Recent advancements in radiation detection and computer vision have enabled small unmanned aerial systems (sUASs) to produce 3D nuclear radiation maps in real-time. Currently these state-of-the-art systems still require two operators: one to pilot the sUAS and another operator to monitor the detected radiation. In this work we present a system that integrates real-time 3D radiation visualization with semi-autonomous sUAS control. Our Virtual Reality interface enables a single operator to define trajectories using waypoints to abstract complex flight control and utilize the semi-autonomous maneuvering capabilities of the sUAS. The interface also displays a fused radiation visualization and environment map, thereby enabling simultaneous remote operation and radiation monitoring by a single operator. This serves as the basis for development of a single system that deploys and autonomously controls fleets of sUASs.
@article{arxiv.2103.10057,
title = {Immersive Operation of a Semi-Autonomous Aerial Platform for Detecting and Mapping Radiation},
author = {P. Dayani and N. Orr and A. Thomopoulos and V. Saran and S. Krishnaswamy and E. Zhang and N. Hu and D. McPherson and J. Menke and A. Yang and K. Vetter},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2103.10057},
year = {2022}
}
Comments
3 pages, 2 figures. The first three authors contributed equally. Accepted to the 2020 IEEE Nuclear Science Symposium & Medical Imaging Conference