Friday, 6 September 2013
Thursday, 6 June 2013
Firefighting Robot Paints 3-D Thermal Imaging Picture for Rescuers
A sophisticated on-board software system takes the thermal data recorded by the robot's small infrared camera and maps it onto a 3D scene constructed from the images taken by a pair of stereo RGB cameras.This allows small mobile robotic vehicles to create a virtual reality picture that includes a 3D map and temperature data that can be used immediately by first responders as the robot drives through a building on fire.The research is part of a plan to develop novel robotic scouts that can help firefighters to assist in residential and commercial blazes. Researchers will present their results at the International Conference on Robotics and Automation to be held from May 31 to June 5, 2014, in Hong Kong.The robots will map and photograph the interior of burning buildings by using stereo vision. They will use data gathered from various sensors to characterize the state of a fire, including temperatures, volatile gases, and structural integrity while looking for survivors. Working together both collaboratively and autonomously, a number of such vehicles would quickly develop an accurate augmented virtual reality picture of the building interior. They would then provide it in near real time to rescuers, who could better assess the structure and plan their firefighting and rescue activities. Bewley's dynamics and control team has already built the first vehicle prototype, essentially a self-righting Segway-like vehicle that can climb stairs."These robot scouts will be small, inexpensive, agile, and autonomous," said Thomas Bewley, a professor of mechanical engineering at the Jacobs School of Engineering at UC San Diego. "Firefighters arriving at the scene of a fire have 1000 things to do. To be useful, the robotic scouts need to work like well-trained hunting dogs, dispatching quickly and working together to achieve complex goals while making all necessary low-level decisions themselves along the way to get the job done."This project represents a collaboration between researchers at the Jacobs School of Engineering and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department, and local corporate partners. The team has applied for large block funding from the National Science Foundation Robotics Initiative to sustain this effort. But significant preliminary work has been conducted to get the research in motion even before this proposal was submitted.This interdisciplinary effort also involves:- computer scientists in Prof. Yoav Freund's lab developing software for robotic mapping in smoky and partially obstructed spaces,- nanoengineers in Prof. Deli Wang's lab developing an "electronic nose" capable of detecting volatile organic compounds, and- researchers at the University of Illinois addressing the inherent human interface and obstacle avoidance problems.
Wednesday, 17 April 2013
Tuesday, 16 April 2013
Tuesday, 9 April 2013
Geotectura's AIRchitecture: Flying Buildings!
It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s… a building? The latest from Geotectura and Malka Architects is a concept for Delft University’s Architecture Faculty- a flying structure called AIRchitecture that’s already making our heads spin. The campus building concepts combines a static learning center for libraries, offices, lecture halls, and an auditorium, with flying workspaces and off-site “zeppelins” to allow for more dynamic collaboration and exchange. This concept might sound crazy, but it is certainly a great example of a minimal footprint.
The studio spaces will be split between an off-site “floating
building” with “plug-and-play” flying classrooms for minimal
environmental impact, along with satellite “zeppelins” in locations
around the world. The complex is to operate as an educational machine,
providing the structure to support multiple programs, and a dynamic,
kinetic architecture that inspires awareness and innovation for young
environmental designers, “Learning through motion and arising the
activist part of the student,” as described by Geotectura. 
If you’re wondering about the mechanics of this UFO-type building, the structure of the zeppelin will be built from carbon and aluminum, outfitted with PV cells embedded within the skin of a balloon frame. The designers describe the experience as “More than a building – a way of life,” that will encourage architecture students to question everything.
+ Geotectura
We don’t know why this flying building would be hanging out over Luxor Casino in Las Vegas, but we LOVE this crazy image!
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