Introduction:

This lab is intended to encourage investigation into different types of robot locomotion and control. We will do this within the theme of urban search and rescue.

Lab Presentation Grading Sheet

Challenge:

Special Thanks to Center for Robot-Assisted Search and Rescue

In light of recent events of the World Trade Center disaster and previous disasters such as the Oklahoma City bombing, the need for improved rescue efforts are growing exponentially. Hence, the Carnegie Urban Rescue Force(CURF) has funded Carnegie Mellon University's General Robotics class of Fall 2005 to develop a fleet of highly mobile, all-terrain and easy to use mobile robots to assist in Urban Search and Rescue efforts.

All contractor teams from General Robotics class of Fall 2005 are urged to submit their design proposal no later than October 25, 2005 to be eligible for a full award for future work.

Upon approval of the proposals, each contractor will have one week to demonstrate a working prototype of their concept. A Prototype Review Board will then evaluate all working designs and select the ones that satisfy the evaluation requirements.

The selected prototypes will then move onto the final phase of the project.

Dr. Howie Choset
Avi J. Siegel
Eddie Lu
Eric West
Debbie Hugh
Mike Shum
Jared Metter
Steve Shamlin
David Rosenberg
David Choi
William M. Dahlmeier
Jason Geist
Peggy Martin

Richard Juchniewicz
Brian Pilnick

Robotics Researcher
Director of Carnegie Urban Rescue Force
Chief Evaluation Officer
West Campus Architect
Pittsburgh Campus Architect
NASA Rover Design Specialist
NASA Rover Design Specialist
DoD Sponsor
Control and Vision Expert
Graduate Student
CMU Liason
LEGOLand Consultant
Special Assistant to Dr. Choset
Head of Electrical and Mechanical Persons
Local Juggling Celebrity

Design Criteria:

Due to the nature of this project, CURF requires your robot to meet certain constraints.

Size:
Since the robot is intended to assist in search and rescue missions, the size of the robot is a very important design factor. Hence, the following dimensions should not be exceeded:

Width: 6.0"
Depth: 8.5"
Height: 6.0"

(NOTE: These dimensions are for your entire robot and DO include the vision system. Make sure you design your robot appropriately.)

Tele-Operation:
All robots should be tele-operable from a remote command center consisting of a computer terminal and a video monitor. Using the Interactive C text interface, you can control your robot (which will be connected to the robot by a tether control line) by calling software functions stored on your robot. This control paradigm is often referred to as semi-autonomous, where the operator provides some high level control directing the robot in its autonomous actions. We have provided instructions and sample code with which you can control your robot using your keypad. We highly encourage you to use the code provided or any other method that you are familiar with to tele-operate your robot.

Note: If you are experiencing high latency with you serial communication, try this serial library instead. A bug has been fixed, it may improve performance. Also note the function names in it have been slightly changed.

Vision System:
We will be providing you with a camera and two flashlights with a LEGO base that you will need to mount onto your robot. For more information, click here.

To get an idea of what it would look like to see through the camera, check out this video or this video.

Extra Parts:
Each group will be supplied one extra LEGO motor to help in the manipulation. (This motor will not count towards your $50 extra parts budget.)

You are encouraged to pursue additional resources for LEGO parts, within a $50 spending limit (of your own money). See the class bboard or email the USAR team for approved "rare" parts and ordering info. Any common household stuff (like tape) and common hardware store items can be used as well. Basically this means anything that can be bought at a grocery store or hardware store, etc. For a list of acceptable parts, click here.

Comments on previous year's attempts in Search and Rescue and going to Mars, including common problems.

Evaluation:

Design Proposal:
CURF requires your team to submit a design proposal outlining your plans for your USAR robot. This write-up should include a basic schematic, descriptions of how your robot works, especially any "special" features it will have. You must explain how you plan for your robot to handle different obstacles like stairs, doors, broken furnature, rocks, broken robots (other team's who have failed?), cars, etc. The exact contents of this report are listed in this document (pdf | ps). The grading sheet is here . This proposal must be handed in by Tuesday, October 25. Note that at this point you do not have to demonstrate any kind of working prototype.

To guide you in your design proposal, we have included a discussion of metrics for design.

Prototype Evaluation:
Your robot must pass several tests demonstrating basic mobility (on Monday, October 31 and Tuesday, November 1). These tests include climbing a slope or moving over uneven terrain.

Click here for more details.

Timing for check points and updated scoring will be announced later.

For extra credit (up until 10 points) the CURF review board has decided to award additional points to those teams who are willing to provide a description of their USAR experience-- what they learned, what went well, and what didn't go so well. Click here for the full announcement.

Important Dates:

Proposal Submission:
Prototype Evaluation:

Prototype Selection:
USAR Demonstration:
USAR Final (NSH 3305):
Post USAR discussion:

October 25, 2005
November 1, 2005 (8pm latest)
November 2, 2005
November 8, 2005
November 9, 2005
November 14, 2005

Be sure to read the Frequently Asked Questions

From previous years, we went to Mars. A sample terrain (from NASA's mission to Mars), complete with mission 3 satellite photos and mission 3 topographical maps was made available to you to test your robot. The idea here is to make sure you have at least begun construction of a basic prototype.