4 research outputs found
URA*: Uncertainty-aware Path Planning using Image-based Aerial-to-Ground Traversability Estimation for Off-road Environments
A major challenge with off-road autonomous navigation is the lack of maps or
road markings that can be used to plan a path for autonomous robots. Classical
path planning methods mostly assume a perfectly known environment without
accounting for the inherent perception and sensing uncertainty from detecting
terrain and obstacles in off-road environments. Recent work in computer vision
and deep neural networks has advanced the capability of terrain traversability
segmentation from raw images; however, the feasibility of using these noisy
segmentation maps for navigation and path planning has not been adequately
explored. To address this problem, this research proposes an uncertainty-aware
path planning method, URA* using aerial images for autonomous navigation in
off-road environments. An ensemble convolutional neural network (CNN) model is
first used to perform pixel-level traversability estimation from aerial images
of the region of interest. The traversability predictions are represented as a
grid of traversal probability values. An uncertainty-aware planner is then
applied to compute the best path from a start point to a goal point given these
noisy traversal probability estimates. The proposed planner also incorporates
replanning techniques to allow rapid replanning during online robot operation.
The proposed method is evaluated on the Massachusetts Road Dataset, the
DeepGlobe dataset, as well as a dataset of aerial images from off-road proving
grounds at Mississippi State University. Results show that the proposed image
segmentation and planning methods outperform conventional planning algorithms
in terms of the quality and feasibility of the initial path, as well as the
quality of replanned paths
Security Considerations in AI-Robotics: A Survey of Current Methods, Challenges, and Opportunities
Robotics and Artificial Intelligence (AI) have been inextricably intertwined
since their inception. Today, AI-Robotics systems have become an integral part
of our daily lives, from robotic vacuum cleaners to semi-autonomous cars. These
systems are built upon three fundamental architectural elements: perception,
navigation and planning, and control. However, while the integration of
AI-Robotics systems has enhanced the quality our lives, it has also presented a
serious problem - these systems are vulnerable to security attacks. The
physical components, algorithms, and data that make up AI-Robotics systems can
be exploited by malicious actors, potentially leading to dire consequences.
Motivated by the need to address the security concerns in AI-Robotics systems,
this paper presents a comprehensive survey and taxonomy across three
dimensions: attack surfaces, ethical and legal concerns, and Human-Robot
Interaction (HRI) security. Our goal is to provide users, developers and other
stakeholders with a holistic understanding of these areas to enhance the
overall AI-Robotics system security. We begin by surveying potential attack
surfaces and provide mitigating defensive strategies. We then delve into
ethical issues, such as dependency and psychological impact, as well as the
legal concerns regarding accountability for these systems. Besides, emerging
trends such as HRI are discussed, considering privacy, integrity, safety,
trustworthiness, and explainability concerns. Finally, we present our vision
for future research directions in this dynamic and promising field
Security Considerations in AI-Robotics: A Survey of Current Methods, Challenges, and Opportunities
Robotics and Artificial Intelligence (AI) have been inextricably intertwined since their inception. Today, AI-Robotics systems have become an integral part of our daily lives, from robotic vacuum cleaners to semi-autonomous cars. These systems are built upon three fundamental architectural elements: perception, navigation and planning, and control. However, while the integration of AI in Robotics systems has enhanced the quality of our lives, it has also presented a serious problem - these systems are vulnerable to security attacks. The physical components, algorithms, and data that makeup AI-Robotics systems can be exploited by malicious actors, potentially leading to dire consequences. Motivated by the need to address the security concerns in AI-Robotics systems, this paper presents a comprehensive survey and taxonomy across three dimensions: attack surfaces, ethical and legal concerns, and Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) security. Our goal is to provide readers, developers and other stakeholders with a holistic understanding of these areas to enhance the overall AI-Robotics system security. We begin by identifying potential attack surfaces and provide mitigating defensive strategies. We then delve into ethical issues, such as dependency and psychological impact, as well as the legal concerns regarding accountability for these systems. Besides, emerging trends such as HRI are discussed, considering privacy, integrity, safety, trustworthiness, and explainability concerns. Finally, we present our vision for future research directions in this dynamic and promising field