A
method of control for an unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) is a first-person view
(FPV) system. This control system allows
operators to “see” from the point of view of the vehicle. FPV control systems are useful in beyond
line-of-sight (BLOS) operations, particularly in confined spaces or cluttered
areas. However, potential issues with
field of view (FOV) and command, control, and communication (C3) links must be
addressed with this type of control system.
The Inspector Bots Trackbot UGV utilizes FPV in its
control system. The Trackbot is a
lightweight, highly portable system (Inspector Bots, 2014). The vehicle weighs only 10 pounds and can be
transported in a single hard case. The
UGV features rubber, caterpillar-type tracks that allow the vehicle to travel
over uneven terrain, obstructions, slick surfaces such as snow, inclines of up
to 45 degrees, and allows it to turn 360 degrees within the space of its own
footprint. The chassis of the vehicle is
also water resistant and the battery compartment provides easy access to swap
batteries for continued operation. The
Trackbot’s compact design allows the UGV to enter confined spaces such as
pipes, underneath vehicles, crawlspaces, and caverns. Headlights and upgradeable infrared cameras
also provide capability for low light operations (“Trackbot”, 2012).
The control system of the Trackbot consists of a hand
held control unit, transmitter, receiver, and video screen. All control system hard/software fits into a
portable hard case. Figure 1 displays
the Trackbot’s control system setup.
Figure
1. The Trackbot’s portable control unit within
its transporter case.
The video screen
provides the view from the Trackbot’s on-board wide field-of-view (FOV)
camera. The Trackbot can be operated
line-of-sight (LOS) using the hand held control unit. The FPV screen is utilized for operations in
which the Trackbot turns a corner in a structure or enters a confined space
that prevents LOS to the operator. The
wide FOV afforded by the UGV’s camera allows the operator excellent situational
awareness (“Trackbot”, 2012).
The
Trackbot’s FPV system is also upgradeable to virtual reality (VR) goggle use
(Inspector Bots, 2014). The VR goggles
would provide a view to the operator similar to operators of FPV racing
drones. Stock (2015) writes that FPV
drone racer, Matt Denham, states that VR goggles provide an “entirely new
dimension with your surroundings” and “it’s as close to being a bird as you can
get”. VR goggles would provide an
immersive environment to allow a Trackbot user to operate the UGV as if he/she
were the vehicle itself. An additional
improvement to the FPV system would be to utilize a motorized, gimbaled camera
on the UGV. A headset with integrated
sensors would sense the orientation of the operator’s head. Control software would link the UGV’s camera
and the operator’s headset to allow the operator to look 360 degrees around the
vehicle. This improvement would provide
exponentially improved situational awareness for the operator. The immersive environment would provide
benefits similar to the immersive full flight simulators used to train
commercial airline pilots (AAG Staff, 2015).
The Trackbot’s control system
utilizes a powerful transmitter and receiver to maintain C3 link between the
vehicle and operator. However, radio
frequency interference can disrupt the C3 link and, potentially, control of the
vehicle. A variety of electronic
equipment nearby, such as wireless/cell phones, radio towers, wi-fi routers,
and power lines, can interfere with the C3 link (Derene, 2011). This could be a particular problem with
operating a Trackbot in an urban environment.
Proper bandwidth management and transmitter/receiver power would be
needed to maintain the integrity of the link.
The improvement of a gimbaled camera on the UGV and linked operator
headset would also require a robust C3 link and sufficient bandwidth. These concerns would be critical to ensuring
the view provided to the operator is seamless and smooth to prevent
disorienting and motion-sickness inducing jerkiness.References:
Alpha Aviation Group Staff. (2015, October 30). How AAG’s Level D Airbus A320 Full Flight Simulator Delivers Top Quality Training. Alpha Aviation Group News and Updates. Retrieved from http://aag.aero/how-aags-level-d-airbus-a320-full-flight-simulator-delivers-top-quality-training/
Stock, D. (2015, August 16). The New, Underground Sport of First-Person
Drone Racing. ArsTechnica. Retrieved from http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2015/08/the-new-underground-sport-of-first-person-drone-racing/
Trackbot Tracked Robot
Robotic Platform [Video File]. Retrieved
from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZP90aOvJ5w
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