ToFormer: Towards Large-scale Scenario Depth Completion for Lightweight ToF Camera

Time-of-Flight (ToF) cameras possess compact design and high measurement precision to be applied to various robot tasks. However, their limited sensing range restricts deployment in large-scale scenarios. Depth completion has emerged as a potential solution to expand the sensing range of ToF cameras, but existing research lacks dedicated datasets and struggles to generalize to ToF measurements. In this paper, we propose a full-stack framework that enables depth completion in large-scale scenarios for short-range ToF cameras. First, we construct a multi-sensor platform with a reconstruction-based pipeline to collect real-world ToF samples with dense large-scale ground truth, yielding the first LArge-ScalE scenaRio ToF depth completion dataset (LASER-ToF). Second, we propose a sensor-aware depth completion network that incorporates a novel 3D branch with a 3D-2D Joint Propagation Pooling (JPP) module and Multimodal Cross-Covariance Attention (MXCA), enabling effective modeling of long-range relationships and efficient 3D-2D fusion under non-uniform ToF depth sparsity. Moreover, our network can utilize the sparse point cloud from visual SLAM as a supplement to ToF depth to further improve prediction accuracy. Experiments show that our method achieves an 8.6% lower mean absolute error than the second-best method, while maintaining lightweight design to support onboard deployment. Finally, to verify the system's applicability on real robots, we deploy proposed method on a quadrotor at a 10Hz runtime, enabling reliable large-scale mapping and long-range planning in challenging environments for short-range ToF cameras.

TriphiBot: A Triphibious Robot Combining FOC-based Propulsion with Eccentric Design

Triphibious robots capable of multi-domain motion and cross-domain transitions are promising to handle complex tasks across diverse environments. However, existing designs primarily focus on dual-mode platforms, and some designs suffer from high mechanical complexity or low propulsion efficiency, which limits their application. In this paper, we propose a novel triphibious robot capable of aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic motion, by a minimalist design combining a quadcopter structure with two passive wheels, without extra actuators. To address inefficiency of ground-support motion (moving on land/seabed) for quadcopter based designs, we introduce an eccentric Center of Gravity (CoG) design that inherently aligns thrust with motion, enhancing efficiency without specialized mechanical transformation designs. Furthermore, to address the drastic differences in motion control caused by different fluids (air and water), we develop a unified propulsion system based on Field-Oriented Control (FOC). This method resolves torque matching issues and enables precise, rapid bidirectional thrust across different mediums. Grounded in the perspective of living condition and ground support, we analyse the robot's dynamics and propose a Hybrid Nonlinear Model Predictive Control (HNMPC)-PID control system to ensure stable multi-domain motion and seamless transitions. Experimental results validate the robot's multi-domain motion and cross-mode transition capability, along with the efficiency and adaptability of the proposed propulsion system.