Segway Geophysical Tow
Vehicle
David Hodo
David Bevly
John Hung
Bob Selfridge
Overview
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Collaboration between
Auburn University and
the Army Corp of
Engineers Huntsville
Center
Goal: Provide an easily
transportable tow vehicle
for various geophysical
sensors
Safer and more accurate
UXO detection
Background / Acknowledgements
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Initial funding from ESTCP (Spring 2006)
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Transportable Manned and Robotic Digital
Geophysical Mapping (DGM) Tow Vehicle:
Project MM-200608
Continued funding from DERP FUDS
MMRP-IT program and the Army Corp
Huntsville Center
Capabilities & Benefits
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Autonomously control position and speed of
a trailer with geophysical sensors.
Operated and monitored from distances up
to 2 miles.
Increased safety and data quality from
standard survey methods
Highly repeatable path and speed for
comparing sensors and methodologies.
Path Following
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Follows paths consisting of lines and arcs
Places center of trailer on path
Capable of operation with and without GPS
on trailer.
Path Planning
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Supports 3 task types
Grids
• Waypoints
• Six-line Tests
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Can pre-plan around (sparse) known
obstacles.
Grids and obstacles are defined by convex
polygons.
Direction of travel and speed can be
specified for grids.
Simple Path Example
Mission Planner (Screenshot)
Grid
Fence
Path
Lake
User Interface
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Allows tele-op and autonomous control of
the vehicle
Displays
Desired and actual paths
• EM sensor data (EM61Mk2 and TM5Emu)
• System Health (battery voltages, pos. status,
etc.)
• Video feed
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Remote PC and comm. equipment mounted
in rugged Storm Case
User Interface (Screenshot)
Compact, Rugged Control Unit
Major Demonstrations
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McKinley Range, Huntsville, AL – numerous
Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG), MD –
May 2007
Camp Sibert: Site 18, AL - Sept 2007
SERDP/ESTCP/NAOC Workshop, Denver,
CO – July 2008
Operated by Parsons Corp:
Great Salt Plains, OK – Dec. 2008
• Camp Sibert, AL – Jan 2009
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Ft. Benning, GA – May 2010
Robot with G858 Magnetometer (APG)
Robot with EM61Mk2 Array at GSP
System at Ft. Benning, GA
Sample Map (APG)
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Mapping at APG
with EM61Mk2
Results from 4
grids shown
Gaps are from
pre-planned
obstacle
locations.
References
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D.W. Hodo, D. M. Bevly, J. Y. Hung, S. Millhouse, B. Selfridge, “Optimal Path Planning
with Obstacle Avoidance for Autonomous Surveying.” Proceedings of the 36th Annual
Conference of the IEEE Industrial Electronics Society, Pheonix, AZ, November 2010.
N. Harrison, B. Selfridge, C. Murray, and D. Hodo, “Self-guiding robotic geophysical
surveying for shallow objects in comparison to traditional survey methods,” Symposium
on the Application of Geophysics to Environmental and Engineering Problems
(SAGEEP), Keystone, Colorado, April 2010.
N. Harrison, B. Selfridge, M. Root, C. Murray, D. Hodo, D. S. Millhouse, “Self-Guiding
Robotic System Surveying and Comparison to Traditional Survey Methods.” Proceedings
of the UXO/Countermine/Range Forum™ 2009, Orlando, FL, August 2009.
W. Travis, D. W. Hodo, D. M. Bevly, and J. Y. Hung, “UGV trailer position estimation
using a dynamic base RTK system,” Proceedings of the 2008 AIAA Guidance,
Navigation and Control Conference, Honolulu, HI, Aug 2008.
D. W. Hodo, J. Y. Hung, D. M. Bevly, S. Millhouse, “Linear Analysis of Trailer Lateral
Error with Sensor Noise for a Mobile Robot-Trailer System.” Proceedings of the 2007
IEEE International Symposium on Industrial Electronics, Vigo, SPAIN, June 2007.
D. W. Hodo, J. Y. Hung, D. M. Bevly, S. Millhouse, “Effects of Sensor Placement and
Errors on Path Following Control of a Mobile Robot-Trailer System.” Proceedings of the
26th Annual American Controls Conference, New York City, July 2007.
D. W. Hodo, “Development of an autonomous mobile robot-trailer system for UXO
detection,” Master's thesis, Auburn University, August 2007.