provides fast acquisition of distances enabling the localisation of the targets in the coordinate space. A controlled lighting system completes the set-up, increasing its flexibility for being used in different working conditions. The pre-processing algorithms designed for the proposed multisensory system include a pixel-based classification algorithm that labels areas of interest that belong to fruits and a registration algorithm that combines the results of the aforementioned classification algorithm with the data provided by the TOF camera for the 3D reconstruction of the desired regions. Several experimental tests have been carried out in outdoors conditions in order to validate the capabilities of the proposed system

Evaluation of a Sensory Tracking System for Hand-held Detectors in Outdoor Conditions

This paper presents the experimental results obtained throughout the outdoor testing of a sensory tracking system specifically designed as part of a training tool for improving the utilisation of hand-held detectors. The proposed system is able to acquire information in two different scenarios: when the expert’s skills are studied in order to quantify some critical performance variables and when the deminers’ performance is evaluated during the close- in-detection training tasks, in order to give the operator significant feedback for improving their competences. Additionally to previously studied variables such as the safety distance to advance the detector search-head on each sweep, the sweep velocity, the scan height, the inclination of the hand-held detector head with respect to the ground and the coverage area, a special emphasis related to the geo-referencing of the hand-held detector head in real-time is provided.This paper presents the experimental results obtained throughout the outdoor testing of a sensory tracking system specifically designed as part of a training tool for improving the utilisation of hand-held detectors. The proposed system is able to acquire information in two different scenarios: when the expert’s skills are studied in order to quantify some critical performance variables and when the deminers’ performance is evaluated during the close- in-detection training tasks, in order to give the operator significant feedback for improving their competences. Additionally to previously studied variables such as the safety distance to advance the detector search-head on each sweep, the sweep velocity, the scan height, the inclination of the hand-held detector head with respect to the ground and the coverage area, a special emphasis related to the geo-referencing of the hand-held detector head in real-time is provided

Reconfiguration of a climbing robot in an all-terrain hexapod robot

This work presents the reconfiguration from a previous climbing robot to an all-terrain robot for applications in outdoor environments. The original robot is a six-legged climbing robot for high payloads. This robot has used special electromagnetic feet in order to support itself on vertical ferromagnetic walls to carry out specific tasks. The reconfigured all-terrain hexapod robot will be able to perform different applications on the ground, for example, as inspection platform for humanitarian demining tasks. In this case, the reconfigured hexapod robot will load a scanning manipulator arm with a specific metal detector as end-effector. With the implementation of the scanning manipulator on the hexapod robot, several tasks about search and localisation of antipersonnel mines would be carried out. The robot legs have a SCARA configuration, which allows low energy consumption when the robot performs trajectories on a quasi-flat terrain.Peer reviewe

Unmanned Ground Vehicles for Smart Farms

Forecasts of world population increases in the coming decades demand new production processes that are more efficient, safer, and less destructive to the environment. Industries are working to fulfill this mission by developing the smart factory concept. The agriculture world should follow industry leadership and develop approaches to implement the smart farm concept. One of the most vital elements that must be configured to meet the requirements of the new smart farms is the unmanned ground vehicles (UGV). Thus, this chapter focuses on the characteristics that the UGVs must have to function efficiently in this type of future farm. Two main approaches are discussed: automating conventional vehicles and developing specifically designed mobile platforms. The latter includes both wheeled and wheel-legged robots and an analysis of their adaptability to terrain and crops

Dispositivo para la medición automática del volumen de un fluido que corre por un conducto y el procedimiento para su medición y su posterior vaciado autónomo en función de la cantidad de fluido acumulado

Dispositivo para la medición del volumen de un fluido que corre por un conducto y su posterior vaciado autónomo compuesto por un receptor de líquido (1) y un sensor capacitivo (7) y que se caracteriza porque el receptor de líquido (1) tiene en su interior un elemento central móvil (12) con un obturador (13) para controlar el vaciado del líquido. El procedimiento para la medición y vaciado se caracteriza porque se mide el volumen de fluido Vi en el receptor de líquido (1) con un intervalo T1 hasta que Vi > R1 — ɛ, momento en que se interrumpe el cálculo del flujo relativo de líquido Qi y después del cual el elemento central móvil (12) y el obturador (13) empiecen a emerger, por lo que se empieza a vaciar el receptor de líquido (1), y en el momento en el que Vi ≤ ρ, el obturador (13) detiene el vaciado, y se reinicia el procesoPeer reviewedConsejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Universidad San Pablo CEUA2 Solicitud de patente sin informe sobre el estado de la técnic

Dispositivo para la medición automática del volumen de un fluido que corre por un conducto y el procedimiento para su medición y su posterior vaciado autónomo en función de la cantidad de fluido acumulado

Dispositivo para la medición del volumen de un fluido que corre por un conducto y su posterior vaciado autónomo compuesto por un receptor de líquido (1) y un sensor capacitivo (7) y que se caracteriza porque el receptor de líquido (1) tiene en su interior un elemento central móvil (12) con un obturador (13) para controlar el vaciado del líquido. El procedimiento para la medición y vaciado se caracteriza porque se mide el volumen de fluido Vi en el receptor de líquido (1) con un intervalo T1 hasta que Vi > R1 — ɛ, momento en que se interrumpe el cálculo del flujo relativo de líquido Qi y después del cual el elemento central móvil (12) y el obturador (13) empiecen a emerger, por lo que se empieza a vaciar el receptor de líquido (1), y en el momento en el que Vi ≤ ρ, el obturador (13) detiene el vaciado, y se reinicia el procesoPeer reviewedConsejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Universidad San Pablo CEUB1 Patente sin examen previ

Mechanical actuator for biomimetic propulsion and the effect of the caudal fin elasticity on the swimming performance

This paper presents a mechanical actuator for the biomimetic propulsion of swimming devices and the experimental study of the effect of the caudal fin elasticity on the overall performance. The design of the proposed drive allows the DC motor to operate at constant speed, so all the power of the motor is spent only for the motion of the caudal fin. A prototype of the actuator, in which the caudal fin serves as a driving element, is manufactured and tested in both laboratory and natural conditions. The swimming speed, the thrust efficiency and the maneuverability are evaluated for caudal fins with different stiffness. The caudal fin whose rigidity varies relative to both vertical and horizontal cross-section, exhibits the best performance. The achieved results also confirm that the proposed actuator could be of great interest to applications in the field of underwater operation, ocean investigation and environmental protection

Design of a training tool for improving the use of hand-held detectors in humanitarian demining

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to introduce the design of a training tool intended to improve deminers' technique during close-in detection tasks. Design/methodology/approach - Following an introduction that highlights the impact of mines and improvised explosive devices (IEDs), and the importance of training for enhancing the safety and the efficiency of the deminers, this paper considers the utilization of a sensory tracking system to study the skill of the hand-held detector expert operators. With the compiled information, some critical performance variables can be extracted, assessed, and quantified, so that they can be used afterwards as reference values for the training task. In a second stage, the sensory tracking system is used for analysing the trainee skills. The experimentation phase aims to test the effectiveness of the elements that compose the sensory system to track the hand-held detector during the training sessions. Findings - The proposed training tool will be able to evaluate the deminers' efficiency during the scanning tasks and will provide important information for improving their competences. Originality/value - This paper highlights the need of introducing emerging technologies for enhancing the current training techniques for deminers and proposes a sensory tracking system that can be successfully utilised for evaluating trainees' performance with hand-held detectors. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited.The authors acknowledge funding from the European Community's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007‐2013 TIRAMISU) under Grant Agreement No. 284747 and partial funding under Robocity2030 S‐0505/DPI‐0176 and FORTUNA A1/039883/11 (Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional para el Desarrollo – AECID). Dr Roemi Fernández acknowledges support from CSIC under grant JAE‐DOC. Dr Héctor Montes acknowledges support from Universidad Tecnológica de Panamá and from CSIC under grant JAE‐DOC.Peer Reviewe