Development of mobile robotics platform for identification of land mines antipersonal in different areas of Colombia

Over the last few years, mobile robotics has experienced a great development thanks to the wide variety of problems that can be solved with this technology. An autonomous mobile robot must be able to operate in a priori unknown environments, planning its trajectory and navigating to the required target points. With this aim, it is crucial solving the mapping and localization problems with accuracy and acceptable computational cost. The use of omnidirectional vision systems has emerged as a robust choice thanks to the big quantity of information they can extract from the environment. The images must be processed to obtain relevant information that permits solving robustly the mapping and localization problems. The classical frameworks to address this problem are based on the extraction, description and tracking of local features or landmarks. However, more recently, a new family of methods has emerged as a robust alternative in mobile robotics. It consists of describing each image as a whole, what leads to conceptually simpler algorithms. While methods based on local features have been extensively studied and compared in the literature, those based on global appearance still merit a deep study to uncover their performance. In this work, a comparative evaluation of six global-appearance description techniques in localization tasks is carried out, both in terms of accuracy and computational cost. Some sets of images captured in a real environment are used with this aim, including some typical phenomena such as changes in lighting conditions, visual aliasing, partial occlusions and noise.

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Efficient Reactive Obstacle Avoidance Using Spirals for Escape

Drones ◽

10.3390/drones5020051 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 5 (2) ◽

pp. 51

Author(s):

Fábio Azevedo ◽

Jaime S. Cardoso ◽

André Ferreira ◽

Tiago Fernandes ◽

Miguel Moreira ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles ◽

Mobile Robotics ◽

Point Clouds ◽

Depth Camera ◽

Main Task ◽

Robust Method ◽

Aerial Vehicles ◽

Correct Execution ◽

Low Altitude ◽

High Degree

The usage of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) has increased in recent years and new application scenarios have emerged. Some of them involve tasks that require a high degree of autonomy, leading to increasingly complex systems. In order for a robot to be autonomous, it requires appropriate perception sensors that interpret the environment and enable the correct execution of the main task of mobile robotics: navigation. In the case of UAVs, flying at low altitude greatly increases the probability of encountering obstacles, so they need a fast, simple, and robust method of collision avoidance. This work covers the problem of navigation in unknown scenarios by implementing a simple, yet robust, environment-reactive approach. The implementation is done with both CPU and GPU map representations to allow wider coverage of possible applications. This method searches for obstacles that cross a cylindrical safety volume, and selects an escape point from a spiral for avoiding the obstacle. The algorithm is able to successfully navigate in complex scenarios, using both a high and low-power computer, typically found aboard UAVs, relying only on a depth camera with a limited FOV and range. Depending on the configuration, the algorithm can process point clouds at nearly 40 Hz in Jetson Nano, while checking for threats at 10 kHz. Some preliminary tests were conducted with real-world scenarios, showing both the advantages and limitations of CPU and GPU-based methodologies.

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IEEE Access Special Section Editorial: Real-Time Machine Learning Applications in Mobile Robotics

IEEE Access ◽

10.1109/access.2021.3090135 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 ◽

pp. 89694-89698

Author(s):

Aysegul Ucar ◽

Jessy W. Grizzle ◽

Maani Ghaffari ◽

Mattias Wahde ◽

H. Levent Akin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Machine Learning ◽

Real Time ◽

Mobile Robotics ◽

Special Section ◽

Time Machine ◽

Machine Learning Applications

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Disarmament

The Oxford Handbook on the United Nations ◽

10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199560103.003.0017 ◽

2008 ◽

pp. 286-299

Author(s):

Keith Krause

Keyword(s):

International Relations ◽

Arms Control ◽

Land Mines ◽

International Peace ◽

Small Arms ◽

The World ◽

Peace And Security ◽

World Organization ◽

Light Weapons

This article evaluates the achievements and limitations of the world organization in the field of disarmament. It stresses the role of the UN as part of the efforts to control arms as a way to achieve international peace and security. It also notes specific cases where progress was achieved or not, as well as the more recent efforts to handle the problems of anti-personnel land mines and small arms and light weapons. The article also tries to draw out some of the broader implications for international relations of the UN experience with formal multilateral arms control, among others.

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RoboEye, an Efficient, Reliable and Safe Semi-Autonomous Gaze Driven Wheelchair for Domestic Use

Technologies ◽

10.3390/technologies9010016 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

pp. 16

Author(s):

Luca Maule ◽

Alessandro Luchetti ◽

Matteo Zanetti ◽

Paolo Tomasin ◽

Marco Pertile ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mobile Robotics ◽

Cost Effective ◽

Continuous Control ◽

Eye Tracker ◽

Motor Disability ◽

Non Invasive ◽

Severe Motor ◽

Core Elements ◽

Domestic Use ◽

User Friendly

Any severe motor disability is a condition that limits the ability to interact with the environment, even the domestic one, caused by the loss of control over one’s mobility. This work presents RoboEYE, a power wheelchair designed to allow users to move easily and autonomously within their homes. To achieve this goal, an innovative, cost-effective and user-friendly control system was designed, in which a non-invasive eye tracker, a monitor, and a 3D camera represent some of the core elements. RoboEYE integrates functionalities from the mobile robotics field into a standard power wheelchair, with the main advantage of providing the user with two driving options and comfortable navigation. The most intuitive and direct modality foresees the continuous control of frontal and angular wheelchair velocities by gazing at different areas of the monitor. The second, semi-autonomous modality allows navigation toward a selected point in the environment by just pointing and activating the wished destination while the system autonomously plans and follows the trajectory that brings the wheelchair to that point. The purpose of this work was to develop the control structure and driving interface designs of the aforementioned driving modalities taking into account also uncertainties in gaze detection and other sources of uncertainty related to the components to ensure user safety. Furthermore, the driving modalities, in particular the semi-autonomous one, were modeled and qualified through numerical simulations and experimental verification by testing volunteers, who are regular users of standard electric wheelchairs, to verify the efficiency, reliability and safety of the proposed system for domestic use. RoboEYE resulted suitable for environments with narrow passages wider than 1 m, which is comparable with a standard domestic door and due to its properties with large commercialization potential.

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