Mark D. McKay

Multirobot automated indoor floor characterization team

Many facilities exist in the Department of Energy (DOE) which have become radiologically contaminated through years of research and service. These facilities include hot cells, glove boxes, fuel storage buildings, and process buildings. As many of these facilities are prepared for decontamination and decommissioning, the need arises for surveillance and characterization prior to and during clean up activities. Characterization is currently being performed in these areas by having a radiation control technician (RCT) manually monitor radiation levels with hand held instruments. Although these methods are effective for small or hard to reach areas, in large buildings such as the 300+ acre K-25 facilities located at the DOE Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) such methods are tedious and better suited for automated floor characterization systems. The purpose of this paper is to describe the multirobot mobile automated characterisation system and reduced access characterisation subsystem, their cooperative activities, and their current status and future directions.

Intelligent autonomy for remote characterization of hazardous environments

Remote characterization of high radiation environments is a pressing application area where robots have the potential to provide benefits in terms of time, cost, safety and quality of data. However, the ability to design robots that can be used effectively has proven to be no easy task. In 2001, the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL) successfully deployed a teleoperated robotic system coupled with a Gamma Locating and Isotopic Identification Device (RGL&IID) to characterize an area that had been closed to human entry for many years. This paper examines the limitations to the control strategy used and discusses how current efforts at the INEEL are developing intelligent controls that can actively mediate between the human and the robotic elements of the system. The resulting, mixed-initiative control architecture allows the user to shift the level of robot initiative throughout the task as needed. This system offers the opportunity for the human and robot to become a team where each can support the capabilities and limitations of the other.

Using multiple unmanned systems for a site security task

Unmanned systems are often used to augment the ability of humans to perform challenging tasks. While the value of individual unmanned vehicles has been proven for a variety of tasks, it is less understood how multiple unmanned systems should be used together to accomplish larger missions such as site security. The purpose of this paper is to discuss efforts by researchers at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) to explore the utility and practicality of operating multiple unmanned systems for a site security mission. This paper reviews the technology developed for a multi-agent mission and summarizes the lessons-learned from a technology demonstration.

Intelligent unmanned vehicle systems suitable for individual or cooperative missions

The Department of Energys Idaho National Laboratory (INL) has been researching autonomous unmanned vehicle systems for over fifteen years. Areas of research have included unmanned ground and aerial vehicles used for hazardous and remote operations as well as teamed together for advanced payloads and mission execution. Areas of application include aerial particulate sampling, cooperative remote radiological sampling, and persistent surveillance including real-time mosaic and geo-referenced imagery in addition to high-resolution still imagery. Both fixed-wing and rotary airframes are used possessing capabilities spanning remote control to fully autonomous operation. Patented INL-developed auto steering technology is taken advantage of to provide autonomous parallel path swathing with either manned or unmanned ground vehicles. Aerial look-ahead imagery is utilized to provide a common operating picture for the ground and air vehicles during cooperative missions. This paper will discuss the various robotic vehicles, including sensor integration, used to achieve these missions and anticipated cost and labor savings.

Development of the auto-steering software and equipment technology (ASSET)

The Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL), through collaboration with INSAT Co., has developed a low cost robotic auto-steering system for parallel contour swathing. The capability to perform parallel contour swathing while minimizing “skip” and “overlap” is a necessity for cost-effective crop management within precision agriculture. Current methods for performing parallel contour swathing consist of using a Differential Global Position System (DGPS) coupled with a light bar system to prompt an operator where to steer. The complexity of operating heavy equipment, ensuring proper chemical mixture and application, and steering to a light bar indicator can be overwhelming to an operator. To simplify these tasks, an inexpensive robotic steering system has been developed and tested on several farming implements. This development leveraged research conducted by the INEEL and Utah State University. The INEEL-INSAT Auto-Steering Software and Equipment Technology provides the following: 1) the ability to drive in a straight line within ± 2 feet while traveling at least 15 mph, 2) interfaces to a Real Time Kinematic (RTK) DGPS and sub-meter DGPS, 3) safety features such as Emergency-stop, steering wheel deactivation, computer watchdog deactivation, etc., and 4) a low-cost, field-ready system that is easily adapted to other systems.

Intelligent navigation and multivehicle coordination

The Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL) and Utah State Universitys Center for Self-Organizing and Intelligent Systems have developed a team of autonomous robotic vehicles. This paper discusses the development of a strategy that uses a sophisticated, highly intelligent sensor platform to allow centralized coordination between smaller and inexpensive robots. The three components of the multi-agent cooperative scheme are small-scale robots, large-scale robots, and the central control station running a mission and path- planning software. The smaller robots are used for activities where the probability of loss increases, such as Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) or mine detonation. The research is aimed at building simple, inexpensive multi-agent vehicles and an intelligent navigation and multi-vehicle coordination system suitable for UXO, environmental remediation or mine detection. These simplified robots are capable of conducting hunting missions using low-cost positioning sensors and intelligent algorithms. Additionally, a larger sensor-rich intelligent system capable of transporting smaller units to outlying remote sites has been developed. The larger system interfaces to the central control station and provides navigation assistance to multiple low-cost vehicles. Finally, mission and path-planning software serves as the operator control unit, allowing central data collection, map creation and tracking, and an interface to the larger system as well as each smaller unit. The power of this scheme is the ability to scale to the appropriate level for the complexity of the mission.

Multi-agent cooperative systems applied to precision applications

Regulatory agencies are imposing limits and constraints to protect the operator and/or the environment. While generally necessary, these controls also tend to increase cost and decrease efficiency and productivity. Intelligent computer systems can be made to perform these hazardous tasks with greater efficiency and precision without danger to the operators. The Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory and the Center for Self-Organizing and Intelligent Systems at Utah State University have developed a series of autonomous all-terrain multi-agent systems capable of performing automated tasks within hazardous environments. This pare discusses the development and application of cooperative small-scale and large-scale robots for use in various activities associated with radiologically contaminated areas, prescription farming, and unexploded ordinances.