The Robotic Embedded Systems Laboratory is now using its second iteration of its autonomous surface vessel (ASV) platform. Originally, the research was a part of the Networked Aquatic Microbial Observing System (NAMOS) project, and the first ASV was built completely in-house. The second generation, however, is based on a Q-Boat I hull by Ocean Science Inc. We have then added a basic navigational sensor suite consisting of an inertial measurement unit, a compass and a GPS receiver. Additionally, a profiling sonar, an anemometer and various other sensors can be mounted ad-hoc. The boats are equipped with a winch system that can be used for profiling with biological sensors.

The ASV is roughly 2 m long and 0.7 m wide, propelled by twin electric motors and is capable of speeds up to 1.6 m/s. It also a rudder for improved turning capabilities.

In collaboration with two laboratories in the Department of Marine Biology, RESL operates and maintains two Webb Slocum autonomous underwater gliders. An autonomous glider is a type of Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) designed for long-term ocean sampling and monitoring. These gliders fly through the water by altering the position of their center of mass and changing their buoyancy. Due to this method of locomotion, gliders are not fast moving AUVs, and generally have operational velocities on the same order of magnitude as oceanic currents (~1 km/h). By use of the buoyancy and gravity forces available in the ocean, a glider executes a sawtooth-shaped trajectory, and can stay out on deployment for up to four weeks.

In their current configuration, each glider continuously measures temperature, salinity and depth, as well as concentrations of chlorophyll-a, nitrates and phosphate. Data are transmitted to/from the gliders via Freewave radio modems or Iridium satellite modem. The gliders are primarily used as mobile sensors in a large-scale, embedded sensor network to study the Southern California coastal ocean, with an emphasis on the assessment and prediction of harmful algal blooms.

The EcoMapper, developed by YSI, is an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) designed specifically for mapping water quality, water currents and bathymetry.

The EcoMapper is approximately 1.6m long, with a .14m diameter. It can carry a variety of sensors in its nose cone, such as; conductivity-temperature-depth (CTD), chlorophyll, and dissolved oxygen. At an average speed of 2 knots, it can operate for approximately 8-10 hours, depending on its sensor suite.

RESL's EcoMapper is equipped with a 6-beam DVL, which can be used for navigation and bathymetry measurements, and a side-scan sonar which can be used for bottom mapping. Furthermore we work on extending its autonomy by creating on-board processing and control mechanisms.

The PR2 is a two-armed wheeled robot of size similar to a human, developed by Willow Garage. The PR2 has two 7-DOF arms with a payload of 1.8 kg. Sensors include a 5 megapixel camera, a tilting laser range finder, and an inertial measurement unit.

The USC Robotics Research Laboratory's PR2 is also equipped with a Kinect (by Microsoft), which is a motion sensing input device. Used conjunction with the Point Cloud Library, it increases the PR2's abilities to sense the environment.

The USC Autonomous Flying Vehicle Project was initiated in 1991. Since then, the Robotic Embedded Systems Laboratory has designed, built and conducted research with four robot helicopters, the most recent being the 3rd generation AVATAR (Autonomous Vehicle Aerial Tracking And Reconnaissance) shown here. AVATAR is built on a Bergen Industrial Twin RC chassis which has been customized for fully autonomous flight. The helicopter is powered by a 46cc twin cylinder two-stroke petrol engine that produces 4.5hp. It is capable of lifting approximately 10kg, and can stay aloft for 30 minutes on a single tank of fuel. On-board sensors include an ISIS IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit), electronic compass, and Novatel DGPS board. For our visual navigation experiments, the helicopter also frequently carries a combination of standard, wide-angle, omni-directional, and stereo cameras. A PC-104 computer running Linux is used for flight control. Since the beginning of the project, a guiding design philosophy has been to create flying robots with high levels of autonomy. Initially, we focused on developing a reliable controller for a model helicopter. Currently, our aim is to perform higher-level tasks with the helicopter, such as GPS waypoint navigation, autonomous vision-based navigation and landing, vision-based obstacle avoidance in 3D, and autonomous sensor deployment.

The Pioneer 2-AT, made by MobileRobots Inc., is an outdoor, all-terrain version of the popular Pioneer 2 robot. Built on an aluminum chassis, the AT has internal batteries, four motors with shaft encoders, an internal motor power board and an on-board microcontroller. We interface with the robot over an RS-232 serial connection. The AT is a skid-steer platform, which turns by varying the relative speeds of the left and right wheels. This also means that the robot is holonomic - it is able to rotate in place by moving both sets of wheels at the same speed but in opposite directions, or to turn in a circle with a 40 cm diameter by moving the wheels on one side only. Additionally, the AT is able to climb grades up to 45%, and will easily carry more than 20 Kg of equipment. In the past, members of the Robotic Embedded Systems Laboratory have used the Pioneer 2-AT for a range of outdoor experiments, including: mapping, navigation, people tracking and air-ground multi-robot team collaboration. We continue to actively work with the Pioneer platform, deploying one or more of the three units available in the laboratory for experiments involving small- to medium-sized sensor payloads. Typically, the Pioneers will carry a combination of stereo cameras, laser range finders, inertial measurement units and GPS receivers.

An iRobot Create with a small embedded computer mounted on top of it. The Create, a differential drive robot, has a round chassis of 33 cm diameter. The robot essentially has two kinds of sensors: a pair of tactile sensors, including a bumper; and a suite of infrared (IR) sensors. The embedded computer, Ebox 3854, is an 800MHz embedded PC and runs Linux as the operating system. For sensing and control, we use Player Software, which enable us to move the robot, turn on/off LEDs, read the bumpers, buttons and IR sensors. The Create platform is useful to run multi-robot indoor experiments.

The Segway RMP is a modified version of the Segway Human Transporter designed to provide scientists a mobile base for use in robotics research. These durable platforms have allowed for research in rough terrain while transporting numerous sensing and computing devices. Work done with our two Segway RMP's includes time-optimal outdoor terrain path planning under dynamic constraints, target following, and generation of accurate 3D outdoor maps from laser range data.

Used in projects related to sensor self-calibration - to build "power up and go" systems that are able to update and maintain their own internal calibration during normal use. This reduces or eliminates the need for tedious laboratory calibration, and allows the sensor systems to operate reliably in the field for longer periods of time. The primary research involved calibration of the relative pose of monocular cameras and IMU sensors. We have built a handheld test rig, consisting of a 30 cm long 8020 aluminum beam, with an IMU mounted at one end and a camera mounted at the other. The camera is a black and white Flea FireWire model from Point Grey Research, is mated to a 4 mm Navitar lens. Our IMU is a MEMS-based 3DM-GX3 unit, manufactured by Microstrain, which provides three-axis angular rate and linear acceleration measurements at approximately 100 Hz. Scale and axis non-orthogonality effects are compensated for internally by the IMU. We are particularly interested in the potential of these handheld devices to assist persons with disabilities.