Urban Search and Rescue 2007 General Robotics 2007

Purpose Carnegie Urban Rescue Force (CURF) has started a initiative with the General Robotics Class of Spring 2007 to develop a fleet of highly compatible robots to help in the rescue effort. Introduction

Design Criteria Size Constraints –Width: 6.0” –Depth: 8.5” –Height: 6.0” –Includes the vision system Tele-operation Vision System Extra Parts –Extra LEGO motor –$50 spending limit for LEGO parts Introduction

High Level Overview Write a ProposalMarch 21 CheckpointMarch 28 DemonstrationApril 3 FinalistsApril 4 PosterApril 9 Self-EvaluationApril 9 Tasks

Design Proposal Write-up: –Basic schematics –Descriptions –Special features –Obstacles –Climbing –Steering –Controllability Hand in by Tuesday, March 21 st, 2007 Following outline is Highly Recommended. Note: You cannot continue on with the prototyping phase if your design proposal does not meet these requirements Tasks

Last Year’s Scenario Location: Scaife Hall Disaster: Meteor Strike Tasks

Building Floor Plan Tasks

Common Difficulties Rubble and debris Collapsed objects Unstable structures Narrow hallways Obstacles Stairs Tasks

This Year’s Scenario CMU Nursing Home Earthquake Tasks

Building Floor Plan To Be Released After Checkpoint Cleared Tasks

Designing Good Robot Platform for Adverse Terrain Drive trains revisited Tank Treads Differential drive configurations Center of Gravity Mechanical Robustness Suspensions Testing Mechanical

Drive Trains Revisited High-torque situations Back driving Foreign objects Weak links Mechanical

Tank Treads In the past, people forgot: Slack on top or bottom depending upon location of driven wheel Idler on top of tread can increase tension and area of drive wheel in contact with tread Mechanical

Differential Drive Advantages in steering What happens if you lose a DOF? Mechanical

Center of Gravity Masses –Handy Board –LEGO motors –Added mass (batteries, fishing weights, etc.) High CG is bad Consider CG in relation to length and width Traction Mechanical

Mechanical Robustness Masses Internal forces Odd forces No parts sticking out Zip Ties Mechanical

Suspensions 1st: Wheel/track suspension –squishyness of wheels –span of tracks 2nd: Active Dampening Suspensions –Tube things in kits –LEGO shock absorbers –Random foam, springs 3rd: Passive suspensions Mechanical

Testing Torque Tests Stall drive wheels Hill Tests Various terrain Ground clearance Break-over angle Ridges Mechanical

Camera and Camera Mount Vision

Pan and Tilt Camera Mount Camera moves Robot doesn’t Greater visibility Obstacles Vision

Control and Control Issues Robot has 1st person perspective Pilot has 3rd person perspective (sometimes occluded) Moveable Camera Where to put intelligence? Autonomy? Controls

Control: Robot Intelligence Robot has encoders –go(int inches) –turn(int degrees) Ground sensors –feelers Inclination sensors –mercury switches –rolling ball inclinometers, –accelerometers Internal sensor Self-diagnostics Controls

Control: Robot Autonomy Autonomous functions to deploy equipment Autonomously navigate occluded areas (i.e. wall following) Automate compounded functions such as expanding Controls

“Smart Mechanism” Mechanisms that compound DOFs –Can do different things depending on which way turned Release mechanisms Expanding Mechanisms Locking Mechanisms –Can lock an expansion or an appendage into position me (and other TAs) for consulting Controls

Neat Ideas Marsupial Robots –Robin Murphy, USF Shape Reconfiguring robots –Inuktun.com Asymmetry NASA Rovers Current off road vehicle examples –Land Rover –Jeep –Hummer –Moon Rover –Mars Rovers –ATVs –The Animal (ok, old) –Other Toys Controls

Q&A Design Proposal Checkpoint Demonstration Q&A

Design Proposal? Qualitative analysis –Mobility, user friendliness, coolness Quantitative analysis –Top speed, ground clearance, torque For the proposal, we would like you to think numerically. Q&A

Prototype Evaluation? 6 of the 8 checkpoints Ability to move and turn, Use the camera Surmount various obstacles. None of these require autonomy. This must be done during lab hours. March 28 th at 8pm (the latest) Q&A

USAR Demonstration April 3 rd One run –2 minute setup time –10 minute run Q&A

Good Luck!!