Shared Autonomy for Robotic Inspection

We are developing robot solutions to automate inspection, where a mobile robot with a set of sensors scans through a space. Such applications involve a human collaborator, to specify the task, to supervise operation, to assess the results, or to guide the robot through challenging aspects. We seek to develop systems that share control: automating as much as possible, but allowing for user contributions as necessary. This application project is driving techical work in motion synthesis, mobile sensing, and user experience.

1. Motion Synthesis: how do we plan and create motioms that effectively achieve the task?
2. Mobile Sensing: how can we use sensors attached to the end effector to precisely localize the robot relative to the environment it is inspecting?
3. User Experience: how do we help a user work with the robot, to be aware of its plans and actions, to specify tasks and corrections, and to monitor its actions and results.