We use webcams on single board computers for vision-based control of flying robots. In that context we consider autonomous acquisition (bootstrapping) of exposure and gain control policies for the digital cameras. The policies are generated by neural networks with random connectivity which can be regarded as nonlinear expansion kernels acting on the input. We consider both feed-forward and recu...

This paper presents a hierarchical flight control system for unmanned aerial vehicles. The proposed system executes high-level mission objectives by progressively substantiating them into machine-level commands. The acquired information from various sensors is propagated back to the higher layers for reactive decision making. Each vehicle is connected via standardized wireless communication pro...

A control system architecture is described for an autonomous flying vehicle. The vehicle, equipped with fourteen sensors, uses a model helicopter as an airframe. The control system utilizes these sensors to a) remain aloft and in stable flight, b) navigate to a target and c) manipulate a physical object. The overall approach to the problem is based on a behavioral paradigm. The key contribution...

More often homeland security, disaster mitigation and military operations are performed in urban environments. Time consuming, labor intensive and possibly dangerous tasks like bomb detection, searchand-rescue and reconnaissance done with robots could save resources. An aerial robot capable of flying in closed quarters like warehouses, stadiums, underground parking lots and tunnels is featured....

Roboticists often take inspiration from animals for designing sensors, actuators, or algorithms that control the behavior of robots. Bio-inspiration is motivated with the uncanny ability of animals to solve complex tasks like recognizing and manipulating objects, walking on uneven terrains, or navigating to the source of an odor plume. In particular the task of tracking an odor plume up to its ...

Flapping wings provide unmatched maneuverability for flying micro-robots. Recent advances in modelling insect aerodynamics show that adequate wing rotation at the end of the stroke is essential for generating adequate flight forces. We developed a thorax structure using four bar frames combined with an extensible fan-fold wing to provide adequate wing stroke and rotation. Flow measurements on a...

Homeland security missions executed in near-Earth environments are often time consuming, labor intensive and possibly dangerous. Aerial robots performing tasks such as bomb detection, search-and-rescue and reconnaissance could be used to conserve resources and minimize risk to personnel. Flying in environments which are heavily populated with obstacles yields many challenges. Little data exists...

The Engineering Test Satellite VII (ETS-VII), developed and launched by National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA) has been successfully flown and carried out significant experiments on orbital robotics with a 2 meter-long, 6 DOF manipulator arm mounted on this un-manned spacecraft. The ETS-VII should be noted as one of remarkable outcomes of the research effort on space robots, particu...

To date, most quad-rotor aerial robots have been based on flying toys. Although such systems can be used as prototypes, they are not sufficiently robust to serve as experimental robotics platforms. We have developed the X-4 Flyer, a quad-rotor robot using custom-built chassis and avionics with off-the-shelf motors and batteries, to be a highly reliable experimental platform. The vehicle uses tu...

Recent studies of insect visual behaviour and navigation reveal a number of elegant strategies that can be profitably applied to the design of autonomous robots. The peering behaviour of grasshoppers, for example, has inspired the design of new rangefinding systems. The centring response of bees flying through a tunnel has led to simple methods for navigating through corridors. Experimental inv...