Sensor Systems and Onboard Computers for Mapping , Planning Software

[hassanbayani]

I am reaching out to inquire about the sensor systems and onboard computers utilized in your mapping planning software. As we are considering implementing a similar system for our own purposes, we are keen on understanding the specifics of the sensor technology and hardware components that contribute to the functionality of your software. Could you kindly provide information on the following:

In choosing the sensor systems:

1. Which sensors are integrated into your mapping planning software?
2. Where can we find detailed information about these sensors, including specifications and compatibility?
3. Are there any specific sensors that you recommend for optimal performance? What are your recommendations?
4. Are there any limitations or considerations we should be aware of when selecting sensors for this purpose?

And in for the onboard Computers:

1. What type of onboard computers are used in conjunction with your sensor systems?
2. Could you provide details about the specifications and capabilities of these computers?
3. We are particularly interested in ensuring compatibility and reducing the risk of integration challenges by potentially ordering similar sensors and hardware components.

Your insights and recommendations would greatly assist us in making informed decisions regarding our system implementation.

[matemat13]

I'll assume when you refer to "your mapping planning software", you mean this package, which is partially based on our results from the DARPA competition, which are discussed in [1]. You may also be interested in the previous version of our DARPA solution relying on cameras and a 2D LiDAR described in [2].

Regarding sensors:

1. We rely on the Ouster line of LiDAR products as the main mapping sensor - specifically the OS0-128. However, any 3D LiDAR can technically be used.
2. On the manufacturer's webpage. I won't link it here as the manufacturers keep changing the links to the documentation anyways, but you can easily find it.
3. We've mostly used the OS0 for indoor mapping, where the wider FOV was an advantage. For outdoors experiments, the OS1-128 provides a better range than the OS0, which is important especially if you also want to rely on it for self-localization (as you need to see a sufficient amount of features). Right now, we're testing the LIVOX MID-360 with which we've seen promising results.
4. Field of view so that you have a sufficiently wide "seen" area that you can fly through safely. Range to match the expected distance and sparsity of features in your environment if you also want to use it for self-localization (i.e. no GPS). Ray density and accuracy obviously.

Regarding the onboard PC, definitely check out our HW platform paper [3], where you'll find more detailed info, but here are the general answers:

1. We mostly rely on the Intel NUC line of products as the main onboard computer and PixHawk for the FCU..
2. We've been using several generations of the NUC computer, so the concrete specifications change, but generally they have a current-gen Intel i7 CPU, sufficient RAM, and sufficient SSD space. Only integrated GPU. See the manufacturer's page for more details.
3. See the paper [3] :)

Hope this helps! If you decide to use our system, please make sure to cite the relevant papers including our system paper [4] ;)

[1] Matej Petrlik, Pavel Petracek, Vit Kratky, Tomas Musil, Yurii Stasinchuk, Matous Vrba, Tomas Baca, Daniel Hert, Martin Pecka, Tomas Svoboda and Martin Saska. UAVs Beneath the Surface: Cooperative Autonomy for Subterranean Search and Rescue in DARPA SubT. Field Robotics 3:1–68, January 2023. PDF, DOI

[2] Matej Petrlik, Pavel Petracek, Vit Kratky, Tomas Musil, Yurii Stasinchuk, Matous Vrba, Tomas Baca, Daniel Hert, Martin Pecka, Tomas Svoboda and Martin Saska. UAVs Beneath the Surface: Cooperative Autonomy for Subterranean Search and Rescue in DARPA SubT. Field Robotics 3:1–68, January 2023. PDF, DOI

[3] D Hert, T Baca, P Petracek, V Kratky, R Penicka, V Spurny, M Petrlik, M Vrba, D Zaitlik, P Stoudek, V Walter, P Stepan, J Horyna, V Pritzl, M Sramek, A Ahmad, G Silano, D Bonilla Licea, P Stibinger, T Nascimento and M Saska. MRS Drone: A Modular Platform for Real-World Deployment of Aerial Multi-Robot Systems. Journal of Intelligent & Robotic Systems 108:1–34, July 2023. URL, PDF, DOI

[4] Tomas Baca, Matej Petrlik, Matous Vrba, Vojtech Spurny, Robert Penicka, Daniel Hert and Martin Saska. The MRS UAV System: Pushing the Frontiers of Reproducible Research, Real-world Deployment, and Education with Autonomous Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. Journal of Intelligent & Robotic Systems 102(26):1–28, May 2021. URL PDF, DOI