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GPS and IMU Replacement Using Stereovision in Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles                         GPS is not effective indoors, and measuring systems like LiDAR are too big to be used on some small Unmanned Aerial Systems (sUAS) according to the developers of the Centeye (Barrows, 2016, 0:01-0:28). The idea of the Centeye is to use two light cameras for stereo vision on all four sides of the quadcopter to create a full 360ยบ field of view on which measurements of objects can be made (Centeye, n.d.a). The cameras used on the visual system are less than a 1cm (0.4in) long and weight less than 0.2 grams (0.000441lbs), so they can be installed on Nano quadcopters weighting in at 38 grams (0.0838lbs) (Centeye, n.d.a). While the small format CMOS sensor (Centeye RockCreek™ vision chips) is the heart of the Centeye, the whole sensor is made up of two of the trademark light sen...
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Complexity of ROV Control Stations           The biggest challenge when putting together a Remote Operated Vehicle (ROV)  control station is the variability in the market. In my research I could not find a single offering that could be plug and play, and instead every control station is a custom build  accommodating the different sensors and manipulators mounted on the robot. The cameras, sonar, lasers, and other sensors can be patch through using different equipment independently from the ROV controller. The nature of ROV, theater through physical wires to the control station, mean all sensors, motors, and manipulators are connected to their own hardware and software solution allowing operators to customize their station according to the specific components on the ROV. FMC Schilling Robotics, ROV Control Station. joysticks connected to a computer, and arm manipulator on the center under monitors. Monitors showing different s...
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Curiosity Needs to Ration Unlimited Power Power is limited on Mars and solar source won’t cut it when continuous reliable power source is needed. That is why the Curiosity Rover is powered by a Radioisotope Thermal Generator (RTG), a nuclear powered electric generator powered by Plutonium dioxide in a ceramic form (Jet Propulsion laboratory (JPL), 2016). The decaying radioactive material creates heat which is turn into electricity using thermocouples, and the total efficiency of the system is about 6% electric power conversion (JPL, 2016). The RTG on Curiosity can generate around 110 watts of steady electric power and this resource needs to be manage and rationed throughout the day scheduling critical aspects of the mission (LaMonica, 2016). Curiosity’s RTG will last up to 14 years, but the power output at a time is limited, and available power needs to be schedule to operate the sensors, the locomotion, and the data transfer.          ...
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