Autonomous mobile platform II

Automated equipment is used for the ship fabrication process to obtain its higher productivity. However, in the final assembly stage of ship structures, automatic welding system has some constraints on application because of angled and curved surfaces. In order to overcome these constraints, wall climbing mechanism which has mobility and strong adhesion force is necessary. This paper presents an autonomous mobile platform designed for climbing on ferrous 3-D surfaces with welding head. The switchable permanent magnets are used for adhesion, which are capable of adjusting a maximum adhesion force if a variation in the magnetic field strength is required. The mechanism of mobile platform has identical twin bodies, link, flexible rail and sensing devices. Experimental results on the test block verified that the proposed mechanism was feasible and suitable for mobile platform of welding head.

In the near future, autonomous mobile robots are expected to operate effectively in various locations, such as in living spaces as well as industrial establishments. Against this background, a new autonomous mobile robot platform was designed and prototyped in this research. For simplicity of design and easy assembly of the drive units, a robot with two low-end in-wheel motors is considered. It is also effective in saving space, and can be used for high-power operations and travelability in various road surface conditions. This paper presents a concept for developing a new type of autonomous mobile robot platform, its control system for autonomous operation, actual prototyping using this platform, and sample applications of this platform.

Automation and robotization in agriculture can reduce the amount of manual labor and increase yields and product quality. To perform tasks on agricultural land, the robot needs to move on open ground and cover significant distances. Thus, the main structural part of the agricultural robot is an autonomous mobile platform on which various functional equipment is installed. The rapid development of agricultural robotics makes it urgent to develop multifunctional platforms for applications in this area. To select the optimal kinematic scheme of the future robotic platform, it is necessary to analyze the existing solutions in this area and draw conclusions about the advantages and disadvantages of various options. This work is aimed at the search and selection of kinematic schemes for basic robotic platforms, the use of which is planned on agricultural land and in greenhouse complexes. The paper analyzes the design solutions and propellers used by the authors of research works and projects in the field of agricultural robotics. Based on the analysis, the most suitable kinematic schemes of mobile platforms were selected for this area, their properties and principles of operation were considered.

This study evaluated a novel robotic direct reading method that used a real-time location system to measure the spatial-concentration distribution of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in a chemistry laboratory. The CEMWIP II is a custom-made sensor that measures VOCs, temperature, humidity, and location, sending data wirelessly in real time to a remote location for display and storage. In this study, the CEMWIP II device was mounted on a robotic platform to create a CEMWIP II-mobile platform. The autonomous mobile platform was released from a corner of the room and allowed to travel randomly along an open floor with the goal of characterizing the spatial distribution of VOCs and identifying their sources in the laboratory. The experiment consisted of 12 runs made of permutations of four corner release sites and four beaker locations, with two beakers containing water and two containing the solvent acetone. The autonomous mobile platform was tasked with locating the two beakers of acetone. The sensor had a detection limit of 100 ppb and the confidence of detecting a source within a 1.46 m2 area was p = 0.0005 by ANOVA. The CEMWIP II-mobile platform was able to measure the spatial distribution of VOCs within a laboratory that were associated with open solvent containers.

This paper describes a system to support a wireless vision platform moving within a large space spanned by multiple wireless cells. The system offers a cost effective and scalable design for a distributed active vision system consisting of mobile cameras, a compute cluster of high performance workstations interconnected by a high bandwidth network, and a wireless network divided into distinct cells that connects mobile platforms with the computing cluster. Position information available at the mobile platforms [e.g., via the NAVSTAR global positioning (GPS) system] together with our 'position-aware' division algorithms, and routing protocol ensures continuous quality-of-service (QoS) as the mobile platforms move from cell to cell. This paper extends a real-time QoS communication protocol developed in our earlier work to provide continuous quality of service. We also present vision algorithms that minimize the hardware needed on the mobile platforms using the GPS position information and by off-loading computation to the compute cluster.

An autonomous robotic platform for automatic extraction of detailed semantic models of buildings

This paper presents an embedded adaptive robust controller for trajectory tracking and stabilization of an omnidirectional mobile platform with parameter variations and uncertainties caused by friction and slip. Based on a dynamic model of the platform, the adaptive controller to achieve point stabilization, trajectory tracking, and path following is synthesized via the adaptive backstepping approach. This robust adaptive controller is then implemented into a high-performance field-programmable gate array chip using hardware/software codesign technique and system-on-a-programmable-chip design concept with a reusable user intellectual property core library. Furthermore, a soft-core processor and a real-time operating system are embedded into the same chip for realizing the control law to steer the mobile platform. Simulation results are conducted to show the effectiveness and merit of the proposed control method in comparison with a conventional proportional-integral feedback controller. The performance and applicability of the proposed embedded adaptive controller are exemplified by conducting several experiments on an autonomous omnidirectional mobile robot.

This scientific paper presents the development and validation process of a dynamic model in Simulink used for decision-making regarding the locomotion and driving type of autonomous omnidirectional mobile platforms. Unlike traditional approaches relying on differential equations, this study uses Simulink’s block-based diagrams, offering a simpler and efficient development process. Importantly, the dynamic model accounts for friction forces, a critical factor for energy monitoring. The model’s validation is conducted experimentally, ensuring its accuracy and reliability. This paper formulates mathematical models for both conventional and Mecanum wheel configurations, facilitating energy-efficient driving strategies. By decomposing resistive forces into inertial and frictional components using the Jacobian matrix, this study accurately simulates electrical current consumption during robot motion. Through fuzzy decision algorithms utilizing parameters such as energy consumption, travel time, precision, and desired maneuverability, this paper proposes a method for determining the optimal locomotion mode for mobile platforms with Mecanum wheels. Overall, this research brings a new contribution to the field of mobile robotics by providing a comprehensive framework for dynamic modeling and it offers the possibility to drive omnidirectional robots in an energy-efficient manner.

We discuss the results of the validation and improvement of an outdoor autonomous mobile robot platform ORNE-box that we developed. On researching outdoor autonomous mobile robots, the burden of hardware development has sometimes been so heavy. It has caused problems in allocating sufficient time for the development and verification of the algorithms conducted in research. To solve this problem, we are researching and developing a robotic platform ORNE-box series. In this paper, we describe the results obtained after two years of use and the improvements made. The robot has been verified to satisfy most of the required specifications through many autonomous navigation experiments during the two years of use.

The article explores modern approaches to the digital transformation of logistics processes in enterprises. It focuses on the implementation of innovative technologies such as ERP systems, digital twins, autonomous mobile robots, blockchain, and cloud platforms. Special attention is paid to the case of Kuehne + Nagel, a global leader in logistics innovation. The advantages of using digital solutions to enhance efficiency, flexibility, and transparency of logistics operations are outlined. Practical recommendations for the digital transformation of logistics in Ukrainian enterprises are developed.

An outdoor robots system for autonomous mobile all-purpose platform

In this paper, we are introducing a system which is able to recognize polyhedral objects in an indoor environment. Our system is intended to be implemented on autonomous mobile platforms in order to enable the localization or research of a precise item. The algorithm is based on the use of geometric quasi-invariants associated to every object. These geometric quasi-invariants correspond to the ratio of the lengths as well as the angle formed by the pair of segments which are in relationship and which are constituting the object. We present some experimental results gained on one of our platforms in our laboratory.

Traffic has become more complex in recent years and therefore the expectations that are placed on automobiles have also risen sharply. Support for drivers and the protection of the occupants of vehicles and other persons involved in road traffic have become essential. Rapid technical developments and innovative advances in recent years have enabled the development of plenty of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems that are based on different working principles such as radar, lidar or camera techniques. Some systems only warn the drivers via a visual, audible or haptical signal of a danger. Other systems are used to actively engage in the control of a vehicle in emergency situations. Although technical development is already quite mature, there are still many development opportunities for improving road safety. The further development of current applications and the creation of new applications that are based on sensor fusion are essential for the future. A short summary of capabilities of ADAS systems and selected ADAS modules was presented in this paper. The review was selected toward the future perspective of sensors fusion applied on the autonomous mobile platform.

The evolution of Greece’s position on the Russian-Ukrainian war is analyzed and the main directions of political, military, humanitarian and diplomatic support for Ukraine from Athens are identified. It is found that Greek foreign policy is based on the principles of international law, solidarity with democratic states and the desire to ensure stability in the Southern Balkans and Eastern Mediterranean region. Ukrainian-Greek relations have a long history and are based on strong historical, cultural and spiritual ties. It is established that since the beginning of Russian aggression against Ukraine in 2014, Greece has taken a clear position in favor of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. The impact of Russian propaganda on Greece is analyzed. It was determined that the full-scale Russian aggression against Ukraine, in particular the barbaric destruction of the city of Mariupol together with its inhabitants in the spring of 2022 and the destruction of many Greek settlements in the Donbas, played a significant role in changing Greece’s position on the Russian-Ukrainian war. It was established that in the context of the protracted Russian-Ukrainian war, the weakening of transatlantic security ties as a result of the activities of the current D. Trump administration and the constant threat from Turkey, Greece has planned a radical renewal and modernization of the armed forces for 25 billion euros, which will be spent over the next 10 years. The priorities of the said plan will be the development of long-range missile systems on autonomous mobile platforms, the use of artificial intelligence algorithms, unmanned technologies and new control systems, and the improvement of anti-missile, anti-air and anti-drone defense systems. The participation of Greece in the Ramstein format, in the programs of the European Union and NATO, as well as the significance of the signing of the Agreement on Security Cooperation between Ukraine and Greece in 2024, is revealed. The conclusion is made that the position of Athens combines a principled commitment to democratic values with a pragmatic consideration of regional and security interests.

In this paper, we propose a comparison of open-source LiDAR and Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU)-based Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) approaches for 3D robotic mapping. The analyzed algorithms are often exploited in mobile robotics for autonomous navigation but have not been evaluated in terms of 3D reconstruction yet. Experimental tests are carried out using two different autonomous mobile platforms in three test cases, comprising both indoor and outdoor scenarios. The 3D models obtained with the different SLAM algorithms are then compared in terms of density, accuracy, and noise of the point clouds to analyze the performance of the evaluated approaches. The experimental results indicate the SLAM methods that are more suitable for 3D mapping in terms of the quality of the reconstruction and highlight the feasibility of mobile robotics in the field of autonomous mapping.