Remote sensed imagery acquired with mini aerial vehicles, in conjunction with GIS technology enab... more Remote sensed imagery acquired with mini aerial vehicles, in conjunction with GIS technology enable a meticulous analysis from surveyed agricultural sites. This paper sums up the ongoing work in area discretization and coverage with mini quad-? rotors applied to Precision Agriculture practices under the project RHEA.
The coverage path planning (CPP) problem belongs to a sub-field of motion planning where the goal... more The coverage path planning (CPP) problem belongs to a sub-field of motion planning where the goal is to compute a complete coverage trajectory from initial to final position, within the robot workspace subjected to a set of restrictions. This problem has a complexity NP-complete, and has no general solution. Moreover, there are very few studies addressing this problem applied to aerial vehicles. Previous studies point out that the variable of interest to be optimized is the number of turns. Thus, by minimizing the number of turns, it can be ensured that the mission time is likewise minimized. In this paper, an approach to optimize this cost variable is proposed. This approach uses a quite novel algorithm called Harmony Search (HS). HS is a meta-heuristic algorithm based on jazz musician’s improvisation through a pleasant harmony. Finally, the results achieved with this technique are compared with the results obtained with the previous approach found in the literature.
Aerial images are useful tools for farmers who practise precision agriculture. The difficulty in ... more Aerial images are useful tools for farmers who practise precision agriculture. The difficulty in taking geo-referenced high-resolution aerial images in a narrow time window considering weather restrictions and the high cost of commercial services are the main drawbacks of these techniques. In this paper, a useful tool to obtain aerial images by using low cost unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) is presented. The proposed system allows farmers to easily define and execute an aerial image coverage mission by using geographic information system tools in order to obtain mosaics made of high-resolution images. The system computes a complete path for the UAV by taking into account the on-board camera features once the image requirements and area to be covered are defined. This work introduces a full four-step procedure: mission definition, automatic path planning, mission execution and mosaic generation.
Planetary surface exploration is an appealing application of wireless sensor networks that has be... more Planetary surface exploration is an appealing application of wireless sensor networks that has been investigated in recent years by the space community, including the European Space Agency. The idea is to deploy a number of self-organizing sensor nodes forming a wire- less networked architecture to provide a distributed instrument for the study and exploration of a planetary body. To explore this con- cept, ESA has funded the research project RF Wireless for Planetary Exploration (RF-WIPE), carried out by GMV, SUPSI and UPM. The purpose of RF-WIPE was to simulate and prototype a wireless sensor network in order to assess the potential and limitations of the technology for the purposes of planetary exploration. In this paper, we illustrate the results of the work carried out within the context of RF-WIPE. Two test case scenarios have been investigated: a distributed sensor network-based instrument and networked planetary surface exploration. Each scenario is related to a particular n...
Aerial multi-robot systems are a robust remote sensing choice to collect environmental data from ... more Aerial multi-robot systems are a robust remote sensing choice to collect environmental data from the Earth's surface. To accomplish this mission in a collaborative way, unmanned aerial vehicles must perform a full coverage trajectory over a target area while acquiring imagery of it. In this paper we address the multi coverage path planning problem with an aerial vehicles team. The approach proposed is hybrid, since is it is composed by an on-line and an off-line steps. This work is based on an optimal solution which is discretized to compute the ...
ABSTRACT The surveillance and inspection tasks in large exterior critical infrastructures have ar... more ABSTRACT The surveillance and inspection tasks in large exterior critical infrastructures have arisen as critical processes. More complex challenges are now present, and the traditional approaches are sometimes obsolete for facing these new menaces. An alternative system—a mobile sensor, spherical shaped—that provides a flexible, versatile, and reliable way to perform measurements is proposed. Even more, thanks to its original traction method (based on center of gravity destabilization), the system has a result as an all-terrain vehicle that guarantees a safe and friendly interaction with the environment. It has been widely tested, verifying as well the accurate acquisition performance, resulting in this system as a suitable sensing and monitoring alternative.
Abstract In this paper, a system that allows applying precision agriculture techniques is describ... more Abstract In this paper, a system that allows applying precision agriculture techniques is described. The application is based on the deployment of a team of unmanned aerial vehicles that are able to take georeferenced pictures in order to create a full map by applying mosaicking procedures for postprocessing. The main contribution of this work is practical experimentation with an integrated tool. Contributions in different fields are also reported. Among them is a new one-phase automatic task partitioning manager, which is ...
ABSTRACT Purpose ‐ The purpose of this paper is to present a new low-cost system based on a spher... more ABSTRACT Purpose ‐ The purpose of this paper is to present a new low-cost system based on a spherical robot for performing moisture monitoring in precision agriculture. Design/methodology/approach ‐ The work arose from the necessity of providing farmers with alternative methods for crop monitoring. Thus, after analysing the main requirements, a spherical robot was chosen as a tentative approach. The presented work summarizes the work carried out in selecting the basics to apply in the robot, as well as its mechanical and electronic design. After designing and constructing the robot, several tests have been performed, in order to validate the robot for performing monitoring task and moving on different types of soil. Findings ‐ The performed tests reveal that spherical robot is a suitable solution for performing the task. Research limitations/implications ‐ Some improvements in control should be applied in order to reach a fully autonomous navigation in very slippery soils. Nevertheless, the performance of the robot in teleoperated mode allows validating of the system. Practical implications ‐ The robot turned out to be friendly and harmless in its use for this application. The cost of final series will be affordable in comparison with the cost of other methods. Endurance of the robot can be considered as fair. Originality/value ‐ The paper presents a new tool for farming based on non-common robot.
Remote sensed imagery acquired with mini aerial vehicles, in conjunction with GIS technology enab... more Remote sensed imagery acquired with mini aerial vehicles, in conjunction with GIS technology enable a meticulous analysis from surveyed agricultural sites. This paper sums up the ongoing work in area discretization and coverage with mini quad-? rotors applied to Precision Agriculture practices under the project RHEA.
The coverage path planning (CPP) problem belongs to a sub-field of motion planning where the goal... more The coverage path planning (CPP) problem belongs to a sub-field of motion planning where the goal is to compute a complete coverage trajectory from initial to final position, within the robot workspace subjected to a set of restrictions. This problem has a complexity NP-complete, and has no general solution. Moreover, there are very few studies addressing this problem applied to aerial vehicles. Previous studies point out that the variable of interest to be optimized is the number of turns. Thus, by minimizing the number of turns, it can be ensured that the mission time is likewise minimized. In this paper, an approach to optimize this cost variable is proposed. This approach uses a quite novel algorithm called Harmony Search (HS). HS is a meta-heuristic algorithm based on jazz musician’s improvisation through a pleasant harmony. Finally, the results achieved with this technique are compared with the results obtained with the previous approach found in the literature.
Aerial images are useful tools for farmers who practise precision agriculture. The difficulty in ... more Aerial images are useful tools for farmers who practise precision agriculture. The difficulty in taking geo-referenced high-resolution aerial images in a narrow time window considering weather restrictions and the high cost of commercial services are the main drawbacks of these techniques. In this paper, a useful tool to obtain aerial images by using low cost unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) is presented. The proposed system allows farmers to easily define and execute an aerial image coverage mission by using geographic information system tools in order to obtain mosaics made of high-resolution images. The system computes a complete path for the UAV by taking into account the on-board camera features once the image requirements and area to be covered are defined. This work introduces a full four-step procedure: mission definition, automatic path planning, mission execution and mosaic generation.
Planetary surface exploration is an appealing application of wireless sensor networks that has be... more Planetary surface exploration is an appealing application of wireless sensor networks that has been investigated in recent years by the space community, including the European Space Agency. The idea is to deploy a number of self-organizing sensor nodes forming a wire- less networked architecture to provide a distributed instrument for the study and exploration of a planetary body. To explore this con- cept, ESA has funded the research project RF Wireless for Planetary Exploration (RF-WIPE), carried out by GMV, SUPSI and UPM. The purpose of RF-WIPE was to simulate and prototype a wireless sensor network in order to assess the potential and limitations of the technology for the purposes of planetary exploration. In this paper, we illustrate the results of the work carried out within the context of RF-WIPE. Two test case scenarios have been investigated: a distributed sensor network-based instrument and networked planetary surface exploration. Each scenario is related to a particular n...
Aerial multi-robot systems are a robust remote sensing choice to collect environmental data from ... more Aerial multi-robot systems are a robust remote sensing choice to collect environmental data from the Earth's surface. To accomplish this mission in a collaborative way, unmanned aerial vehicles must perform a full coverage trajectory over a target area while acquiring imagery of it. In this paper we address the multi coverage path planning problem with an aerial vehicles team. The approach proposed is hybrid, since is it is composed by an on-line and an off-line steps. This work is based on an optimal solution which is discretized to compute the ...
ABSTRACT The surveillance and inspection tasks in large exterior critical infrastructures have ar... more ABSTRACT The surveillance and inspection tasks in large exterior critical infrastructures have arisen as critical processes. More complex challenges are now present, and the traditional approaches are sometimes obsolete for facing these new menaces. An alternative system—a mobile sensor, spherical shaped—that provides a flexible, versatile, and reliable way to perform measurements is proposed. Even more, thanks to its original traction method (based on center of gravity destabilization), the system has a result as an all-terrain vehicle that guarantees a safe and friendly interaction with the environment. It has been widely tested, verifying as well the accurate acquisition performance, resulting in this system as a suitable sensing and monitoring alternative.
Abstract In this paper, a system that allows applying precision agriculture techniques is describ... more Abstract In this paper, a system that allows applying precision agriculture techniques is described. The application is based on the deployment of a team of unmanned aerial vehicles that are able to take georeferenced pictures in order to create a full map by applying mosaicking procedures for postprocessing. The main contribution of this work is practical experimentation with an integrated tool. Contributions in different fields are also reported. Among them is a new one-phase automatic task partitioning manager, which is ...
ABSTRACT Purpose ‐ The purpose of this paper is to present a new low-cost system based on a spher... more ABSTRACT Purpose ‐ The purpose of this paper is to present a new low-cost system based on a spherical robot for performing moisture monitoring in precision agriculture. Design/methodology/approach ‐ The work arose from the necessity of providing farmers with alternative methods for crop monitoring. Thus, after analysing the main requirements, a spherical robot was chosen as a tentative approach. The presented work summarizes the work carried out in selecting the basics to apply in the robot, as well as its mechanical and electronic design. After designing and constructing the robot, several tests have been performed, in order to validate the robot for performing monitoring task and moving on different types of soil. Findings ‐ The performed tests reveal that spherical robot is a suitable solution for performing the task. Research limitations/implications ‐ Some improvements in control should be applied in order to reach a fully autonomous navigation in very slippery soils. Nevertheless, the performance of the robot in teleoperated mode allows validating of the system. Practical implications ‐ The robot turned out to be friendly and harmless in its use for this application. The cost of final series will be affordable in comparison with the cost of other methods. Endurance of the robot can be considered as fair. Originality/value ‐ The paper presents a new tool for farming based on non-common robot.
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Papers by David Sanz