WayFAST: Navigation with Predictive Traversability in the Field

We present a self-supervised approach for learning to predict traversable paths for wheeled mobile robots that require good traction to navigate. Our algorithm, termed WayFAST (Waypoint Free Autonomous Systems for Traversability), uses RGB and depth data, along with navigation experience, to autonomously generate traversable paths in outdoor unstructured environments. Our key inspiration is that traction can be estimated for rolling robots using kinodynamic models. Using traction estimates provided by an online receding horizon estimator, we are able to train a traversability prediction neural network in a self-supervised manner, without requiring heuristics utilized by previous methods. We demonstrate the effectiveness of WayFAST through extensive field testing in varying environments, ranging from sandy dry beaches to forest canopies and snow covered grass fields. Our results clearly demonstrate that WayFAST can learn to avoid geometric obstacles as well as untraversable terrain, such as snow, which would be difficult to avoid with sensors that provide only geometric data, such as LiDAR. Furthermore, we show that our training pipeline based on online traction estimates is more data-efficient than other heuristic-based methods.Comment: Project website with code and videos: https://mateusgasparino.com/wayfast-traversability-navigation/ Published in the IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters (RA-L, 2022) Accepted for presentation in the 2022 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS 2022

XVI International Congress of Control Electronics and Telecommunications: "Techno-scientific considerations for a post-pandemic world intensive in knowledge, innovation and sustainable local development"

Este título, sugestivo por los impactos durante la situación de la Covid 19 en el mundo, y que en Colombia lastimosamente han sido muy críticos, permiten asumir la obligada superación de tensiones sociales, políticas, y económicas; pero sobre todo científicas y tecnológicas. Inicialmente, esto supone la existencia de una capacidad de la sociedad colombiana por recuperar su estado inicial después de que haya cesado la perturbación a la que fue sometida por la catastrófica pandemia, y superar ese anterior estado de cosas ya que se encontraban -y aún se encuentran- muchos problemas locales mal resueltos, medianamente resueltos, y muchos sin resolver: es decir, habrá que rediseñar y fortalecer una probada resiliencia social existente - producto del prolongado conflicto social colombiano superado parcialmente por un proceso de paz exitoso - desde la tecnociencia local; como lo indicaba Markus Brunnermeier - economista alemán y catedrático de economía de la Universidad de Princeton- en su libro The Resilient Society…La cuestión no es preveerlo todo sino poder reaccionar…aprender a recuperarse rápido.This title, suggestive of the impacts during the Covid 19 situation in the world, and which have unfortunately been very critical in Colombia, allows us to assume the obligatory overcoming of social, political, and economic tensions; but above all scientific and technological. Initially, this supposes the existence of a capacity of Colombian society to recover its initial state after the disturbance to which it was subjected by the catastrophic pandemic has ceased, and to overcome that previous state of affairs since it was found -and still is find - many local problems poorly resolved, moderately resolved, and many unresolved: that is, an existing social resilience test will have to be redesigned and strengthened - product of the prolonged Colombian social conflict partially overcome by a successful peace process - from local technoscience; As Markus Brunnermeier - German economist and professor of economics at Princeton University - indicates in his book The Resilient Society...The question is not to foresee everything but to be able to react...learn to recover quickly.Bogot

helvis III - Development and characterization of a robotic plataform

O principal propósito deste trabalho é desenvolver e caracterizar o veículo robótico ℏelvis III, para ser usado no desenvolvimento de pesquisas na área de controle e navegação de robôs móveis. O sistema de propulsão foi caracterizado para determinar a velocidade real do veículo em quatro tipos diferentes de terrenos (Asfalto, grama, grama-terra e terra). Também foi caracterizado o sistema de esterçamento mediante o modelo cinemático da bicicleta, onde se obteve a relação entre a posição do servo motor encarregado do esterçamento do veículo e o valor do ângulo de esterçamento de uma bicicleta. Foram determinados os valores dos erros CEP (Circular Error Probability) e SEP (Spherical Error Probability) do GPS (Global Positioning System) embarcado no veículo mediante dois testes: um em São Carlos – SP (Brasil) e outro em Villavicencio – Meta (Colômbia). Nesses testes foi caracterizada a IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) embarcada no veículo, além de verificado o efeito da luz solar no funcionamento do sensor tipo LIDAR (Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging) embarcado no helvis III. Por último, pode-se definir a dinâmica do veículo à frente, com a determinação seu centro de massa, e é apresentado o comportamento das forças sob as rodas quando o veículo fica parado ou em movimento sobre terrenos que geram uma inclinação em algum dos eixos cartesianos.The main objective of this work is the development and characterization of a robotic vehicle ℏelvis III in order to use it in the development of researches focused on the fields of mobile robotics control and navigation. Initially the propulsion system was characterized in order to determine the real velocity of vehicle in real conditions (four different kinds of grounds were used). In addition to this, the steering system was also characterized by applying the well-known bicycle kinematic model. During these experimental tests we could find the relation between the position of the servo-motor and the value of steering angle of the bicycle model. The real values of CEP (Circular Error Probability) and SEP (Spherical Error Probability) errors of the vehicle embedded GPS (Global Positioning System) were determined based on two experiments: the first one was carried out in São Carlos – SP (Brazil) and the second one in Villavicencio – Meta (Colombia). During the GPS experiments we could also characterize the vehicle embedded IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit). Then we could observe and measure the effect of solar light on the LIDAR sensor (Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging) performance. Finally, the forward vehicle dynamics is described, with the determination of the center of mass of the vehicle and the observation of the normal forces behavior in the vehicle wheels when it is stopped or moved on an inclined floor

Global economic burden of unmet surgical need for appendicitis

Background There is a substantial gap in provision of adequate surgical care in many low- and middle-income countries. This study aimed to identify the economic burden of unmet surgical need for the common condition of appendicitis. Methods Data on the incidence of appendicitis from 170 countries and two different approaches were used to estimate numbers of patients who do not receive surgery: as a fixed proportion of the total unmet surgical need per country (approach 1); and based on country income status (approach 2). Indirect costs with current levels of access and local quality, and those if quality were at the standards of high-income countries, were estimated. A human capital approach was applied, focusing on the economic burden resulting from premature death and absenteeism. Results Excess mortality was 4185 per 100 000 cases of appendicitis using approach 1 and 3448 per 100 000 using approach 2. The economic burden of continuing current levels of access and local quality was US $92 492 million using approach 1 and$73 141 million using approach 2. The economic burden of not providing surgical care to the standards of high-income countries was $95 004 million using approach 1 and$75 666 million using approach 2. The largest share of these costs resulted from premature death (97.7 per cent) and lack of access (97.0 per cent) in contrast to lack of quality. Conclusion For a comparatively non-complex emergency condition such as appendicitis, increasing access to care should be prioritized. Although improving quality of care should not be neglected, increasing provision of care at current standards could reduce societal costs substantially