GROVER: An Autonomous Vehicle for Ice Sheet Research April 17, 2014
Introduction What is GROVER? Goddard Remotely Operated Vehicle for Exploration and Research Developed closely with Lora Koenig
Introduction What is GROVER? Goddard Remotely Operated Vehicle for Exploration and Research Developed closely with Lora Koenig
Introduction What is GROVER? Goddard Remotely Operated Vehicle for Exploration and Research Developed closely with Lora Koenig Fully autonomous (GPS, Telemetry, Failure modes)
Introduction What is GROVER? Goddard Remotely Operated Vehicle for Exploration and Research Developed closely with Lora Koenig Fully autonomous (GPS, Telemetry, Failure modes) Solar-powered
Introduction What is GROVER? Goddard Remotely Operated Vehicle for Exploration and Research Developed closely with Lora Koenig Fully autonomous (GPS, Telemetry, Failure modes) Solar-powered Controlled via satellite or line-of-sight radio (WiFi)
Introduction What is GROVER? Goddard Remotely Operated Vehicle for Exploration and Research Developed closely with Lora Koenig Fully autonomous (GPS, Telemetry, Failure modes) Solar-powered Controlled via satellite or line-of-sight radio (WiFi) Tested in the field in May/June 2013
Original Demonstrate that it could: Operate 24/7, in harsh environment Summit 0 5 10 Kilometers 50 km Grid WiFi grid and Iceast line 0 2 4 Kilometers Summit
Original Demonstrate that it could: Operate 24/7, in harsh environment Complete track within two weeks Summit 0 5 10 Kilometers 50 km Grid WiFi grid and Iceast line 0 2 4 Kilometers Summit
Original Demonstrate that it could: Operate 24/7, in harsh environment Complete track within two weeks Go over same point to maximize crossover Summit 0 5 10 Kilometers 50 km Grid WiFi grid and Iceast line 0 2 4 Kilometers Summit
Original Demonstrate that it could: Operate 24/7, in harsh environment Complete track within two weeks Go over same point to maximize crossover Successfully completed stage 2
Original Demonstrate that it could: Operate 24/7, in harsh environment Complete track within two weeks Go over same point to maximize crossover Successfully completed stage 2 Performed additional power failure tests 1Km Path Traveled Base Camp
Requirements Zero emissions vehicle
Requirements Zero emissions vehicle Running 24/7
Requirements Zero emissions vehicle Running 24/7 Operational in the extreme cold High efficiency solar panels (300W, 20%)
Requirements Zero emissions vehicle Running 24/7 Operational in the extreme cold High efficiency solar panels (300W, 20%) Constant sensor monitoring GPS 2 Temperature 2 Voltage 1 Current Two 20 Amp motors, travel over powder and sastrugi
POWER CONSUMPTION POWER SYSTEM SOLAR CHARGER 12V 60A 12V 60A 12V 60A 12V 60A 2 x 300W MICROCONTROLLER IRIDIUM SENSORS 1W RADAR 30W COMPUTER 50W INSTRU MENT 6W 570W TEMP SENSOR VOLT SENSOR TEMP SENSOR VOLT SENSOR CURRENT SENSOR GPS MODULE PYTHON MAIN COMPUTER INSTRUMENT COMPUTER MATLAB RADAR MOTORS 480W 20A 20A MOTOR CONTROLLER SENSORS MOTORS MICRO CONTROLLER IRIDIUM LINK CTL MICRO CONTROLLER IRIDIUM BOARD
Instrument FMCW radar, low-power 4GHz - 10GHz c Charly Whisky
Introduction Instrument FMCW radar, low-power 4GHz - 10GHz Footprint between tracks
Instrument FMCW radar, low-power 4GHz - 10GHz Footprint between tracks Ice layer present between 50cm-100cm c NASA
Power Consumption Autonomy of 6 hours (14Km) recharges in 6 hours Total power consumption 570W Can power on-board or external instruments 26 255 25 245 24 Voltage (v) 235 23 225 22 215 21 0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000 8000 Samples (every ~246s)
Power Consumption Autonomy of 6 hours (14Km) recharges in 6 hours Total power consumption 570W Can power on-board or external instruments Sensor malfunction (disclaimer) Current sensor failed within 48 hours Had no replacement Took us days to figure it out Computer battery failed as well
Power Consumption Autonomy of 6 hours (14Km) recharges in 6 hours Total power consumption 570W Can power on-board or external instruments 26 Voltage (v) 24 22 20 0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000 8000 Samples (every ~246s) Time Series Plot: Voltage over time 28 26 23v unnamed 24 22 Voltage Linear Fit 1 hour 20 0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500 4000 Time (seconds)
28 Data lost due defective battery on PC Power (volts) Heading (degrees) 400 Batteries charging 26 200 24 0 22 200 0 05 1 15 2 25 3 x 10 4
28 Data lost due defective battery on PC Power (volts) Heading (degrees) 400 Batteries charging 26 200 24 0 22 200 0 05 1 15 2 25 3 x 10 4
Designed to be used in many applications
Designed to be used in many applications Publisher/Subscriber design pattern
Designed to be used in many applications Publisher/Subscriber design pattern Written in Python gpscomponentpy headingcomponentpy iridiumcomponentpy motorcomponentpy navigationcomponentpy radarcomputercomponentpy telemetrycomponentpy
CONTROL GROVER CONTROLLER COMMUNICATIONS STACK COMMUNICATIONS LOS WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS WIRED CONNECTION COMMUNICATIONS IRIDIUM LINK DATA BUS COMPONENT COMPONENT COMPONENT COMPONENT GPS NAVIGATION MOTOR CONTROL INSTRUMENT CONTROL OPERATIONAL COMPONENTS FACTORY FACTORY SERVER COMMUNICATIONS FACTORY COMPONENT FACTORY GROVER SERVER
GUI
GUI
GUI
Communications CONTROLLER-BOUND Internet Iridium Satellite GROVER-BOUND Ground Station Directional Antenna Robot Controller GUI GROVER Controller Computer
Field Performance Collected 20GB of data
Field Performance Collected 20GB of data Covered 30+ Km
20 15 10 5 0 5 10 Time Series Plot: Temperature PC Section 15 0 05 1 15 2 25 3 Time (seconds) x 10 4 Introduction Field Performance Collected 20GB of data Covered 30+ Km Found that temperature didn t affect performance Temperature (C)
Field Performance Collected 20GB of data Covered 30+ Km Found that temperature didn t affect performance Simple engineering mistakes were very expensive yet
Introduction Field Performance Collected 20GB of data Covered 30+ Km Found that temperature didn t affect performance Simple engineering mistakes were very expensive yet Mark Robertson, Cryogars working on data
GROVER demonstrates that autonomous rovers can be a revolutionary tool in polar research
GROVER demonstrates that autonomous rovers can be a revolutionary tool in polar research The technology and the software are available and ready to be implemented
GROVER demonstrates that autonomous rovers can be a revolutionary tool in polar research The technology and the software are available and ready to be implemented Exciting new opportunities using this platform for scientific data collection
Future/Current Work Working with Alberto Behar Bigger/better solar panels Redundancy in sensors Rewiring electrical systems Optimize travel path to maximize exposure to the Sun Add visual indicators to facilitate the localization of the robot in poor visibility conditions
References Gary Koh, James H Lever, Steven A Arcone, Hans-Peter Marshall, and Laura E Ray "Autonomous FMCW Radar Survey of Antarctic Shear Zone" 13th International Conference on Ground Penetrating Radar (2010): 1-5 JH Lever and LR Ray, Revised Solar-Power Budget for Cool Robot Polar Science Campaigns, Cold Regions Science and Technology, 52(2), (2008): 177-190 CM Gifford, EL Akers, RS Stansbury, and A Agah, "Mobile Robots for Polar Remote Sensing," In Guarav S Sukhatme (Ed), The Path to Autonomous Robots, Springer-Verlag, Heidelberg, Germany, (2009): 1-22 Acknowledgements NASA EPSCoR grant #NNX10AN30A For founding this project CH2M HILL Polar Field Services Logistics support and invaluable help in the field NASAś Engineering Bootcamp Michael Comberiate and students who prototyped and built GROVER Contact Information gabrieltrisca@boisestateedu