In this paper we present the complete system design for an aerial robot capable of autonomous exploration inside natural cave environments. Cave networks involve diverse and complicated topologies, complex geometries and degraded conditions rendering the process of robotic mapping a particularly daunting adventure. In response to these challenges, we outline the core algorithmic modules relating to localization and mapping, exploration path planning and control, alongside the developed perception and computing solutions onboard an aerial robot tailored to undertake such complex tasks given no prior information for the cave environments in which it is deployed. A set of extensive results is presented including both simulation studies in multi-branching and maze-like cave environments, as well as field experiments inside the Moaning Caverns natural cave environment in California, US.


    Access

    Check access

    Check availability in my library

    Order at Subito €


    Export, share and cite



    Title :

    Autonomous Cave Exploration using Aerial Robots


    Contributors:


    Publication date :

    2021-06-15


    Size :

    4493177 byte





    Type of media :

    Conference paper


    Type of material :

    Electronic Resource


    Language :

    English



    Autonomous exploration and simultaneous object search using aerial robots

    Dang, Tung / Papachristos, Christos / Alexis, Kostas | IEEE | 2018


    Autonomous exploration of visually-degraded environments using aerial robots

    Papachristos, Christes / Khattak, Shehryar / Alexis, Kostas | IEEE | 2017


    History-Aware Free Space Detection for Efficient Autonomous Exploration using Aerial Robots

    Fite, Ryan / Khattak, Shehryar / Feil-Seifer, David et al. | IEEE | 2019


    LUNAR CAVE EXPLORATION USING AUTONOMOUS ROVER SAMPLE COLLECTION & ANALYSIS

    Barapatre, Prathmesh / Pilgar, Rutuja | TIBKAT | 2022


    Autonomous Exploration and General Visual Inspection of Ship Ballast Water Tanks using Aerial Robots

    Dharmadhikari, Mihir / De Petris, Paolo / Kulkarni, Mihir et al. | ArXiv | 2023

    Free access