DIASI
Abstract:Navigation among movable obstacles (NAMO) is a critical task in robotics, often challenged by real-world uncertainties such as observation noise, model approximations, action failures, and partial observability. Existing solutions frequently assume ideal conditions, leading to suboptimal or risky decisions. This paper introduces NAMOUnc, a novel framework designed to address these uncertainties by integrating them into the decision-making process. We first estimate them and compare the corresponding time cost intervals for removing and bypassing obstacles, optimizing both the success rate and time efficiency, ensuring safer and more efficient navigation. We validate our method through extensive simulations and real-world experiments, demonstrating significant improvements over existing NAMO frameworks. More details can be found in our website: https://kai-zhang-er.github.io/namo-uncertainty/
Abstract:This paper presents the definition of a teleoperated robotic system for non-destructive corrosion inspection of Steel Cylinder Concrete Pipes (SCCP) from the inside. A general description of in-pipe environment and a state of the art of in-pipe navigation solutions are exposed, with a zoom on the characteristics of the SCCP case of interest (pipe dimensions, curves, slopes, humidity, payload, etc.). Then, two specific steel corrosion measurement techniques are described. In order to operate them, several possible architectures of inspection system (mobile platform combined with a robotic inspection manipulator) are presented, depending if the mobile platform is self-centred or not and regarding the robotic manipulator type, namely a basic cylindrical manipulator, a self centred one, or a force-controlled 6 degrees of freedom (DoF) robotic arm. A suitable mechanical architecture is then selected according to SCCP inspection needs. This includes relevant interfaces between the robot, the corrosion measurement Non Destructive Testing (NDT) device and the pipe. Finally, possible future adaptation of the chosen solution are exposed.