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A Collaborative Team of UAV-Hexapod for an Autonomous Retrieval System in GNSS-Denied Maritime Environments

Seungwook Lee, Maulana Bisyir Azhari, Gyuree Kang, Ozan Günes, Donghun Han, David Hyunchul Shim

Abstract

We present an integrated UAV-hexapod robotic system designed for GNSS-denied maritime operations, capable of autonomous deployment and retrieval of a hexapod robot via a winch mechanism installed on a UAV. This system is intended to address the challenges of localization, control, and mobility in dynamic maritime environments. Our solution leverages sensor fusion techniques, combining optical flow, LiDAR, and depth data for precise localization. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of this system in real-world scenarios, validating its performance during field tests in both controlled and operational conditions in the MBZIRC 2023 Maritime Challenge.

A Collaborative Team of UAV-Hexapod for an Autonomous Retrieval System in GNSS-Denied Maritime Environments

Abstract

We present an integrated UAV-hexapod robotic system designed for GNSS-denied maritime operations, capable of autonomous deployment and retrieval of a hexapod robot via a winch mechanism installed on a UAV. This system is intended to address the challenges of localization, control, and mobility in dynamic maritime environments. Our solution leverages sensor fusion techniques, combining optical flow, LiDAR, and depth data for precise localization. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of this system in real-world scenarios, validating its performance during field tests in both controlled and operational conditions in the MBZIRC 2023 Maritime Challenge.

Paper Structure

This paper contains 20 sections, 4 equations, 4 figures.

Table of Contents

  1. INTRODUCTION
  2. Related Work
  3. GNSS-denied Localization for UAV
  4. Object Retrieval
  5. SYSTEM DESIGN
  6. UAV
  7. Hexapod
  8. Mission Planning
  9. Communication
  10. METHOD
  11. UAV Localization
  12. AprilTag-based Relative Localization
  13. Optical-Flow-based Localization
  14. UAV Localization Manager
  15. Object Detection and Tracking
  16. ...and 5 more sections

Figures (4)

  • Figure 1: UAV-Hexapod system executing its mission in a GNSS-denied maritime environment. Team KAIST won 2nd place in the MBZIRC 2023 Maritime Challenge.
  • Figure 2: Overview of the proposed UAV-Hexapod system for object retrieval tasks in GNSS-denied maritime environment
  • Figure 3: The Proposed AprilTag-based Relative Localization Pipeline
  • Figure 4: UAV-Hexapod system executing the object retrieval task. (a) UAV takes off and searches for the target object. (b) Hexpod is deployed from UAV and performs retrieval tasks. (c) UAV navigates to a waypoint to complete the retrieval task and returns to base. The entire task is completed in 4 minutes and 27 seconds.