A Concept of a Plug-In Simulator for Increasing the Effectiveness of Rescue Operators When Using Hydrostatically Driven Manipulators

The introduction of Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs) into the field of rescue operations is an ongoing process. New tools, such as UGV platforms and dedicated manipulators, provide new opportunities but also come with a steep learning curve. The best way to familiarize operators with new solutions are hands-on courses but their deployment is limited, mostly due to high costs and limited equipment numbers. An alternative way is to use simulators, which from the software side, resemble video games. With the recent expansion of the video game engine industry, currently developed software becomes easier to produce and maintain. This paper tries to answer the question of whether it is possible to develop a highly accurate simulator of a rescue and IED manipulator using a commercially available game engine solution. Firstly, the paper describes different types of simulators for robots currently available. Next, it provides an in-depth description of a plug-in simulator concept. Afterward, an example of a hydrostatic manipulator arm and its virtual representation is described alongside validation and evaluation methodologies. Additionally, the paper provides a set of metrics for an example rescue scenario. Finally, the paper describes research conducted in order to validate the representation accuracy of the developed simulator.

Application of Smoothing Spline in Determining the Unmanned Ground Vehicles Route Based on Ultra-Wideband Distance Measurements

Unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) are technically complex machines to operate in difficult or dangerous environmental conditions. In recent years, there has been an increase in research on so called "following vehicles". The said concept introduces a guide-an object that sets the route the platform should follow. Afterwards, the role of the UGV is to reproduce the mentioned path. The article is based on the field test results of an outdoor localization subsystem using ultra-wideband technology. It focuses on determining the guide's route using a smoothing spline for constructing a UGV's path planning subsystem, which is one of the stages for implementing a "follow-me" system. It has been shown that the use of a smoothing spline, due to the implemented mathematical model, allows for recreating the guide's path in the event of data decay lasting up to a several seconds. The innovation of this article originates from influencing studies on the smoothing parameter of the estimation errors of the guide's location.

Research on Developing an Outdoor Location System Based on the Ultra-Wideband Technology

Ultra-wideband (UWB) technology is one of the most promising wireless communication technologies. Examples of UWB applications include, among others, radiocommunication devices and location systems, due to their operating range, ability to work in outdoor environments, and resistance to multipath effects. This article focuses on the use of UWB technology in constructing a guide localization system for an unmanned ground vehicle (UGV), which is one of the stages of implementing a “follow me” system. This article describes the complete process of UWB signal processing from its acquisition, methods of filtering, and obtained results, to determining the location of the guide. This article examines the possibility of using modified versions of localization algorithms for determining the guide’s location, including trilateration, methods of nonlinear programming, and a geometric algorithm proposed by us. The innovation of this study consists in the implementation of an algorithm that changes the selection of equations (mathematical model) for determining location based on the number of available measurements from UWB sensors.