Related papers: Architecting Autonomy for Safe Microgravity Free-F…
We discuss the in-flight autonomous assembly as the means to build advanced planetary science payloads to explore the outer regions of the solar system. These payloads are robotically constructed from modular parts delivered by a group of…
The periodic inspection of vessels is a fundamental task to ensure their integrity and avoid maritime accidents. Currently, these inspections represent a high cost for the ship owner, in addition to the danger that this kind of hostile…
The ultimate research goal for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) is to facilitate autonomy of operation. Research in the last decade has highlighted the potential of vision sensing in this regard. Although vital for accomplishment of missions…
An important focus of current research in the field of Micro Aerial Vehicles (MAVs) is to increase the safety of their operation in general unstructured environments. Especially indoors, where GPS cannot be used for localization, reliable…
Autonomous navigation is needed for several robotics applications. In this paper we present an autonomous Micro Aerial Vehicle (MAV) system which purely relies on cost-effective and light-weight passive visual and inertial sensors to…
Full autonomy for fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) requires the capability to autonomously detect potential landing sites in unknown and unstructured terrain, allowing for self-governed mission completion or handling of emergency…
This paper presents the design of a small aerial robot for inhabited microgravity environments, such as orbiting space stations (e.g., ISS). In particular, we target a fleet of robots, called Space CoBots, for collaborative tasks with…
The exploration of small bodies in the Solar System is a high priority planetary science. Asteroids, comets, and planetary moons yield important information about the evolution of the Solar System. Additionally, they could provide resources…
Space interferometry is the inevitable endpoint of high angular resolution astrophysics, and a key technology that can be leveraged to analyse exoplanet formation and atmospheres with exceptional detail. However, the anticipated cost of…
While the capabilities of autonomous systems have been steadily improving in recent years, these systems still struggle to rapidly explore previously unknown environments without the aid of GPS-assisted navigation. The DARPA Subterranean…
Developing aerial robots that can both safely navigate and execute assigned mission without any human intervention - i.e., fully autonomous aerial mobility of passengers and goods - is the larger vision that guides the research, design, and…
The increased need in pointing performance for Earth observation and science Space missions together with the use of lighter and flexible structures directly come with the need of a robust pointing performance budget from the very beginning…
This paper describes an autonomous shuttle which targets providing last-mile transportation. Often, this involves operation in crowded areas with high levels of pedestrian traffic, and little to no lane markings or traffic control. We aim…
This paper presents a robust path-planning framework for safe spacecraft autonomy under uncertainty and develops a computationally tractable formulation based on convex programming. We utilize chance-constrained control to formulate the…
Perception, Planning, and Control form the essential components of autonomy in advanced air mobility. This work advances the holistic integration of these components to enhance the performance and robustness of the complete cyber-physical…
As autonomous systems become more prevalent in the real world, it is critical to ensure they operate safely. One approach is the use of Run Time Assurance (RTA), which is a real-time safety assurance technique that monitors a primary…
The Mining industry considers the deployment of MAV for autonomous inspection of tunnels and shafts to increase safety and productivity. However, mines are challenging and harsh environments that have a direct effect on the degradation of…
The self-* properties commonly associated with the concept of autonomic computing are capabilities desirable for avionics software platforms. They decrease the configuration effort and inherently provide new fault tolerance and resource…
This paper presents a real-time trajectory planning framework for Urban Air Mobility (UAM) that is both safe and scalable. The proposed framework employs a decentralized, free-flight concept of operation in which each aircraft independently…
Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS) have gained widespread adoption across a diverse range of applications. This has introduced operational complexities within shared airspaces and an increase in reported incidents, raising safety…