Distance) data analysis for terrain classification. Results of a real scenario show the appropriateness of the approach that does not require any artificial landmark (e.g., helipad) and is robust to occlusions, light variations and high vibrations.

The time may be right to ask for an enumeration or classification of all the reasonably small topological algebras. Here the terrain is surveyed, and a program of investigation is proposed.

To achieve complete autonomy of unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) in off-road terrain at high speeds, a robot must understand and analyze the terrain it is driving on in real-time just as a human analyzes the terrain and makes decisions of where to drive. Much research has been done in the way of obstacle avoidance, terrain classification, and path planning, but there has yet to be seen a system ...

We consider the problem of performing rapid training of a terrain classifier in the context of a collaborative robotic search and rescue system. Our system uses a vision-based flying robot to guide a ground robot through unknown terrain to a goal location by building a map of terrain class and elevation. However, due to the unknown environments present in search and rescue scenarios, our system...

The MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) are onboard the same satellite platform NASA TERRA. Both MODIS and ASTER offer routine retrieval of land surface temperatures (LSTs), and the ASTER- and MODIS-retrieved LST products have been used worldwide. Because a large fraction of the earth surface consists o...

A terrain is an x-monotone polygonal curve, i.e., successive vertices have increasing x-coordinates. Terrain Guarding can be seen as a special case of the famous art gallery problem where one has to place at most k guards on a terrain made of n vertices in order to fully see it. In 2010, King and Krohn showed that Terrain Guarding is NP-complete [SODA ’10, SIAM J. Comput. ’11] thereby solving a...

Polygon-based terrain classification data were created globally using 280 m digital elevation models (DEMs) interpolated from the multi-error-removed improved-terrain DEM (MERIT DEM). First, area segmentation was performed globally with the logarithmic value of slope gradient and the local convexity calculated from the DEM. Next, by adding surface texture, k-means clustering was performed globa...

Limbs are an attractive approach to certain niche robotic applications, such as urban search and rescue, that require both small size and the ability to locomote through highly rubbled terrain. Unfortunately, a large number of degrees of freedom implies there is a large space of non-optimal locomotion trajectories (gaits), making gait adaptation critical. On the other hand, these extra degrees ...

This thesis is concerned with development of a terrain model using Gaussian Processes to support the automation of open-pit mines. Information can be provided from a variety of sources including GPS, laser scans and manual surveys. The information is then fused together into a single representation of the terrain together with a measure of uncertainty of the estimated model. The model is also u...