Robotics
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I started in the Field Robotics Center after graduation, however my fascination started as an undergraduate. I was fortunate enough to take Mobile Robot Programming Lab with Illah and this was an excellent introduction. Senior year I got another break, I got involved with a major project at the FRC that eventually turned into a full-time position. |
Life in the Atacama (LITA) explored the limits of life in harsh desert
environments and developmented methodologies for remote exploration in
general. We used Hyperion and Zoe to autonomously navigate the Atacama
desert in Chile. The rovers were directed by a remote science team to
characterize promising areas using a suite of instruments. I started with
data analysis then continued into systems integration, rover operation and
navigation.
Life on Ice; Robotic Antarctic Explorer (LORAX) involved retrofitting Nomad
with a turbine and porting software from Zoe. The culmination of our field
test on Mascoma lake in New Hampshire was a 14km autonomous traverse, two
laps around the frozen lake. Although this demonstrated the feasibility of
circling an exposed peak in the antarctic, the project was not selected for
deployment. My role centered around porting software and operating the rover.
Deep Phreatic Thermal Explorer (DepthX) involved building a new vehicle and
evolving Zoe's software to this new platform. Through this rover, we mapped
large sink holes in Mexico, including the first map of Zacaton. Due to the
environment, this vehicle was completely autonomous and routinely
operated for hours without any contact. My role included system integration,
navigation, rover operation and fault monitoring.
Science on the Fly (SOTF) was, in many respects, an extension of Life in the
Atacama. We continued using Zoe and added new software to interpret science
data in the lava flow around Amboy Crater. The key behavior we developed was
to autonomously select targets and drive to them based on the data collected
en route. I helped maintain Zoe's existing functionality and made changes to
allow internal software specify navigation goals (rather than a scripted plan
as in LITA).
Lunar Rover Initiative (LRI) created a mobile drilling platform with the goal
of drilling for water in lunar craters. The resulting rover, Scarab, could
drive autonomously in the dark and had a novel mechanical design. We
demonstrated the capability of traveling over complex terrain and drilling on
steep slopes. I helped with most of the software including the operating
environment, low-level interfaces to lasers and the motor controller and
integration with Zoe's navigator and executive.
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