Ted Shaneyfelt

Multi-domain robotic swarm communication system

As swarm of robots from different domains works together in a system of systems, the need arises for inter-swarm communication. This paper presents a viable solution for robotic swarm communication and navigation for different autonomous applications. Communication is achieved through ZigBee radio modems and an expandable protocol to accommodate different types of data. This proposed communication system also allows dynamic swarm expansion, where a new member can be added to the swarm family. It is a complementary approach for task coordination and navigation. Navigation is an important issue to accomplish the coordination of tasks in a swarm of robots. Different environmental issues, related to navigation, have been discussed and are presented through simulation results and the real-time communication test is presented through the experimental result.

Applications and prototype for system of systems swarm robotics

In order to develop a robotic system of systems the robotic platforms must be designed and built. For this to happen, the type of application involved should be clear. Swarm robots need to be self contained and powered. They must also be self governing. Here the authors examine various applications and a prototype robot that may be useful in these scenarios.

Quaternion number based vanilla recognition system for automating polination

Vanilla is the second most expensive spice worldwide. The high cost of vanilla has led to the problem of dangerous adulterated substitutes. Its high cost is attributed largely to the labor intensive hand pollination required where the melipona bee is not present. This article is the first known to present a machine vision system for the recognition of vanilla flowers and their stamen for pollination. We present a hypercomplex numbers based system. The present system is based on a rotational invariant basis more fitted to fast quaternion Fourier transform processing than Zernike Polynomial basis, and computer simulations. It could be used for other applications as well.

Towards net-centric system of systems robotics in air, sea and land

This paper investigates how we can work towards building net-centric swarms of land, sea and air robots working together to accomplish a common goal. The goal is to bring together swarms of robots from all three sectors to safely benefit mankind without increasing dangers in the process. Several platforms are explored for simulation to investigate swarm robotics within heterogeneous environments.

A vision feedback robotic docking crane system with application to vanilla pollination

A novel hierarchical system of robotic cranes is presented. In this system, a gantry crane is used to hoist and dock a slewing unit structure that supports a balanced pair of vision feedback cranes. Each vision feedback crane is supported by six winches to provide six degrees of freedom in a manner patterned after NIST RoboCrane®. This hierarchical system of cranes can be used for applications where subjects to be inspected and manipulated are located along the posts, and where posts are arranged in a grid array. Agricultural applications might include inspecting and manipulating various types of climbing vines. The application of recognising and pollinating vanilla flowers with vision feedback is simulated and results are provided.

Control and simulation of robotic swarms in heterogeneous environments

Simulation provides a low cost method of initial testing of control for robotic swarms. The expansion of robotic swarms to heterogeneous environments drives the need to model cooperative operation in those environments. The Autonomous Control Engineering center at The University of Texas at San Antonio is investigating methods of simulation techniques and simulation environments. This paper presents results from adapting simulation tools for diverse environments.

Hierarchical robotic crane system for post grid array environments

A robotic system of crane systems is proposed and simulated for a vanilla pollination application. The system could be used for other applications where a grid of posts is serviced in an area suitable for overhead cranes. Existing crane systems could work together with new crane equipment in a hierarchical manner. A docking crane system with two or more six degrees of freedom cranes services the area around posts upon which it docks. Vision is used for subject recognition and control feedback.

Quaternion based segmentation for vanilla recognition

Vanilla is the second most expensive spice worldwide. The high cost of vanilla has led to the problem of dangerous adulterated substitutes. Its high cost is attributed largely to the labor intensive hand pollination required where the melipona bee is not present. This article proposes a method of segmenting vanilla images intended for robotic control of a future automated pollination system. We present the specialization of a hypercomplex numbers based segmentation technique for vanilla flower recognition. The specialization overcomes much of the difficulty of differentiating green flowers from their similarly colored surroundings. Comparison is given to previous hypercomplex numbers based segmentation without the specialization.

Using FPGA technology towards the design of an adaptive fault tolerant framework

In this paper we propose architecture for a reconfigurable, adaptive, fault-tolerant (RAFT) framework for application in real time systems with require multiple levels of redundancy and protection. Typical application environments include distributed processing, fault-tolerant computation, and mission and safety-critical systems. The framework uses field programmable gate array (FPGA) technologies with on the fly partial programmability achieving reconfiguration of a system component when the existing components fail or to provide extra reliability as required in the specification. The framework proposes the use an array of FPGA devices to implement a system that, after detecting an error caused by a fault, can adoptively reconfigure itself to achieve fault tolerance. The FPGAs that are becoming widely available at a low cost are exploited by defining a system model that allows the system user to define various levels of reliability choices, providing a monitoring layer for the system engineer.

Involving Undergraduate Students in SoS Engineering

Undergraduate Computer Science Department students at the University of Hawaii at Hilo participated in design, development, and deployment of a low-cost system of systems to collect and report near real-time field data from various sources including sensors linked by satellite or directly connected to the Internet. The project has been implemented as a working prototype for investigating an integrated model for environmental research, which concentrates on the application spatial, and temporal analysis techniques to large-scale ecological data sets and includes satellite imagery and ground-based sensor data. The design is extensible so that it can accommodate data sharing among diverse groups such as marine science, biological, geological, and climate control researchers. A Web interface is provided to visualize data collected from isolated geographical stations using satellite technology. Students experimented with alternative implementations of interface equipment using custom field programmable gate array circuits and stamp processors.