In July 2020, trenches No. 3 and 4, which contained Hallstatt Period sediments, were excavated in the Entrance Hall of the Habrůvka - Býčí skála cave in the Moravian Karst (Blansko District). The layers in trench No. 3 were intact... more
In July 2020, trenches No. 3 and 4, which contained Hallstatt Period sediments, were excavated in the Entrance Hall of the Habrůvka - Býčí skála cave in the Moravian Karst (Blansko District). The layers in trench No. 3 were intact (Hallstatt Period). In trench No. 4 (Fig. 10) in layers 2-3a/3b, the sediments (Hallstatt Period) that had been previously excavated were partially intact in layer No. 3b (Hallstatt Period) and layer No. 4 (Paleolithic?). The excavation fulfilled both goals - Hallstatt Period profiles with layers and findings were documented, and samples were obtained for scientific analyses, which continue to be evaluated. Both trenches captured a sequence of Hallstatt period layers approximately as H. Wankel documented in 1872 - layers A (trench No. 3) - D and cave loess (trench No. 4) (Wankel 1882, Fig. on pg. 383). Further research is also planned for 2021.
This letter presents a self-contained system for the robust utilization of aerial robots in the autonomous exploration of cave environments to help human explorers, first responders, and speleologists. The proposed system is generally... more
This letter presents a self-contained system for the robust utilization of aerial robots in the autonomous exploration of cave environments to help human explorers, first responders, and speleologists. The proposed system is generally applicable to an arbitrary exploration task within an unknown and unstructured subterranean environment and interconnects crucial robotic subsystems to provide full autonomy of the robots. Such subsystems primarily include mapping, path and trajectory planning, localization, control, and decision making. Due to the diversity, complexity, and structural uncertainty of natural cave environments, the proposed system allows for the possible use of any arbitrary exploration strategy for a single robot, as well as for a cooperating team. A multi-robot cooperation strategy that maximizes the limited flight time of each aerial robot is proposed for exploration and search & rescue scenarios where the homing of all deployed robots back to an initial location is ...
This letter presents a self-contained system for the robust utilization of aerial robots in the autonomous exploration of cave environments to help human explorers, first responders, and speleologists. The proposed system is generally... more
This letter presents a self-contained system for the robust utilization of aerial robots in the autonomous exploration of cave environments to help human explorers, first responders, and speleologists. The proposed system is generally applicable to an arbitrary exploration task within an unknown and unstructured subterranean environment and interconnects crucial robotic subsystems to provide full autonomy of the robots. Such subsystems primarily include mapping, path and trajectory planning, localization, control, and decision making. Due to the diversity, complexity, and structural uncertainty of natural cave environments, the proposed system allows for the possible use of any arbitrary exploration strategy for a single robot, as well as for a cooperating team. A multi-robot cooperation strategy that maximizes the limited flight time of each aerial robot is proposed for exploration and search & rescue scenarios where the homing of all deployed robots back to an initial location is ...