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Robot Swarms Get First Real Test
May 17 ,General Science
The National Science Foundation has awarded a $100,000 grant for University
of Wyoming researchers to determine if swarms of mini-robots can successfully
detect the sources of chemical or biological hazards.
The research team, led
by Diana Spears in the Department of Computer Science, previously demonstrated
in simulated environments that the robot sensor network can effectively trace
and identify the sources of chemical plumes. The new SGER (Small Grant for
Exploratory Research) allows them to take the research a step further and apply
the system to the identification of actual chemical substances.
These tiny
robots could help clean up oil spills or respond to a terrorist attack.
In previous laboratory experiments, Diana and William Spears, associate
professors in the department, successfully demonstrated that the robots,
programmed to sense chemical or biological plumes, can "talk" to each other, and
move as a group toward the source of whatever they have been programmed to
investigate.
Equipped with sensors, the robots continually sense the
chemical concentration emitted from the source, and the air flow. They then
perform mathematical calculations that allow them to quickly form a geometric
lattice formation, and the robots move together to converge on the target.
This system, known as fluxotaxis, was invented by Diana Spears, David
Thayer, a lecturer in UW's Department of Physics and Astronomy, and doctoral
student Dimitri Zarzhitsky, all of whom are working on the SGER project.
"The system outperformed all others in terms of consistency in
accurately tracing the source of the plumes, and is competitive in the rapidity
of the identification," William Spears says.
Each robot will be equipped
with a chemical sensor that can detect a specific chemical. Benign chemicals,
such as ethanol or acetone, will be used. Each robot also will be equipped with
an anemometer to determine wind direction and velocity.
"The robots move
toward a chemical flux, by calculating a combination of the chemical
concentration and air velocity," says Diana Spears. "The ultimate goal would be
remediation, which would either be to encapsulate the source or extinguish it,
but that is not part of this grant."
The technology has practical
applications in environmental protection and homeland security.
"Wherever facilities produce or use toxic chemicals, there is always
concern about leakage and environmental pollution," Diana Spears said in the
spring, 2004, issue of UWyo magazine. "And more recently, we've begun to worry
about terrorists releasing chemicals or biological agents."
In the same
article, William Spears noted the robots can be used in a variety of situations.
"The technology is adaptable to any size, shape, and number of robots in any
physical environment: land, air, water, even outer space," he said. "This
flexibility adds perimeter defense, search and rescue, surveillance, space
telescopy, and medical nano-surgery to the robots' potential task list."
Other consultants are Doug Smith, associate professor in the Department
of Mechanical Engineering; Dan Stanescu, assistant professor of mathematics;
Cameron Wright, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering; and
John Schabron, principal scientist with the Western Research Institute.
Source: University of Wyoming
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