TY - CONF A1 - Bennetts, V.H. A1 - Kucner, T.P. A1 - Schaffernicht, E. A1 - Neumann, Patrick P. A1 - Fan, H. A1 - Lilienthal, A.J. T1 - Probabilistic Air Flow Modelling Using Turbulent and Laminar Characteristics for Ground and Aerial Robots N2 - For mobile robots that operate in complex, uncontrolled environments, estimating air flow models can be of great importance. Aerial robots use air flow models to plan optimal navigation paths and to avoid turbulence-ridden areas. Search and rescue platforms use air flow models to infer the location of gas leaks. Environmental monitoring robots enrich pollution distribution maps by integrating the information conveyed by an air flow model. In this paper, we present an air flow modelling algorithm that uses wind data collected at a sparse number of locations to estimate joint probability distributions over wind speed and direction at given query locations. The algorithm uses a novel extrapolation approach that models the air flow as a linear combination of laminar and turbulent components. We evaluated the prediction capabilities of our algorithm with data collected with an aerial robot during several exploration runs. The results show that our algorithm has a high degree of stability with respect to parameter selection while outperforming conventional extrapolation approaches. In addition, we applied our proposed approach in an industrial application, where the characterization of a ventilation system is supported by a ground mobile robot. We compared multiple air flow maps recorded over several months by estimating stability maps using the Kullback-Leibler divergence between the distributions. The results show that, despite local differences, similar air flow patterns prevail over time. Moreover, we corroborated the validity of our results with knowledge from human experts. T2 - IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA) CY - Singapore DA - 29.05.2017 KW - Mapping KW - Field Robots KW - Environment Monitoring and Management KW - Aerial Systems KW - Perception and Autonomy PY - 2017 SN - 978-1-5090-4632-4 SP - 1 EP - 7 PB - IEEE AN - OPUS4-40544 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Bennetts, V.H. A1 - Kucner, T.P. A1 - Schaffernicht, E. A1 - Neumann, Patrick P. A1 - Fan, H. A1 - Lilienthal, A.J. T1 - Probabilistic air flow modelling using turbulent and laminar characteristics for ground and aerial robots N2 - For mobile robots that operate in complex, uncontrolled environments, estimating air flow models can be of great importance. Aerial robots use air flow models to plan optimal navigation paths and to avoid turbulence-ridden areas. Search and rescue platforms use air flow models to infer the location of gas leaks. Environmental monitoring robots enrich pollution distribution maps by integrating the information conveyed by an air flow model. In this paper, we present an air flow modelling algorithm that uses wind data collected at a sparse number of locations to estimate joint probability distributions over wind speed and direction at given query locations. The algorithm uses a novel extrapolation approach that models the air flow as a linear combination of laminar and turbulent components. We evaluated the prediction capabilities of our algorithm with data collected with an aerial robot during several exploration runs. The results show that our algorithm has a high degree of stability with respect to parameter selection while outperforming conventional extrapolation approaches. In addition, we applied our proposed approach in an industrial application, where the characterization of a ventilation system is supported by a ground mobile robot. We compared multiple air flow maps recorded over several months by estimating stability maps using the Kullback-Leibler divergence between the distributions. The results show that, despite local differences, similar air flow patterns prevail over time. Moreover, we corroborated the validity of our results with knowledge from human experts. T2 - IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA) CY - Singapore DA - 29.05.2017 KW - Mapping KW - Field robots KW - Environment monitoring and management KW - Aerial systems KW - Perception and autonomy PY - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1109/LRA.2017.2661803 SN - 2377-3766 VL - 2 IS - 2 SP - 1117 EP - 1123 PB - IEEE AN - OPUS4-39218 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Neumann, Patrick P. A1 - Asadi, S. A1 - Hernandez Bennetts, V. A1 - Lilienthal, A.J. A1 - Bartholmai, Matthias T1 - Monitoring of CCS areas using micro unmanned aerial vehicles (MUAVs) N2 - Carbon capture & storage (CCS) is one of the most promising technologies for greenhouse gas (GHG) management. However, an unsolved issue of CCS is the development of appropriate long-term monitoring systems for leak detection of the stored CO2. To complement already existing monitoring infrastructure for CO2 storage areas, and to increase the granularity of gas concentration measurements, a quickly deployable, mobile measurement device is needed. In this paper, we present an autonomous gas-sensitive micro-drone, which can be used to monitor GHG emissions, more specifically, CO2. Two different measurement strategies are proposed to address this task. First, the use of predefined sensing trajectories is evaluated for the task of gas distribution mapping using the micro-drone. Alternatively, we present an adaptive strategy, which suggests sampling points based on an artificial potential field (APF). The results of real-world experiments demonstrate the feasibility of using gas-sensitive micro-drones for GHG monitoring missions. Thus, we suggest a multi-layered surveillance system for CO2 storage areas. T2 - GHGT 11 - Greenhouse gas control technologies conference CY - Kyoto, Japan DA - 18.11.2012 KW - Gas-sensitive micro-drone KW - Gas distribution mapping KW - Sensor planning KW - Artificial potential field KW - CCS PY - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-289119 SN - 1876-6102 VL - 37 SP - 4182 EP - 4190 PB - Elsevier Ltd. CY - Amsterdam AN - OPUS4-28911 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Bennetts, V.H. A1 - Lilienthal, A.J. A1 - Neumann, Patrick P. A1 - Trincavelli, M. T1 - Mobile robots for localizing gas emission sources on landfill sites: is bio-inspiration the way to go? N2 - Roboticists often take inspiration from animals for designing sensors, actuators or algorithms that control the behaviour of robots. Bio-inspiration is motivated with the uncanny ability of animals to solve complex tasks like recognizing and manipulating objects, walking on uneven terrains, or navigating to the source of an odour plume. In particular the task of tracking an odour plume up to its source has nearly exclusively been addressed using biologically inspired algorithms and robots have been developed, for example, to mimic the behaviour of moths, dungbeetles, or lobsters. In this paper we argue that biomimetic approaches to gas source localization are of limited use, primarily because animals differ fundamentally in their sensing and actuation capabilities from state-of-the-art gas-sensitive mobile robots. To support our claim, we compare actuation and chemical sensing available to mobile robots to the corresponding capabilities of moths. We further characterize airflow and chemosensor measurements obtained with three different robot platforms (two wheeled robots and one flying micro drone) in four prototypical environments and show that the assumption of a constant and unidirectional airflow, which is at the basis of many gas source localization approaches, is usually far from being valid. This analysis should help to identify how underlying principles, which govern the gas source tracking behaviour of animals, can be usefully 'translated' into gas source localization approaches that fully take into account the capabilities of mobile robots. We also describe the requirements for a reference application, monitoring of gas emissions at landfill sites with mobile robots, and discuss an engineered gas source localization approach based on statistics as an alternative to biologically-inspired algorithms. KW - Mobile robotics KW - Mobile robot olfaction KW - Biologically inspired robots KW - Landfill surveillance PY - 2011 UR - http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fneng.2011.00020/full U6 - https://doi.org/10.3389/fneng.2011.00020 SN - 1662-6443 SP - 1 EP - 14 PB - Frontiers Research Foundation CY - Lausanne AN - OPUS4-25037 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Neumann, Patrick P. A1 - Bennetts, V.H. A1 - Lilienthal, A.J. A1 - Bartholmai, Matthias A1 - Schiller, J.H. T1 - Gas source localization with a micro-drone using bio-inspired and particle filter-based algorithms N2 - Gas source localization (GSL) with mobile robots is a challenging task due to the unpredictable nature of gas dispersion, the limitations of the currents sensing technologies, and the mobility constraints of ground-based robots. This work proposes an integral solution for the GSL task, including source declaration. We present a novel pseudo-gradient-based plume tracking algorithm and a particle filter-based source declaration approach, and apply it on a gas-sensitive micro-drone. We compare the performance of the proposed system in simulations and real-world experiments against two commonly used tracking algorithms adapted for aerial exploration missions. KW - Autonomous micro UAV KW - Chemical and wind sensing KW - Gas source localization KW - Particle filter PY - 2013 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1080/01691864.2013.779052 SN - 0169-1864 SP - 725 EP - 738 PB - VNU Sciences Pr. CY - Utrecht AN - OPUS4-28010 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Neumann, Patrick P. A1 - Bennetts, V.H. A1 - Lilienthal, A.J. A1 - Bartholmai, Matthias T1 - From insects to micro air vehicles - a comparison of reactive plume tracking strategies N2 - Insect behavior is a common source of inspiration for roboticists and computer scientists when designing gas-sensitive mobile robots. More specifically, tracking airborne odor plumes, and localization of distant gas sources are abilities that suit practical applications such as leak localization and emission monitoring. Gas sensing with mobile robots has been mostly addressed with ground-based platforms and under simplified conditions and thus, there exist a significant gap between the outstanding insect abilities and state-of-the-art robotics systems. As a step toward practical applications, we evaluated the performance of three biologically inspired plume tracking algorithms. The evaluation is carried out not only with computer simulations, but also with real-world experiments in which, a quadrocopter-based micro Unmanned Aerial Vehicle autonomously follows a methane trail toward the emitting source. Compared to ground robots, micro UAVs bring several advantages such as their superior steering capabilities and fewer mobility restrictions in complex terrains. The experimental evaluation shows that, under certain environmental conditions, insect like behavior in gas-sensitive UAVs is feasible in real-world environments. T2 - IAS13 - 13th International conference on intelligent autonomous systems CY - Padova, Italy DA - 2014-07-15 KW - Autonomous micro UAV KW - Mobile robot olfaction KW - Gas source localization KW - Reactive plume tracking KW - Biologically inspired robots PY - 2016 SN - 978-3-319-08338-4; 978-3-319-08337-7 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-08338-4_110 SN - 2194-5357 SP - 1533 EP - 1548 PB - Springer Verlag CY - Berlin, Germany AN - OPUS4-31526 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Neumann, Patrick P. A1 - Bennetts, V. H. A1 - Lilienthal, A.J. A1 - Bartholmai, Matthias T1 - From Insects to Micro Air Vehicles - A Comparison of Reactive Plume Tracking Strategies N2 - Insect behavior is a common source of inspiration for roboticists and computer scientists when designing gas-sensitive mobile robots. More specifically, tracking airborne odor plumes and localization of distant gas sources are abilities that suit practical applications such as leak localization and emission monitoring. Gas sensing with mobile robots has been mostly addressed with ground-based platforms and under simplified conditions and thus, there exist a significant gap between the outstanding insect abilities and state of the art robotics systems. As a step towards practical applications, we evaluated the performance of three biologically inspired plume tracking algorithms. The evaluation is carried out not only with computer simulations, but also with real-world experiments in which, a quadrocopter-based micro Unmanned Aerial Vehicle autonomously follows a methane trail towards the emitting source. Compared to ground robots, micro UAVs bring several advantages such as their superior steering capabilities and fewer mobility restrictions in complex terrains. The experimental evaluation shows that, under certain environmental conditions, insect like behavior in gas-sensitive UAVs is feasible in real world environments. T2 - 13th International Conference on Intelligent Autonomous Systems (IAS) CY - Padova, Italy DA - 15.07.2014 KW - Autonomous micro UAV KW - Mobile robot olfaction KW - Gas source localization KW - Reactive plume tracking KW - Biologically inspired robots PY - 2014 SP - 1 EP - 12 AN - OPUS4-43920 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Hüllmann, Dino A1 - Neumann, Patrick P. A1 - Scheuschner, Nils A1 - Bartholmai, Matthias A1 - Lilienthal, A.J. T1 - Experimental Validation of the Cone-Shaped Remote Gas Sensor Model N2 - Remote gas sensors mounted on mobile robots enable the mapping of gas distributions in large or hardly accessible areas. A challenging task, however, is the generation of threedimensional distribution maps from these gas measurements. Suitable reconstruction algorithms can be adapted, for instance, from the field of computed tomography (CT), but both their performance and strategies for selecting optimal measuring poses must be evaluated. For this purpose simulations are used, since, in contrast to field tests, they allow repeatable conditions. Although several simulation tools exist, they lack realistic models of remote gas sensors. Recently, we introduced a model for a Tunable Diode Laser Absorption Spectroscopy (TDLAS) gas sensor taking into account the conical shape of its laser beam. However, the novel model has not yet been validated with experiments. In this paper, we compare our model with a real sensor device and show that the assumptions made hold. T2 - IEEE Sensors 2019 CY - Montreal, Canada DA - 27.10.2019 KW - Remote gas sensor model KW - TDLAS KW - Gas dispersion simulation PY - 2019 SN - 978-1-7281-1634-1 SP - 104 EP - 107 PB - IEEE AN - OPUS4-49548 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Neumann, Patrick P. A1 - Kohlhoff, Harald A1 - Hüllmann, Dino A1 - Lilienthal, A.J. A1 - Kluge, Martin T1 - Bringing Mobile Robot Olfaction to the Next Dimension – UAV-based Remote Sensing of Gas Clouds and Source Localization N2 - This paper introduces a novel robotic platform for aerial remote gas sensing. Spectroscopic measurement methods for remote sensing of selected gases lend themselves for use on mini-copters, which offer a number of advantages for inspection and surveillance. No direct contact with the target gas is needed and thus the influence of the aerial platform on the measured gas plume can be kept to a minimum. This allows to overcome one of the major issues with gas-sensitive mini-copters. On the other hand, remote gas sensors, most prominently Tunable Diode Laser Absorption Spectroscopy (TDLAS) sensors have been too bulky given the payload and energy restrictions of mini-copters. Here, we introduce and present the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle for Remote Gas Sensing (UAV-REGAS), which combines a novel lightweight TDLAS sensor with a 3-axis aerial stabilization gimbal for aiming on a versatile hexacopter. The proposed system can be deployed in scenarios that cannot be addressed by currently available robots and thus constitutes a significant step forward for the field of Mobile Robot Olfaction (MRO). It enables tomographic reconstruction of gas plumes and a localization of gas sources. We also present first results showing the gas sensing and aiming capabilities under realistic conditions. T2 - IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA) CY - Singapore DA - 29.05.2017 KW - Tunable Diode Laser Absorption Spectroscopy (TDLAS) KW - 3-axis gimbal KW - Mobile Robot Olfaction KW - Tomographic reconstruction of gas plumes KW - Localization of gas sources KW - Aerial platform PY - 2017 SN - 978-1-5090-4632-4 SP - 3910 EP - 3916 PB - IEEE AN - OPUS4-40545 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Neumann, Patrick P. A1 - Asadi, S. A1 - Lilienthal, A.J. A1 - Bartholmai, Matthias A1 - Schiller, J.H. T1 - Autonomous gas-sensitive microdrone - wind vector estimation and gas distribution mapping N2 - This article presents the development and validation of an autonomous, gas sensitive microdrone that is capable of estimating the wind vector in real time using only the onboard control unit of the microdrone and performing gas distribution mapping (DM). Two different sampling approaches are suggested to address this problem. On the one hand, a predefined trajectory is used to explore the target area with the microdrone in a real-world gas DM experiment. As an alternative sampling approach, we introduce an adaptive strategy that suggests next sampling points based on an artificial potential field (APF). Initial results in real-world experiments demonstrate the capability of the proposed adaptive sampling strategy for gas DM and its use for gas source localization. KW - Anemometric sensor KW - Autonomous micro UAV KW - Chemical sensing KW - Gas distribution modelling KW - Gas source localization KW - Gas sensors KW - Mobile sensing system KW - Quadrocopter KW - Sensor planning KW - Artificial potential field PY - 2012 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1109/MRA.2012.2184671 SN - 1070-9932 VL - 19 IS - 1 SP - 50 EP - 61 PB - IEEE CY - New York, NY, USA AN - OPUS4-25773 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -