Acquisition of a Combined Aerial and Underwater Motion Capture System
Abstract
Many scientific fields examine organisms and objects that move in aquatic and semiaquatic envi?ronments. There are applications in human movement, sport, rehabilitation, and animation, as well as understanding behavior and evolutionary pressures on aquatic and semiaquatic organisms. In robotics, there is a long-standing desire to coordinate heterogeneous fleets consisting of aerial, sur?face, and underwater vehicles to study ecological phenomena or perform battlespace operations. The reality is that coordinating a multi-robot fleet is logistically challenging, expensive, and lacks ground-truth; neither the time nor place to develop and debug algorithms and autonomy. Despite this wide array of situations, little research has examined aquatic and semiaquatic motion or the combined tracking of aerial, surf ace, and underwater robots because of the difficulty in cap?turing motion across multiple substrates (e.g., air and water). Recent advances in motion capture technology have made it possible to analyze and track such movements, thus enabling research in multiple substrate tracking and simulating multi-robot deployments in the laboratory. Here, we propose to procure a laboratory testing tank outfitted with a Qualisys motion tracking sys?tem capable of simultaneously tracking multiple aerial, surface and underwater vehicles to enhance existing research programs in marine robotics and ocean science. Specifically, this motion capture system and testing tank will be a laboratory testbed that provides ground-truth for cooperative operations between aerial, surface, and underwater robots and extends the existing, integrated robotic testing facility at Florida International University. Specifically, this acquisition will enable application of a systematic process to generate a broad set of principles for communication-constrained exploration in autonomous decision-making among heterogeneous assets. We will foster new ways to enable adaptive robotic sampling in dynamic en?vironments using automated plan execution for in situ decision making. We will enhance existing research in overcoming the theoretical and technical challenges of developing a general predic?tion, control, and planning framework for autonomous navigation and sampling of dynamic ocean features. This will lead to contributions in the areas of navigation, deliberation, prediction, and targeted sampling to extend autonomy in marine robotics. The instrument will provide a unique development platform for iterative algorithm testing and validation within the labora?tory environment. This capability for ground-truth validation will enable rapid, iterative algorithm development, while reducing time and expenses related to full-scale field trials. To enable au?tonomous navigation and localization for operation in dynamically-evolving environments, vetting autonomy via ground-trothed experiments is crucial prior to field operations. This instrument acquisition will also result in education-related outcomes. Initially, we will pro?vide training to several undergraduate roboticists, engineers, and scientists through the supported interdisciplinary robotics research projects. The research will work to engage underrepresented women and minorities in the research program by leveraging the diverse student population of Florida International University. We intend to provide significant educational impact by attracting expert collaborators to use the instrument and integrate Florida International University undergrad?uates into their research projects, to provide opportunities for graduate school. Additionally, the instrument will be used to support the team s existing K-12 outreach programs in robotics and marine science.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Jun 25, 2021
- Source ID
- W911NF2110152
Entities
People
- Leonardo Bobadilla
Organizations
- Army Contracting Command
- Florida International University
- Office of the Secretary of Defense