RI: Medium: Collaborative Research: Novel microLIDAR Design and Sensing Algorithms for Flapping-Wing Micro-Aerial Vehicles

RI：中：合作研究：扑翼微型飞行器的新型 microLIDAR 设计和传感算法

• 批准号: 1514306
• 负责人: Robert Wood
• 金额: $ 30.16万
• 依托单位: Harvard University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2015
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2015-08-01 至 2019-01-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1514306&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: RI; Medium; Collaborative; Research; Novel

This project makes it possible for a tiny robotic bee to sense its distance to any nearby object. Such depth sensing for a small robot insect pushes the limits of sensor and algorithm design in terms size, weight, computing, and power. The key idea is joint design; every part of the robotic insect is optimized together, from wing design and optics to intelligent algorithms and efficient computation. This is possible by inter-disciplinary work across scientists and engineers from diverse backgrounds. The lessons learned through this project can be applied to transform other applications that involve small devices including medical sensors and endoscope imaging, smart homes and the internet of things, agricultural and industrial monitoring systems, and mobile vision for search and rescue.Lidar sensing has enabled large robotic cars to navigate complex environments. This proposal introduces designs for "micro-lidar" that can be used on insect-scale aerial robots. Making micro-lidar work on small platforms involves four intertwined research thrusts. The first thrust uses MEMS mirrors and wide-angle optics to sense and modulate the laser pulses. The second thrust is adapting signal processing algorithms to estimate range data at this scale. The third thrust is developing novel perception and navigation algorithms to map the indoor environments using a micro-aerial vehicle. The fourth thrust is to improve robotic insect flight to allow novel manipulations that require knowledge of the surrounding range map. The utility of these sensors will be demonstrated on the robobee for novel maneuvers and building topo-feature maps of indoor environments.

该项目使一个小机器人蜜蜂有可能感知其与附近任何物体的距离。对于小型机器人昆虫的这种深度传感会以尺寸，重量，计算和功率的术语来推动传感器和算法设计的极限。关键的想法是联合设计；从机翼设计和光学到智能算法和有效的计算，将机器人昆虫的每个部分都一起优化。来自不同背景的科学家和工程师的跨学科工作是可能的。通过该项目吸取的经验教训可以应用于其他应用程序，这些应用程序涉及小型设备，包括医疗传感器和内窥镜成像，智能家居和物联网，农业和工业监测系统以及用于搜索和救援的移动视觉。LidarSensing已使大型机器人汽车能够导航复杂的环境。该提案介绍了可用于昆虫尺度空中机器人的“微劳动”的设计。在小型平台上使微型级别的工作涉及四个相互交织的研究推力。第一个推力使用mems镜子和广角光学元件来感知和调节激光脉冲。第二个推力是使信号处理算法适应此规模的范围数据。第三个推力是开发新颖的感知和导航算法，以使用微型洗手间的车辆绘制室内环境。第四个推力是改善机器人昆虫的飞行，以允许需要了解周围范围图的新型操作。这些传感器的实用性将在Robobee上进行，用于新型操作，并在室内环境中构建托托图。