Domestic developer of autonomous chassis robots or our response to Google cars
At the beginning of May, there was a great topic on Habré about something like “ how Google’s robots see the world .” The video was a bit like a movie about the Terminator, but personally it fascinated me. Moreover, I was so fascinated that I got to read about such cars in more detail. For example, did you know that the Google autopilot system does not work in heavy rain? I did not know. It turns out that under a shower, the sensors cannot adequately assess the environment and compare them with the benchmark that has been memorized. However, I was not going to write about it.
So, unmanned cars. The topic turned out to be quite a trend, since not only Google works on unmanned vehicles. In one form or another, most of the largest automakers are engaged in drones (more precisely autopilot). Mersedes , Audi, BMW, etc. have their own system. Even Volvo is testing the road train system when the driver is only in the head car, and the trucks moving behind it are driving the machine. In general, the market is pretty crowded.
Having read a certain amount of material about foreign projects, I was interested in a simple question: are there any domestic projects working in the same direction? I confess I was hoping to find something from AvtoVAZ, but a brief googling was carried out by a Russian company from Zelenograd. However, as it turned out, it is even more interesting.
The firm, called SMP Robotics, is developing unmanned landing gear that allows you to drive on once-laid routes. In other words, the operator must carry out the equipment once on the road, and the chassis itself performs all further flights. So, for example, the robot guard, built on the basis of a wheeled chassis, looks like.
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How, in general, does Google-car work? He analyzes the information received from Google Street View and compares it with the information that he receives from the cameras (actually, that is why rain prevents him - he cannot get clear contours of surrounding objects). A similar principle is here - for the first time the robot remembers the route (apparently it somehow fixes landmarks), after which it starts patrolling along a predetermined trajectory, comparing sensor information with the reference one embedded in its memory.
A mixture of films "terminator" and "red heat"
If an obstacle arises in front of the robot, the stereo information from both cameras allows you to calculate its depth and adjust the robot's route. Interestingly, a special control panel with joysticks is used for laying the first route. In the future, the status of the robot can be found using the tablet and special software for Android. Communication is via Wi-Fi. And yes, the most important thing is that the chassis has a wireless battery charging (as far as I understand, the charging process takes place at the moment when the robot arrives at the base).
In addition to the wheeled chassis, which, it seems, is the main development (unfortunately, the presentation language on the site is such that the meaning of what is written sometimes disappears), SMP Robotics also releases roadless modifications. There are two funny videos on the youtube-channel of the company:
In the latter case, the wagon is somewhat reminiscent of the clunners from pre-revolutionary films.
So, if I understand correctly again, at the moment both chassis are in pre-production condition. Therefore, the most interesting question, and how much such a thing costs, I could not find the information. As for the use, the most likely option for the developers themselves are seeing patrols or regular transportation of goods (for example, in off-road conditions or in a bad climate). Actually, this is where the fantasy of the developers ends.
I must say that both of these options, although they are very logical and useful, personally do not seem interesting to me. The same guard functions, for example, are performed by robots in prisons in South Korea. And not only there. It would be much more interesting to come up with something like the Rotundus system - the robot is also used there as a patrolman, but the trick is that two pairs of cameras along the edges of the case allow you to create a stereo image for the security operator. Considering that in the case of Zelenograd residents, their chassis has two cameras used to calculate obstacle avoidance, they could also be used for 3D. And if you multiply this by a caterpillar drive, you could get excellent 3D self-propelled binoculars. This, so to speak, is what came to mind at once. I am sure that if you think about it, there will be a much more interesting application for this chassis (even more, I am sure that in the application options in the comments will be given a hundred points for any developer, but I get distracted again)
As I wrote above, both versions of the chassis are still pre-production copies. Therefore, the chance to feel or see them live, quite a bit. Now the authors carry on exhibitions robot guard and probe the demand. It is hoped that our market is ready to order such toys and startups like SMP Robotics will get a chance for development.
So, unmanned cars. The topic turned out to be quite a trend, since not only Google works on unmanned vehicles. In one form or another, most of the largest automakers are engaged in drones (more precisely autopilot). Mersedes , Audi, BMW, etc. have their own system. Even Volvo is testing the road train system when the driver is only in the head car, and the trucks moving behind it are driving the machine. In general, the market is pretty crowded.
Having read a certain amount of material about foreign projects, I was interested in a simple question: are there any domestic projects working in the same direction? I confess I was hoping to find something from AvtoVAZ, but a brief googling was carried out by a Russian company from Zelenograd. However, as it turned out, it is even more interesting.
The firm, called SMP Robotics, is developing unmanned landing gear that allows you to drive on once-laid routes. In other words, the operator must carry out the equipment once on the road, and the chassis itself performs all further flights. So, for example, the robot guard, built on the basis of a wheeled chassis, looks like.
')
How, in general, does Google-car work? He analyzes the information received from Google Street View and compares it with the information that he receives from the cameras (actually, that is why rain prevents him - he cannot get clear contours of surrounding objects). A similar principle is here - for the first time the robot remembers the route (apparently it somehow fixes landmarks), after which it starts patrolling along a predetermined trajectory, comparing sensor information with the reference one embedded in its memory.
A mixture of films "terminator" and "red heat"
If an obstacle arises in front of the robot, the stereo information from both cameras allows you to calculate its depth and adjust the robot's route. Interestingly, a special control panel with joysticks is used for laying the first route. In the future, the status of the robot can be found using the tablet and special software for Android. Communication is via Wi-Fi. And yes, the most important thing is that the chassis has a wireless battery charging (as far as I understand, the charging process takes place at the moment when the robot arrives at the base).
In addition to the wheeled chassis, which, it seems, is the main development (unfortunately, the presentation language on the site is such that the meaning of what is written sometimes disappears), SMP Robotics also releases roadless modifications. There are two funny videos on the youtube-channel of the company:
In the latter case, the wagon is somewhat reminiscent of the clunners from pre-revolutionary films.
So, if I understand correctly again, at the moment both chassis are in pre-production condition. Therefore, the most interesting question, and how much such a thing costs, I could not find the information. As for the use, the most likely option for the developers themselves are seeing patrols or regular transportation of goods (for example, in off-road conditions or in a bad climate). Actually, this is where the fantasy of the developers ends.
I must say that both of these options, although they are very logical and useful, personally do not seem interesting to me. The same guard functions, for example, are performed by robots in prisons in South Korea. And not only there. It would be much more interesting to come up with something like the Rotundus system - the robot is also used there as a patrolman, but the trick is that two pairs of cameras along the edges of the case allow you to create a stereo image for the security operator. Considering that in the case of Zelenograd residents, their chassis has two cameras used to calculate obstacle avoidance, they could also be used for 3D. And if you multiply this by a caterpillar drive, you could get excellent 3D self-propelled binoculars. This, so to speak, is what came to mind at once. I am sure that if you think about it, there will be a much more interesting application for this chassis (even more, I am sure that in the application options in the comments will be given a hundred points for any developer, but I get distracted again)
As I wrote above, both versions of the chassis are still pre-production copies. Therefore, the chance to feel or see them live, quite a bit. Now the authors carry on exhibitions robot guard and probe the demand. It is hoped that our market is ready to order such toys and startups like SMP Robotics will get a chance for development.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/182182/
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