1. Challenging Environment
Locomotion in
Challenging Environment
Research Project Presentation
Introduction to Mobile Robotics
Spring 2001
February 8, 2000
Yuzo Ishida
SCS/GSIA
Carnegie Mellon University

2. Introduction: Mobile robot vs. Land locomotion
Agenda
Introduction: Mobile robot vs. Land locomotion
Systems : Robot on off-road
1. Mars (LRV, FIDO/JPL)
2. Volcano (Dante/CMU)
3. Antarctic (Nomad/CMU)
Challenges : key research area
Solutions
Conclusion

3. The bible of robotics in challenging environment
A book
The bible of robotics in challenging environment
OFF-THE-ROAD LOCOMOTION
M.G. BEKKER
What’s the difference?
Land locomotion vs. Mobile robot
Introduction
Systems
Mars
Volcano
Antarctic
Challenges
Solutions
Conclusion
What they want for our team is easier rate selection functionality.

4. the first industrial robot
What is a robot ?
Introduction
Systems
Mars
Volcano
Antarctic
Challenges
Solutions
Conclusion
Unimate,
the first industrial robot
For what ?
Automation
replacing humans in monotonous, heavy and hazardous processes
What a distinctive feature is?
Work without direct control
What they want for our team is easier rate selection functionality.

5. Why we need it on off load ?
What kinds of challenging environment do you image?
Introduction
Systems
Mars
Volcano
Antarctic
Challenges
Solutions
Conclusion
Space (Moon, Mars), Volcano, Polar area (Antarctic)
Disaster happened area (bombed building)
Battlefields (wars, gun-shootings)
Academic environment (CMU)
Why do we need robots in
challenging environment?
What they want for our team is easier rate selection functionality.
For safety or to save life in challenging environment
(Can apply crime prevention / resolution besides research use)

6. A land locomotion on Moon
A Land locomotion not robot Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV)
Introduction
Systems
Mars
Volcano
Antarctic
Challenges
Solutions
Conclusion
What they want for our team is easier rate selection functionality.
Extend the area to be explored
But not safe for astronauts moving around unknown/uncertain area

7. Mobile robots in challenging environment
Systems
Introduction
Systems
Mars
Volcano
Antarctic
Challenges
Solutions
Conclusion
Mobile robots in challenging environment
Mars, Volcano, Antarctic -
What they want for our team is easier rate selection functionality.

8. "Ambler,“ by CMU/NASA (’90)
In space
Introduction
Systems
Mars
Volcano
Antarctic
Challenges
Solutions
Conclusion
"Ambler,“ by CMU/NASA (’90)
a six-legged, 12-foot-tall, prototype, autonomous robot with the "brains" and motor skills to explore rugged terrain
“NASA mission managers had confidence that legged vehicles are a realistic alternative to wheeled rovers for lunar and Mars exploration”.
What they want for our team is easier rate selection functionality.
Are legged-type robots ideal for locomotion on Moon or Mars to explorer ?

9. Wheeled type robots won the race on Mars
Introduction
Systems
Mars
Volcano
Antarctic
Challenges
Solutions
Conclusion
“FIDO” rover
directly supports the NASA/JPL Mars Exploration Rover (MER) Project that will launch 2 rovers to Mars in the summer of 2003.
Autonomous on-board software that reduces the number of interactions with Earth-based mission operators
What they want for our team is easier rate selection functionality.
Why wheeled type? No more legged type robots?
Vision technology (“Watch” rather than “feel”)
- Give robots an “insight” to identify the terrain
- Give robots a “right” to select a path

10. Sanctuary of legged robots
Introduction
Systems
Mars
Volcano
Antarctic
Challenges
Solutions
Conclusion
“Dante II” by CMU/NASA,
a tethered walking robot, which explored the Mt. Spurr (Aleutian Range, Alaska) volcano in July High-temperature,
Legged-type robots are ideal for locomotion on steeper or less traction terrain, where vehicles cannot move.
What they want for our team is easier rate selection functionality.

11. “White out (no contrast)” Stereo vision works poorly or not at all.
Locomotion + Vision
Introduction
Systems
Mars
Volcano
Antarctic
Challenges
Solutions
Conclusion
“Nomad” by
CMU/NASA (’98)
drove 10.3km autonomously in Antarctica under a variety of weather and terrain conditions.
“White out (no contrast)”
Stereo vision works poorly or not at all.
The laser sensor works well on all terrains
What they want for our team is easier rate selection functionality.

12. Mobile robots in challenging environment
Challenges
Introduction
Systems
Mars
Volcano
Antarctic
Challenges
Solutions
Conclusion
Challenges of
Mobile robots in challenging environment
Planning, Controlling, Communicating -
What they want for our team is easier rate selection functionality.

13. Challenges for autonomous
(key research areas in robotics of challenging environment)
Introduction
Systems
Mars
Volcano
Antarctic
Challenges
Solutions
Conclusion
Autonomous (partial => full)
(learning, decision making, intelligence, recovery)
What they want for our team is easier rate selection functionality.
Path planning
Control robots and manipulator
Operator interface and supervisory control

14. Autonomous Cooperative Adaptive Nomad (Antarctic) FIDO (Mars)
Robot capability
Autonomous
Goal directed
Proactive
Introduction
Systems
Mars
Volcano
Antarctic
Challenges
Solutions
Conclusion
Nomad (Antarctic)
Cooperative
Communication
(Cooperate to achieve goals)
Adaptive
Dynamic interaction
(Adapt to their environment)
FIDO (Mars)
Dante II (Legged robot)
What they want for our team is easier rate selection functionality.

15. mobile robots in challenging environment
Difficulties
Introduction
Systems
Mars
Volcano
Antarctic
Challenges
Solutions
Conclusion
Difficulties of
mobile robots in challenging environment
Planning:
Path planning is made based on map.
Map is usually imperfect.
Knowing current position of robot (localization)
is critical point for autonomous
Controlling:
Terrain may not be hard enough
to support the weight of robot.
Robots may not have enough
traction from terrain to move as they expect.
Communicating:
Robots in far away (Mars) or behind obstacles
have less ability to communicate with controller.
What they want for our team is easier rate selection functionality.

16. Mobile robots in challenging environment
Solutions
Introduction
Systems
Mars
Volcano
Antarctic
Challenges
Solutions
Conclusion
Solutions for
Mobile robots in challenging environment
Vision technology, Faster algorism,
Efficient interaction -
What they want for our team is easier rate selection functionality.

17. Steps for autonomous locomotion
Path planning
- Capture : Laser / stereo sensor (Vision)
- Identify (Localization) : updating the distribution, based on robot motion and sensing - correlation-based Markov localization (CBML) – faster/less storages;
- Think : error recovery module
Control robots and manipulator
- Advanced wheel-terrain interaction mechanics: faster and on-line calculation
- Wheel-terrain contact angle:
angle estimation methodology to
get more stable traction
3. Operator interface and supervisory control
- Software architecture : more efficient/less communication with vision (camera) support
Introduction
Systems
Mars
Volcano
Antarctic
Challenges
Solutions
Conclusion
What they want for our team is easier rate selection functionality.

18. research, science and engineering -
Conclusion
Introduction
Systems
Mars
Volcano
Antarctic
Challenges
Solutions
Conclusion
Conclusion
Over 40 years’ on-going
research, science and engineering -
What they want for our team is easier rate selection functionality.

19. Conclusion
Introduction
Systems
Mars
Volcano
Antarctic
Challenges
Solutions
Conclusion
Robots in “challenging environment” are necessary to achieve our varieties of goals “safely” and are trying to be “autonomous”.
But we must know more precisely ….
Where we are:
Accurate and efficient algorism for localization
What we see:
Robust vision technologies to capture terrain
What we expect:
Less/faster and on-line calculation to estimate terrain and locomotion
What they want for our team is easier rate selection functionality.

20. The bible has already described the following points in 1960;
A book
The bible has already described the following points in 1960;
A motor vehicle and the train concept
Physical properties of soil, mud and snow
Geometrical properties of terrain surface
Motions resistance and vehicular forms
Operational definition of mechanical mobility
Wheel-terrain interaction mechanics
And more….
Introduction
Systems
Mars
Volcano
Antarctic
Challenges
Solutions
Conclusion
What they want for our team is easier rate selection functionality.

21. Thank you for kind attention!
Q&A
Thank you for kind attention!
I would like to be happy to answer any question you might have.