Presentation 10 Fitch Intelligent Vehicle Perception And Autonomy

Intelligent Vehicle Perception
and Autonomy Technology
Osa E. Fitch, Ph.D.
Principal Investigator, Intelligent Vehicles
iRobot Corporation
01 April 2009
Key Messages
• iRobot is committed to growing the mobile robot
industry as a whole
– Provide “deployment grade” products and product
components with open interfaces
– Encourage third party development
• iRobot understands Autonomous Intelligent
Vehicle technology
– R-Gator and other Intelligent Vehicles (e.g. DARPA
Urban Grand Challenge, 7 meter RHIB AUSV, etc.)
– Multiple Research projects in the area of robot
autonomy (e.g. Sentinel, Overseer, etc.)
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2
Near-Term Focus:
1/3 Unmanned by 2015
“It shall be a goal of the Armed Forces to
achieve the fielding of unmanned,
remotely controlled technology such that
by 2015, one-third of the operational
ground combat vehicles of the Armed
Forces are unmanned.”
-National Defense Authorization Act for
Fiscal Year 2001 (S. 2549, Sec. 217)
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3
Basic Architecture for
Autonomous Intelligent Vehicles
• Low-Level Control System
– Actuation, Telemetry
• Scalable High-Level Control System
– Behaviors, Decision
• Environmental Sensing
– Data, Processing
• Mission Payloads
– Robot Mission Dependent, Standard Interfaces
• Data Links
– Robot and Operator Mission Dependent, Standard Interfaces
• Operator Interfaces
– Operator Mission Dependent, Robot Autonomy Dependent
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4
iRobot Generic Intelligent Vehicle
Architecture
RF Signal
Robot
Sensor 1
(e.g.
Compass)
Ethernet
Radio
Robot
Sensor 2
(e.g.
GPS)
Robot
Sensor 3
(e.g.
LADAR)
Ethernet
Radio
Mission
Payload 1
(e.g. Camera
Pod)
RS-232
Ethernet
iRobot
Operator
Control Unit
USB
Joystick
Generic iRobot Intelligent
Vehicle Architecture
w/ Basic Teleoperation
Block Diagram
Ethernet
Computer
with
Aware™ 2.0
Software
iRobot RCU
with
Aware™ 2.0
Software
RS-422
Mission
Payload 2
(e.g.
FIDO)
Mission
Payload 3
(e.g. Robot
Arm)
Ethernet
USB
Ethernet
Feedback
Data Bus
(e.g.CAN)
Low-Level
Control
Module
Actuator 1
(e.g.
Steering)
Actuator 2
(e.g.
Throttle)
Actuator 3
(e.g.
Brake)
Control
iRobot Proprietary
Copyright
2004-2009
iRobot
Corporation,
© 2006-2009,
All Rights
Reserved
All Rights Reserved
5
The Problem Areas
• Scalable High-Level Control System
– Complexity of Autonomy ultimately manifests itself as
a software problem
– Multiple unsolved or immature Research problems
exist in this area
– How to put a solid software architecture in place that
solves today‟s problems and can incorporate
tomorrow‟s solutions?
• Environmental Sensing
– What is the correct sensor data?
– How much data is enough / how much is needed?
– How to turn sensor data into perception?
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All Rights Reserved
6
iRobot‟s Approach
• Find “Best of Breed” providers for stable areas of
the architecture
–
–
–
–
Low-Level Control System
Mission Payloads
Data Links
Operator Interfaces
• Encourage stable infrastructure that can scale in
unstable areas of the architecture
– iRobot Aware™ 2.0 Robot Intelligence Software
– ASC Solid State Flash LADAR
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7
iRobot Aware™ 2.0 Robot
Intelligence Software
•
Major iRobot Development Project
– Builds on a decade of experience with robot
SW
•
iRobot Aware™ 2.0 project delivers:
– Robot intelligence software for robot
autonomy and sophisticated human/robot
interaction
– Optimized for deployment grade robots &
controllers
•
•
PackBot, Warrior, SUGV, Intelligent Vehicles
Amrel Laptop OCU, FCS CCD
– Stabilized, qualified, and documented as
product
– Extensible and open for future development
•
Aware™ 2.0 Software
Components and Connections
Aware™ 2.0 increases the capability of our
robot systems
– Create and use high level behaviors &
interactions on day one
– Share robot behaviors & interactions
seamlessly
– Easily troubleshoot, support, and extend the
SW
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All Rights Reserved
8
Aware™ 2.0 Value Chain
High-Payoff
Capabilities
(Many, Fast to
Deploy / Field,
High ROI)
iRobot Aware™ 2.0
Applications
3rd Party Aware™ 2.0
Applications
3rd Party
Web
Interfaces
3rd Party
GUI
Plug-Ins
rd
3 Party
Device
Drivers
Robotics
Workbench
3rd Party
Dynamic
Behaviors
rd
3 Party
Mission
Behaviors
OCU Framework
OCU
Workbench
Web
Interfaces
GUI
Plug-Ins
Mission
Behaviors
Dynamic
Behaviors
Device
Drivers
Robotics Framework
Component Framework
Base Tools
Infrastructure
(Build Once)
OS, Tools and Open Source Libraries
Robot Host and Payload Node Hardware
PPC, x86
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Aware™ 2.0: Extensive Software Test and Quality
Regime
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All Rights Reserved
10
Aware™ 2.0: Extensive Software Documentation
Coverage
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All Rights Reserved
11
Enabling Technology:
Solid State Flash LADAR
• iRobot is teamed with Advanced Scientific Concepts
(ASC)
– Develop and market ASC‟s Flash LADAR for Unmanned Ground
Vehicles
• ASC‟s Flash LADAR technology
– Patented next-generation solid state sensor
– Important advancement for navigation and mapping applications
for all autonomous vehicles
– Flash LADAR sensors provide a 3-D movie-like image of an area
that far surpasses the images produced by traditional sensors
– Flash LADAR sensors have no moving parts and are compact,
light and rugged (highly suitable for military applications)
– Cuts through fog, dust, smoke and other obscurants to visually
freeze the entire geometry of a scene.
– Low observable active sensor
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12
(ASC)
Santa Barbara, CA
•Real-time 3D “Flash” LADAR
generates range map from time of flight
of laser pulse
•Freezes motion with 5 ns light pulse
•Solid state area array sensor has no
moving parts
•Laser is eye-safe even at close range,
and stealthy
•1 meter to 1 km depending on laser
power
•Based on over 20 years expertise in
solid state sensor and optical optical
expertise, 13+ patents
•Easily overlaid on other video
45
35
20
15
10
5
1
• 3-D Movie Raw Unprocessed Data
• 128 x 128 Pixels 10 Hz Frame Rate
• 4 Orientations from Single Movie
• False color scale in meters
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All Rights Reserved
13
ASC Flash LADAR: Unique Potential
for Unmanned Vehicle Guidance
25
20
15
10
7
5
M
e
t
e
r
s
3
1
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All Rights Reserved
14
ASC Flash LADAR: Brownout
(sandstorm) Test Results
• Simultaneous
Images
– Ladar on left
– Visible camera on
right
• Bars represent
„Visibility
– Green > ladar
– Yellow > Vis
camera
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15
Modular Solid State Sensor
Architecture
P
o
w
e
r
S
u
p
p
l
I
e
s
Ethernet
Sensor
Processor
& Control
Unit
3-D
FPA Sensor
Interchangeable
Optics
Laser
Power
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All Rights Reserved
16
Summary
• iRobot is committed to growing the mobile robot
industry as a whole
– Seek out “Best of Breed” technologies in the
marketplace
• iRobot understands Autonomous Intelligent
Vehicle technology
– Two key enabling technologies
• iRobot Aware™ 2.0 Robot Intelligence Software
• ASC Solid State Flash LADAR
– Other Enabling Technologies will emerge over time
• iRobot encourages third party development
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All Rights Reserved
17
Back-Ups
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Sensor will embed AWARE2 Behavior engine to
provide intelligent ODOA and path planning
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19
REF iRobot Aware ATV
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ARL iRobot Aware Gator
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21
Deere iRobot R-Gator
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22
NSWC iRobot AUSV
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All Rights Reserved
23