학술논문

Mine Tunnel Exploration Using Multiple Quadrupedal Robots
Document Type
Periodical
Source
IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters IEEE Robot. Autom. Lett. Robotics and Automation Letters, IEEE. 5(2):2840-2847 Apr, 2020
Subject
Robotics and Control Systems
Computing and Processing
Components, Circuits, Devices and Systems
Legged locomotion
Planning
Cameras
Robot vision systems
Navigation
Mining robotics
field robots
legged robots
Language
ISSN
2377-3766
2377-3774
Abstract
Robotic exploration of underground environments is a particularly challenging problem due to communication, endurance, and traversability constraints which necessitate high degrees of autonomy and agility. These challenges are further exacerbated by the need to minimize human intervention for practical applications. While legged robots have the ability to traverse extremely challenging terrain, they also engender new challenges for planning, estimation, and control. In this work, we describe a fully autonomous system for multi-robot mine exploration and mapping using legged quadrupeds, as well as a distributed database mesh networking system for reporting data. In addition, we show results from DARPA Subterranean Challenge (SubT) Tunnel Circuit demonstrating localization of artifacts after traversals of hundreds of meters. These experiments describe fully autonomous exploration of an unknown Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS)-denied environment undertaken by legged robots.