4. Current State and Development Tendency in Mobile Robots for ...

International Conference 6th Workshop on European Scientific and Industrial Collaboration on promoting Advanced Technologies in Manufacturing

WESIC‘08 Bucharest, 25-26 September 2008

ROMANIA

Current State and Development Tendency in Mobile Robots for Special Applications Piotr Szynkarczyk, Rafal Czupryniak, Maciej Trojnacki, Adam Andrzejuk Industrial Research Institute for Automation and Measurements (PIAP) Al. Jerozolimskie 202, 02-486 Warsaw, Poland E-mail: [email protected]

ABSTRACT This paper presents tendencies in mobile ground robots designs. The review of upto-date robots is focused on special use applications. New trends in mobile robotics are also considered. Some up-to-date designs of robots durable enough to be thrown for a certain distance by human operator are finally presented. 1. MOBILE ROBOTS The recent years witness noticeable intensification of research on mobile robots. The situation is caused by the fact that research work in robotics is focused on personal, service, military robots and also robots for special uses. The current state of art in the field of mobile robots may be found in numerous publications. Mobile robots may be split depending on: • the type of mobile robots (on wheels, on caterpillars, aerial, sailing, walking, climbing, creeping, hybrid, etc.), • their purpose (area of application), • and practical application opportunities. Autonomous mobile robots, with different levels of autonomy, form a separate group. In terms of the area of application, mobile robots are split as follows: • operational, • intervention-inspection (including: anti-terrorist, fire-fighting, security or patrol robots and robots for seeking victims who suffered in building disasters, etc.), • delivery (e.g. in-house transport), • building, • agricultural, • personal and service (e.g. grass mowers, vacuum cleaners, floor or window cleaning devices, tourist guides), • medical and many other. Mobile robots are generally used for tasks which are too dangerous for humans (e.g. transport of explosives), noxious (e.g. transport of heavy loads), monotonous (e.g. vacuum-cleaning large areas) or for tasks which require high precision and repeatability, etc. At present the majority of structural solutions relate to robots on wheels. They are relatively easy to manufacture, but often lack sufficient mobility in diversified sites. On the other hand, despite slightly better mobility features, the caterpillar robots may have other drawbacks, such as e.g. limited durability of caterpillars in case of travelling over hard surfaces or relatively low traction efficiency. Recently structures are presented which allow adjustment of the wheels and control system to uneven site and travel in difficult site conditions, namely robots with enhanced mobility. Hybrid robots, which 30

International Conference 6th Workshop on European Scientific and Industrial Collaboration on promoting Advanced Technologies in Manufacturing

WESIC‘08 Bucharest, 25-26 September 2008

ROMANIA

combine e.g. selected features of robots on wheels and walking robots, make a specific group of such robots. Also works on the so called terra-mechanics are continued, consisting in taking greater account of the impact of the base on which the robot moves. This is particularly important in cases when the robot moves on sand (deserts), gravel, mud, snow, ruins, burnt-out sites, etc. There is a growing number of micro and nanorobots. Microrobots may be used in very small spaces and for watching in hiding. Nanorobots may be broadly used in medicine of the future.

2. DEMAND FOR MOBILE ROBOT DEVELOPMENT Technical and civilisation advancement grows in parallel with the threat of terrorism and dependence of societies on advanced technologies. This dependence results in growing facility in threatening the property and life of every citizen. This caused the occurrence of considerable social pressure on enhancement of security and control of passenger and cargo traffic in air transport. The development of pyrotechnical mobile robots is an essential effect of this pressure. Enhancement of this importance is mainly driven by the effort to ensure greater security for civilians, policemen and other forces in the rapidly changing world and armed conflicts. Terrorist attempts on the one hand and reduction of army forces on the other, and the effort to replace the latter with adequate technical means, so as to enhance the combat potential of the army - affect the diversity of the currently developed mobile robots. In combating the problem of bomb attempts and in order to minimise the risk of casualties during specific campaigns, numerous states became interested in the use of dedicated pyrotechnical mobile robots. They are included in the equipment of police and army troops - pyrotechnicians and storm squads. The main task of such robots consists in elimination or reduction to the essential minimum the risk of the operator's life during action. The past history of development of mobile robots was dominated by large and medium structures. With the growing number of acts of terrorism, the nature and method of placing explosives underwent change. Therefore there is a need to change the concept, design and scale of pyrotechnical robots and specifically of their tasks. During the past years an increasing emphasis was placed on development of small robots, designed not to neutralise, but to collect information. Being in possession of sufficient information, the forces are able to respond adequately to the event. The small robots have and will have the task of initial survey of the location of event, collection of data and information for intervention squads in the open or in hiding. Another essential feature of small robots will consist in being the source of information, monitoring and simple neutralisation. Their major advantage will consist in the ability to approach unnoticed practically any target, whether in combat or rescue operations. Their small dimensions shall guarantee discrete operation and ability to freely penetrate very small spaces. The current distribution of accents in public services responsible for citizens' security is changing considerably. On the one hand there is a relatively small risk of classic armed conflicts, on the other - there is a growing need to use these forces in situations of crisis of a different type, e.g.: • natural disasters, such as floods, avalanches, forest and large industrial plan fires, • building, communication and industrial disasters, • chemical and biological contamination (of various types and causes), 31

International Conference 6th Workshop on European Scientific and Industrial Collaboration on promoting Advanced Technologies in Manufacturing

WESIC‘08 Bucharest, 25-26 September 2008

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• acts of terrorism, • searching for lost persons. Advancement of civilisation also leads to continuous development of urban areas and to constant increase in density of that development. This in turn enhances the risk of building disasters. Rubble left after a building catastrophe is an exceptionally dangerous environment and work within such rubble threatens the health and life of rescuers. It is therefore natural that numerous research and structural projects are implemented on mobile robots designed to support various aspects of search-rescue operations. Successful designs of search-rescue robots may become an essential element supplementing the response system for catastrophes in urban areas. It is therefore important to identify the needs of future users and their expectations towards the search-rescue robots, as well as to draw on the experience of experts in running rescue actions in rubble. The search-rescue robots may be split into: wheeled, caterpillar, creeping and non-conventional. Usually they cannot move autonomously across the rubble and are moved from place to place by the operator. Their fundamental task is to penetrate the interior of the rubble to search for victims. They may also provide information about the structure of the rubble, thus facilitating the decision-making on further search or rubble clearance, and essentially contributing to security of the rescuers themselves. Viability during rescue actions is also an important feature of the robot. Easy dismantling, repair and re-assembling the robot is a factor which is often decisive to the action success, because the rescuers usually have a small number of robots at hand. Power supply and communication with the operator is the next essential issue. The robot may be connected with the control panel through a conduit or cordlessly by radio communication. The main advantage of the cordless connection between the robot and the operator consist in elimination of the risk of the conduit entangling in the rubble or in the robot structure (particularly in the caterpillars) and the possibility of physical damage to the conduit and subsequent loss of communication. However, due to the usually poor propagation of radio signal in the rubble structure, the cordless connection is not always successful and presents a serious risk of loss of communication when the robot penetrates further into the rubble. The major part of the past concepts of search-rescue robots consists of laboratory structures, which means they were not tested in real rescue action conditions. Such structures are in focus of many excellent centres across the world and in view of jeopardies tot he present world, the demand is very high. Parameters which are crucial for protection of human life and health are among the most essential parameters of mobile robots. For these purposes the use of single robots is envisaged for definite zones, chosen area, path or monitoring point. It is expected that the robots in operation will provide the following information: • location and traffic (speed and direction) of persons and vehicles, • contamination by nuclear, biological or chemical weapon, with identification of the type of contamination and local meteorological data (e.g. wind velocity and direction), • road plans, with information about their state of repair, buildings along the road, traffic density, • warning for operator in case of finding hazards within the patrolled space. Used in diversified environmental conditions, the robot should be able to operate regardless of weather conditions - in different climatic and site conditions. Areas foreseen 32

International Conference 6th Workshop on European Scientific and Industrial Collaboration on promoting Advanced Technologies in Manufacturing

WESIC‘08 Bucharest, 25-26 September 2008

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for use for the robots include roads (concrete, asphalt and dirt roads), developed areas (streets, buildings both preserved and ruined) but also fields, rolling land or woodland. In order to collect the most reliable information the robot should collect data from different its "own" sensors and from other sources. During work the operator should receive the essential and prerequisite information which would not introduce "information noise" (required introduction of the intelligent assistance function), obviously, on request the operator should receive full information from all sensors. In order to achieve the assumed objective the robot should be able to communicate with other unmanned or manned vehicles. It should also be capable of autonomous action so as to continue its mission even in the case of complete or partial loss of communication or when (for security reasons) communication should be ceased.

3. MOBILE ROBOTS FOR SPECIAL APPLICATIONS Neutralisation of terrorist explosive loads is a very risky task. Justification of the use of robots in these tasks instead of humans is doubtless. The robot may recognize and neutralise a dangerous load. Robots of this type considerably reduce or totally eliminate the time of pyrotechnician's residence in the danger zone. Procedures followed during neutralisation of terrorist explosive loads include the following: inspection and recognition, X-raying, destroying the loads with the use of various methods and picking up the loads and disposal to controlled areas (e.g. to the firing ground). Execution of such tasks requires delivery of various sensors and tools to the vicinity of the danger zone, it is also prerequisite to allow manipulation with various objects. It should be noted that the very approach to a bomb may be dangerous due to the possible presence of traps. Regardless of concentration, experience and expertise, the risk undertaken by the pyrotechnician is the greater since, due to general accessibility on the market of various devices for remote control, it is easier for any terrorist to release the bomb from a safe distance at any time (in the case of mobile phones even from abroad). When all this risk is taken over by a pyrotechnical robot, the pyrotechnician may concentrate more effectively on his task - thus enhancing the efficiency of his action. Even when the robot cannot directly access the bomb, it may still effectively support the pyrotechnician, e.g. through inspection of the access road or by providing the tools. The robot's cameras can be used to record the process of the event for future analysis. In Poland PIAP is the sole manufacturer of mobile robots for special applications. Robots Inspector (Fig. 1) which were the first design manufactured, and whose functionality was recognized by experts, remain one of the most high-tech designs of pyrotechnical robots for urban-field applications. Robots Expert (Fig. 1) are dedicated to tasks executed mainly in aircrafts, trains, coaches and within this area there is no other design worldwide which could match them. Almost 3 m outreach of the manipulator (including a withdrawable arm), speed over 2 km/h, easy shipping in standard vehicles, small travel-bag control panel, unique electronic solutions and advanced graphical visualisation of data - these are some of the factors which show that the robot Expert is the leading design in the field of compact devices. PIAP also manufactures another robot - Scout (Fig. 2). This robot is featured by small overall dimensions, small mass and high speed, with capacity for assembling such devices as a manipulator with grip or additional cameras, as well as various sensors or arms. The mobile base is the major part of the robot, and it consists of a chassis and two cameras mounted thereon: the front one (rotating) and the rear one. Both cameras are fitted with their own infrared illuminators. The design ensures small dimensions and 33

International Conference 6th Workshop on European Scientific and Industrial Collaboration on promoting Advanced Technologies in Manufacturing

WESIC‘08 Bucharest, 25-26 September 2008

ROMANIA

weight of the robot, hence the robot Scout may be transported in a typical military knapsack. Combination of the high robot speed with its ability to move around in confined spaces allows swift and remote recognition of an action area.

Figure 1: Robots: Inspector and Expert (PIAP)

Figure 2: Robot Scout (PIAP)

The robot enables inspection of the chassis of a suspected car, a confined compartment, or a ventilation shaft. Both the robot and a small manipulator may be controlled from the control panel via a light wire. It is possible to mount strong halogen lights, a thermal vision camera and infrared cameras on the robot. Robot Scout is adjusted to cut lines of mine traps and placing intermediate loads. The robot can use the manipulator to carry small loads. 34

International Conference 6th Workshop on European Scientific and Industrial Collaboration on promoting Advanced Technologies in Manufacturing

WESIC‘08 Bucharest, 25-26 September 2008

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The pyrotechnical-recognition robot IBIS (Fig. 3) is the most recent product by PIAP. It is a remote controlled device designed not only for inspection and neutralisation of improvised explosives but also for recognition tasks and active support in combat. Moving on six independently driven wheels the robot is efficient in overtaking difficult site obstacles.

Figure 3: Robot IBIS (PIAP) Manipulator with a grip provides the robot with an operating range of over 3 meters and large working space around the robot. The real potential of the robot is disclosed in cooperation with a broad assortment of additional equipment, i.e.: an X-ray with visualisation system, chemical contamination sensor, pyrotechnical ejector, a device for cutting wire, a device for breaking window panels and many more. The robot was built with the use of the most advanced techniques, which allowed achievement of small mass, high reliability, considerable functionality and long work time on batteries. Apart from PIAP other mobile robots for special applications have been manufactured for years on the European market. A large part of these facilities are used for police and military purposes, though the need for their civilian use is also being noticed recently. Remotec is the manufacturer of Mini Andros robot (Fig. 4a), which is a small robot with a mass of 64 kg and maximum payload of 18 kg. This robot is featured by deflective front and rear caterpillars which enhance the mobility of the device. The manufacturer states there are 600 devices of this type in operation worldwide. Robot Wheelbarrow, also by Remotec, is a large robot with a mass of 315 kg, designed mainly for outdoor operation, although its caterpillar drive with variable geometry also is well efficient on stairs. Its stability is less firm on lateral slopes. The very long range of the manipulator is notable - it is 3.75 m. Remotec is an American company, however following the buying out of the Wheelbarrow robot manufacturer it became an active player on the European market. A family of pyrotechnical robots is manufactured by French Cybernetix. Castor is the smallest one, weighing 45 kg. This robot has a manipulator with two degrees of freedom and a grip designed so as to enable opening the jaws to the width of 250 mm. The payload of the device is max. 10 kg. In the standard version the robot is provided 35

International Conference 6th Workshop on European Scientific and Industrial Collaboration on promoting Advanced Technologies in Manufacturing

WESIC‘08 Bucharest, 25-26 September 2008

ROMANIA

with a four wheel drive. When work in difficult ground conditions is envisaged it is possible to broaden the robot by mounting additional four wheels on the standard wheel axles. It is also possible to put rubber caterpillars on the robot's standard wheels. The intervention robot RM35 (Fig. 4b) with a mass of 75 kg and maximum payload of 14 kg is a larger representative of the Cybernetix family. Kinematics of the manipulator, mobile base drive and control are similar to Castor. However, the capacity to cooperate with additional fittings has been enhanced. Robot Castor may operate a device to X-ray dangerous loads and neutralise them with the use of a water gun, whereas RM35 can additionally use a shotgun and the HPE system (neutralisation with the use of intermediary loads).

Figure 4: Robots: Mini Andros (Remotec) (a) and RM35 (Cybernetix) (b)

Irish company Kentree has recently been sold to PW Allen-Vanguard. Under the new name it manufactures the HOBO robot (Fig. 5a), known for years. Despite the unchanged external appearance, the electronic robot control systems and the operator desk have been completely replaced. In the current version the control desk fits into a small bag. The robot weighs 228 kg and moves with a maximum speed of 4 km/h. The manipulator may lift loads of maximum 75 kg. The robot moves on six wheels with independent drives. Each of the three axles has also an independent suspension. Kentree also manufactures another device, the six wheel robot Defender, made in part from titanium. For the past few years there are Spanish AUNAV robots on the pyrotechnical device market. The dimensions of these devices (more like a medium excavator rather than a large pyrotechnical robot) exclude their use inside buildings. The robot moves on six wheels and its mass is over 400 kg. Manipulator with 5 degrees of freedom is hydraulically driven and a maximum payload of 100 kg. The operator desk consists of a laptop computer with an integrated joystick. For years now ABP has been manufacturing robots Bison and Cyklops. Robot Bison (Fig. 5b) is a large robot with a mass of 210 kg, moving on four wheels with a maximum speed of 4 km/h. The device is fitted with a manipulator with two degrees of freedom with capacity for assembling various types of grips and arms. The robot can transport loads of up to 100 kg. Robot Cyklops is a small robot with a mass of about 30 kg, moving on caterpillars at up to 5 km/h whereas on wheels it moves at up to 8 km/h. 36

International Conference 6th Workshop on European Scientific and Industrial Collaboration on promoting Advanced Technologies in Manufacturing

WESIC‘08 Bucharest, 25-26 September 2008

ROMANIA

Manipulator with 3 degrees of freedom ensures outreach of 2 meters. ABP has recently presented a new design which is an expansion of Cyklops robot.

Figure 5: Robots: HOBO (Kentree) (a) and Bison (ABP) (b) German Telerob is the manufacturer of robot Teodor. The robot with a mass of 360 kg and caterpillar drive can move with a speed of up to 3 km/h. Manipulator with 6 degrees of freedom allows lifting loads of up to 30 kg and has an outreach of 2.4 m. It has a notable container for additional tools mounted on the mobile base. As the manipulator movement is programmable, tool replacement may be done automatically. After up-grading the control panel has been provided with a graphical indicator of manipulator arms configuration. Robots by Telerob are also available in versions adjusted for fire-fighting applications. For a year now the German concern DIEHL jointly with ROBOWATCH offer a new design of a small robot "Asendro". This device is featured by deflecting front and rear caterpillars. The former ROBOWATCH products consisted in dedicated mobile robots for fire-fighting purposes. The above brief review does not exhaust the whole European market of mobile robots, however, it lists its most important operators.

4. NEW TRENDS IN MOBILE ROBOTICS - THROWN ROBOTS The review of already existing designs suggests and indicates to the most desirable direction of development of that type of robots for active telemonitoring and surveillance. The major feature to be presented by small robots consists in the possibility of throwing them by hand to the area of interest of the operator, i.e. in the most simple and quickest way, minimising danger and allowing penetration of areas inaccessible to the operator, e.g. behind some obstacle. The above feature is presented by four designs currently on the market, namely: SpyBowl 360, Eye Ball, Recon Scout and EyeDrive. Almost every of these devices is based on a different structural concept, allowing carrying out telemonitoring and surveillance. The first - SpyBowl (Fig. 6a). It is a device which is thrown or rolled towards the suspected target. The device is made in form of an aluminium body surrounded by a rubber lining in form of a ball with a diameter of 115 mm. Such design allows conveying large, repeatable loads. The SpyBowl is fitted with four cameras which allow obtaining a 37

International Conference 6th Workshop on European Scientific and Industrial Collaboration on promoting Advanced Technologies in Manufacturing

WESIC‘08 Bucharest, 25-26 September 2008

ROMANIA

static view (Fig. 6b) and microphones which convey sounds. The device may whirl around its vertical axis with a speed of 12.5 deg/s, allowing dynamic observation of the whole surroundings. Furthermore, the view may be watched from each camera separately. The whole device is switched on during the throw and may transmit the view to the operator. Radio transmission is at frequency of 2.4 GHz, transmitter power is 40mW. The range of broadcast transmission oscillates between 20 and 30 m inside buildings and 100-300 m outside.

Figure 6: Robot SpyBowl for throwing (a) and image from one of the robot cameras (b) The whole device weighs 1 kg and may be thrown to a distance of 30 m or up to the height of 6 m. The time of work on batteries is 45 minutes. The place of application of SpyBowl: confined spaces and buildings within the range of operation of special army or police squads. In terms of design the Eye Boll R1 (Fig. 7a) is a similar device. It is designed for throwing as far as 50 m, rolling and dropping. It is used for audio and video transmissions in real time. The device is used in tactic operations, where the special forces must use the most recent information about the situation in a given area, immediately before intervention. The device has one camera which provides good quality image up to 23 m. In order to collect full information about the surroundings the device spins around its axis at 4 rotations/min. Panoramic view may be obtained with the use of special software. Furthermore, the device has NIR illuminator with an 8 m range, hence the camera sees in the dark. Microphone range: 5 m. Work time on batteries is 2 hours, in sleep mode 24 hours. Video and audio radio transmission is at 2.4 GHz frequency, up to a distance of 125 m depending on the surroundings. The third interesting device for telemonitoring and surveillance is in form of the Recon Scout robot (Fig. 7b). It is a two-wheel mobile robot with titanium body and wheels of urethane plastic. Such design allows throwing the robot to a distance of 31.5 m and dropping it from a height of 9.1 m. Forward movement is facilitated by the so-called tail, which is the support of the robot. The robot parameters are as follows: width 187 mm, wheel diameter 76 mm, travel speed 1.1 km/h, range inside building up to 30 m, outside up to 76 m, work time 1 hour. The robot is equipped with a black and white 38

International Conference 6th Workshop on European Scientific and Industrial Collaboration on promoting Advanced Technologies in Manufacturing

WESIC‘08 Bucharest, 25-26 September 2008

ROMANIA

camera with sensitivity of 0.0003 lux. Small dimensions allow reduction of weight of the whole device to 0.544 kg.

Figure 7: Robots for throwing: Eye Boll (a) and Recon Scout (b) The last robot worth presenting is the EyeDrive (Fig. 8). It is a 4 wheel robot made in Israel (optional application of caterpillars), operated by one operator. The robot may be thrown over obstacles or thrown in through windows, up to the height of 3 meters. The system of cameras enables obtaining a panoramic view, with 2500x570 pixel resolution. The microphone transfers sounds from the distance of 10 m. The range of the robot within a building is 70 m and outside up to 300 m. Work time on batteries is 3 hours and 24 h in sleep mode. The weight of the robot is 2.3 kg, it is possible to carry additional loads (sensors, explosives) of up to 3 kg. Robot dimensions: 26x16x10 cm. In conclusion to the review of mobile robots we may say that the future of robotics, and hence the mobile robots is promising. With technical and electronics advancement we should expect broader application of devices both remote controlled and autonomous. They guarantee safe execution of the task without needless exposure of people to risks. Damage to or loss of a technical means, easily reproducible, will be the only possible loss.

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International Conference 6th Workshop on European Scientific and Industrial Collaboration on promoting Advanced Technologies in Manufacturing

WESIC‘08 Bucharest, 25-26 September 2008

ROMANIA

Figure 8: EyeDrive thrown in through a window REFERENCES [1] Andrzejczak M., Narkiewicz J.: Applications of Julier-Uhlmann filter for processing signals from navigation sensors, WSM in Szczecin Scientific Books, No 70, Szczecin 2003. [2] Bedkowski J., Mastowski A.: Mobile robot ATRVJR application for risky scenario, Measurements Automatics Robotics 2/2008, supplement on CD, 418-424. [3] Giergiel J., Hendzel Z., Zylski W., Trojnacki M.: Application of artificial intelligence in mechatronic designing of wheeled mobile robots, Monography, KRiDM AGH Publishing House, (in Polish), Kraków, 2004, 327 pages. [4] Gopalakrishnan B., Tirunellayi S., Todkar R.: Design and development of an autonomous mobile smart vehicle:a mechatronics application, Mechatronics 14 (2004) 491-514. [5] Hendzel Z., Trojnacki M.: Neuron control of wheeled mobile robot movements, (in Polish), Monography, Publishing House of the Rzeszow University of Technology, Rzeszow 2008. [6] Chen Haichu: An autonomous miniature wheeled robot based on visual feedback control, Front. Mech. Eng. China 2007, 2(2): 197-200. [7] Mastowski A., Szynkarczyk P., Andrzejuk A.: New Methods in Development of Semi-Autonomous Surveillance And Security Mobile Robots, in: Proceedings of Clawar'98, First International Symposium Clawar, Brussels 1998, 285-290. 40

International Conference 6th Workshop on European Scientific and Industrial Collaboration on promoting Advanced Technologies in Manufacturing

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Zielihska T.: Walking machines, (in Polish), PWN, Warszawa 2003. www.defense-update.com www.recon-scout.com www.odfopt.com 41