264 research outputs found
MRS Drone: A Modular Platform for Real-World Deployment of Aerial Multi-Robot Systems
This paper presents a modular autonomous Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)
platform called the Multi-robot Systems (MRS) Drone that can be used in a large
range of indoor and outdoor applications. The MRS Drone features unique
modularity with respect to changes in actuators, frames, and sensory
configuration. As the name suggests, the platform is specially tailored for
deployment within a MRS group. The MRS Drone contributes to the
state-of-the-art of UAV platforms by allowing smooth real-world deployment of
multiple aerial robots, as well as by outperforming other platforms with its
modularity. For real-world multi-robot deployment in various applications, the
platform is easy to both assemble and modify. Moreover, it is accompanied by a
realistic simulator to enable safe pre-flight testing and a smooth transition
to complex real-world experiments. In this manuscript, we present mechanical
and electrical designs, software architecture, and technical specifications to
build a fully autonomous multi UAV system. Finally, we demonstrate the full
capabilities and the unique modularity of the MRS Drone in various real-world
applications that required a diverse range of platform configurations.Comment: 49 pages, 39 figures, accepted for publication to the Journal of
Intelligent & Robotic System
Adaptive arbitration of aerial swarm interactions through a Gaussian kernel for coherent group motion
Swarm behaviors offer scalability and robustness to failure through a decentralized and distributed design. When designing coherent group motion as in swarm flocking, virtual potential functions are a widely used mechanism to ensure the aforementioned properties. However, arbitrating through different virtual potential sources in real-time has proven to be difficult. Such arbitration is often affected by fine tuning of the control parameters used to select among the different sources and by manually set cut-offs used to achieve a balance between stability and velocity. A reliance on parameter tuning makes these methods not ideal for field operations of aerial drones which are characterized by fast non-linear dynamics hindering the stability of potential functions designed for slower dynamics. A situation that is further exacerbated by parameters that are fine-tuned in the lab is often not appropriate to achieve satisfying performances on the field. In this work, we investigate the problem of dynamic tuning of local interactions in a swarm of aerial vehicles with the objective of tackling the stabilityâvelocity trade-off. We let the focal agent autonomously and adaptively decide which source of local information to prioritize and at which degreeâfor example, which neighbor interaction or goal direction. The main novelty of the proposed method lies in a Gaussian kernel used to regulate the importance of each element in the swarm scheme. Each agent in the swarm relies on such a mechanism at every algorithmic iteration and uses it to tune the final output velocities. We show that the presented approach can achieve cohesive flocking while at the same time navigating through a set of way-points at speed. In addition, the proposed method allows to achieve other desired field properties such as automatic group splitting and joining over long distances. The aforementioned properties have been empirically proven by an extensive set of simulated and field experiments, in communication-full and communication-less scenarios. Moreover, the presented approach has been proven to be robust to failures, intermittent communication, and noisy perceptions
Self-Organized UAV Flocking Based on Proximal Control
In this work, we address the problem of achieving cohesive and aligned flocking (collective motion) with a swarm of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). We propose a method that requires only onboard sensing of the relative range and bearing of neighboring UAVs, and therefore requires only proximal control for achieving formation. Our method efficiently achieves flocking in the absence of any explicit orientation information exchange (alignment control), and achieves flocking in a random direction without externally provided directional information. To implement proximal control, the Lennard-Jones potential function is used to maintain cohesiveness and avoid collisions. Our approach may be used independently from any external positioning system such as GNSS or Motion Capture, and can therefore be used in GNSS-denied environments. The performance of the approach was tested in real-world conditions by experiments with UAVs that rely only on a relative visual localization system called UVDAR, proposed by our group. To evaluate the degree of alignment and cohesiveness, we used the order metric and the steady-state value
Identification of Eukaryotic Translation Elongation Factor 1âα 1 Gamendazole-Binding Site for Binding of 3âHydroxy-4(1<i>H</i>)âquinolinones as Novel Ligands with Anticancer Activity
Here, we have identified
the interaction site of the contraceptive
drug gamendazole using computational modeling. The drug was previously
described as a ligand for eukaryotic translation elongation factor
1-α 1 (eEF1A1) and found to be a potential target site for derivatives
of 2-phenyl-3-hydroxy-4Â(1<i>H</i>)-quinolinones (3-HQs),
which exhibit anticancer activity. The interaction of this class of
derivatives of 3-HQs with eEF1A1 inside cancer cells was confirmed
via pull-down assay. We designed and synthesized a new family of 3-HQs
and subsequently applied isothermal titration calorimetry to show
that these compounds strongly bind to eEF1A1. Further, we found that
some of these derivatives possess significant in vitro anticancer
activity
Multiplicity dependence of light (anti-)nuclei production in pâPb collisions at sNN=5.02 TeV
The measurement of the deuteron and anti-deuteron production in the rapidity range â1 < y < 0 as a function of transverse momentum and event multiplicity in pâPb collisions at âsNN = 5.02 TeV is presented. (Anti-)deuterons are identified via their specific energy loss dE/dx and via their time-of- flight. Their production in pâPb collisions is compared to pp and PbâPb collisions and is discussed within the context of thermal and coalescence models. The ratio of integrated yields of deuterons to protons (d/p) shows a significant increase as a function of the charged-particle multiplicity of the event starting from values similar to those observed in pp collisions at low multiplicities and approaching those observed in PbâPb collisions at high multiplicities. The mean transverse particle momenta are extracted from the deuteron spectra and the values are similar to those obtained for p and particles. Thus, deuteron spectra do not follow mass ordering. This behaviour is in contrast to the trend observed for non-composite particles in pâPb collisions. In addition, the production of the rare 3He and 3He nuclei has been studied. The spectrum corresponding to all non-single diffractive p-Pb collisions is obtained in the rapidity window â1 < y < 0 and the pT-integrated yield dN/dy is extracted. It is found that the yields of protons, deuterons, and 3He, normalised by the spin degeneracy factor, follow an exponential decrease with mass number
Pseudorapidity densities of charged particles with transverse momentum thresholds in pp collisions at â s = 5.02 and 13 TeV
The pseudorapidity density of charged particles with minimum transverse momentum (pT) thresholds of 0.15, 0.5, 1, and
2 GeV/c is measured in pp collisions at the center of mass energies of âs=5.02 and 13 TeV with the ALICE detector. The study is carried out for inelastic collisions with at least one primary charged particle having a pseudorapidity (η) within 0.8pT larger than the corresponding threshold. In addition, measurements without pT-thresholds are performed for inelastic and nonsingle-diffractive events as well as for inelastic events with at least one charged particle having
|η|2GeV/c), highlighting the importance of such measurements for tuning event generators. The new measurements agree within uncertainties with results from the ATLAS and CMS experiments obtained at âs=13TeV.
Nuclear modification factor of light neutral-meson spectra up to high transverse momentum in pâPb collisions at sNN=8.16 TeV
International audienceNeutral pion (Ï0) and η meson production cross sections were measured up to unprecedentedly high transverse momenta (pT) in pâPb collisions at sNN=8.16TeV. The mesons were reconstructed via their two-photon decay channel in the rapidity interval â1.3<y<0.3 in the ranges of 0.4<pT<200 GeV/c and 1.0<pT<50 GeV/c, respectively. The respective nuclear modification factor (RpPb) is presented for pT up to of 200 and 30 GeV/c, where the former was achieved by extending the Ï0 measurement in pp collisions at s=8TeV using the merged cluster technique. The values of RpPb are below unity for pT<10 GeV/c, while they are consistent with unity for pT>10 GeV/c, leaving essentially no room for final state energy loss. The new data provide strong constraints for nuclear parton distribution and fragmentation functions over a broad kinematic range and are compared to model predictions as well as previous results at sNN=5.02TeV
Elliptic Flow of Electrons from Beauty-Hadron Decays in Pb-Pb Collisions at = 5.02 TeV
The elliptic flow of electrons from beauty hadron decays at midrapidity (|y|<0.8) is measured in Pb-Pb collisions at = 5.02 TeV with the ALICE detector at the LHC. The azimuthal distribution of the particles produced in the collisions can be parametrized with a Fourier expansion, in which the second harmonic coefficient represents the elliptic flow, . The coefficient of electrons from beauty hadron decays is measured for the first time in the transverse momentum () range 1.3â6 GeV/c in the centrality class 30%â50%. The measurement of electrons from beauty-hadron decays exploits their larger mean proper decay length cÏ â 500 ÎŒm compared to that of charm hadrons and most of the other background sources. The of electrons from beauty hadron decays at midrapidity is found to be positive with a significance of 3.75 Ï. The results provide insights into the degree of thermalization of beauty quarks in the medium. A model assuming full thermalization of beauty quarks is strongly disfavored by the measurement at high , but is in agreement with the results at low . Transport models including substantial interactions of beauty quarks with an expanding strongly interacting medium describe the measurement within uncertainties
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