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Real-time terrain anomaly perception for safe robot locomotion using a digital double framework

Haddeler, G; Palanivelu, HP; Colonnier, F; Ng, YC; Adiwahono, AH; Li, Z; Chew, CM; (2023) Real-time terrain anomaly perception for safe robot locomotion using a digital double framework. Robotics and Autonomous Systems , 169 , Article 104512. 10.1016/j.robot.2023.104512. Green open access

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Abstract

Digital twinning systems are effective tools to test and develop new robotic capabilities before applying them in the real world. This work presents a real-time digital double framework that improves and facilitates robot perception of the environment. Soft or non-rigid terrains can cause locomotion failures, while visual perception alone is often insufficient to assess the physical properties of such surfaces. To tackle this problem we employ the proposed framework to estimate ground collapsibility through physical interactions while the robot is dynamically walking on challenging terrains. We extract discrepancy information between the two systems, a simulated digital double that is synchronized with a real robot, both using exactly the same physical model and locomotion controller. The discrepancy in sensor measurements between the real robot and its digital double serves as a critical indicator of anomalies between expected and actual motion and is utilized as input to a learning-based model for terrain collapsibility analysis. The performance of the collapsibility estimation was evaluated in a variety of real-world scenarios involving flat, inclined, elevated, and outdoor terrains. Our results demonstrate the generality and efficacy of our real-time digital double architecture for estimating terrain collapsibility.

Type: Article
Title: Real-time terrain anomaly perception for safe robot locomotion using a digital double framework
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1016/j.robot.2023.104512
Publisher version: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.robot.2023.104512
Language: English
Additional information: This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions.
Keywords: Robot sensing, Legged robot locomotion, Digital twins, Field robotics
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science > Dept of Computer Science
URI: https://discovery-pp.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10188122
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