Communications of the ACM
Drone Learns 'to See' in Zero-Gravity
Experiments teaching a drone to measure distances with one camera were performed on Earth by Kevin van Hecke at Delft University of Technology.
Credit: Delft University of Technology
A small drone has learned how to determine distances using only one camera during an experiment aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The Synchronized Position Hold Engage and Reorient Experimental Satellite drone started navigating inside the ISS while recording stereo-vision information on its surroundings from its two camera "eyes," and then learned about the distances to walls and nearby obstacles. When the stereo-vision camera was switched off, the drone could start autonomous exploration using only one camera.
Humans effortlessly estimate distances with one eye, but it is not clear how they learn this capability and how robots could learn to do this. Machine learning is not considered a reliable approach to autonomy in space applications, but this method, based on the self-supervised learning paradigm, has a high degree of reliability and helps drone autonomy.
The self-supervised learning algorithm used in the experiment was tested on quadrotors at Delft University of Technology's CyberZoo in the Netherlands. Participants in the experiment say the finding is a further step in the quest for truly autonomous space systems. The experiment was designed in collaboration with the Advanced Concepts Team of the European Space Agency, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Delft University's Micro Air Vehicles lab.
From Delft University of Technology
View Full Article
Abstracts Copyright © 2016 Information Inc., Bethesda, Maryland, USA
No entries found