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Autonomous transportation and deployment with aerial robots for search and rescue missions
Author(s) -
Bernard Markus,
Kondak Konstantin,
Maza Ivan,
Ollero Anibal
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
journal of field robotics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.152
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1556-4967
pISSN - 1556-4959
DOI - 10.1002/rob.20401
Subject(s) - software deployment , search and rescue , robot , field (mathematics) , computer science , systems engineering , ranging , real time computing , collision avoidance , simulation , control engineering , engineering , artificial intelligence , collision , computer security , software engineering , telecommunications , mathematics , pure mathematics
It is generally accepted that systems composed of multiple aerial robots with autonomous cooperation capabilities can assist responders in many search and rescue (SAR) scenarios. In most of the previous research work, the aerial robots are mainly considered as platforms for environmental sensing and have not been used to assist victims. In this paper, outdoor field experiments of transportation and accurate deployment of loads with single/multiple autonomous aerial vehicles are presented. This is a novel feature that opens the possibility to use aerial robots to assist victims during rescue phase operations. Accuracy in the deployment location is a critical issue in SAR scenarios in which injured people may have very limited mobility. The presented system is composed of up to three small‐size helicopters and features cooperative sensing, using several different sensor types. The system supports several forms of cooperative actuation as well, ranging from the cooperative deployment of small sensors/objects to the coupled transportation of slung loads. The complete system is described, outlining the hardware and software framework used, as well as the approaches for modeling and control used. Additionally, the results of several flight field experiments are presented, including a description of the worldwide first successful autonomous load transportation experiment, using three coupled small‐size helicopters (conducted in December 2007). During these experiments strong, steady winds and wind gusts were present. Various solutions and lessons learned from the design and operation of the system are also provided. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.