Competition to identify key challenges for unmanned aerial robots in near earth environments

IEEE International Conference on Advanced Robotics, Seattle, WA, pp. 303-308, July 2005. Retrieved April 2006 from http://prism2.mem.drexel.edu/~paul/papers/greenIcar2005.pdfTasks like bomb-detection, search-and-rescue, and reconnaissance in near-Earth environments are time, cost and labor intensive. Aerial robots could assist in such missions and offset the demand in resources and personnel. However, flying in environments rich with obstacles presents many more challenges which have yet to be identified. For example, telephone wire is one obstacle that is known to be hard to detect in mid-flight. This paper describes a safe and easy to fly platform in conjunction with an aerial robot competition to highlight key challenges when flying in near- Earth environments

Autonomous underwater vehicle

Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) have many applications ranging from submerged pipeline inspection and maintenance to mapping and clearing mine fields. The purpose of this project is to design and construct an AUV capable of navigating in 3 dimensions, and perform elementary autonomous tasks such as obstacle detection and avoidance. The AUV would operate in shallow water (depths of 20 ft or less). It would be suited to applications such as ship hull inspection, bridge inspection, mapping, and photography in shallow waters. This project will provide a platform for future development of AUVs at Drexel, namely the gradual addition of better sensing and navigating capabilities. The complete design for this robot requires construction and integration of several mechanical and electrical sub-systems. A propeller driven mode of locomotion coupled with a ballast system will allow the robot to navigate in 3 dimensions and fix its position (i.e., “hover” in one spot). A communication scheme will be implemented to operate the vessel to depths of 20 ft with an operational radius of 15 ft. A sensor suite comprised of accelerometers, a compass, and transducers will estimate the robot’s orientation and detect obstacles in its path. The robot will require regulated and properly protected power supply and electronics systems. All individual components and subsystems will be tested on land. Following integration, the completed system will be tested in water, with the objective of demonstrating navigational and obstacle detection capabilities. This process will be directed at discovering design tradeoffs and areas where future research and development are needed

DETC2008-49820 DRAFT: TOWARDS SCALED DESIGNING AND TESTING OF UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLE MISSIONS

ABSTRACT Today's UAVs are being tasked to fly missions in increas

A Competition to Identify Key Challenges for Unmanned Aerial Robots in Near-Earth Environments

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Exploring search-and-rescue in nearearth environments for aerial robots

Homeland security missions executed in near-Earth environments are often time consuming, labor intensive and possibly dangerous. Aerial robots performing tasks such as bomb detection, search-and-rescue and reconnaissance could be used to conserve resources and minimize risk to personnel. Flying in environments which are heavily populated with obstacles yields many challenges. Little data exists to guide the design of vehicles and sensor suites operating in these environments. This paper explores the challenges encountered implementing several different sensing technolgies in near-Earth environments. The results of applying these technologies to control a robotic blimp are presented to direct future work.