A Practical And Autonomous Geophysical Platform
R. Josh Bowers, Eric Close · 20th EEGS Symposium on the Application of Geophysics to Engineering and Environmental Problems · 2007
The US Government spends millions of dollars every year on unexploded ordnance remediation. A large portion of that funding goes to collecting geophysical data. When possible, geophysical data is collected by vehicles pulling arrays of geophysical sensors. The tow vehicles are driven by people following navigational aids. These people are often susceptible to errors that are system inherent. Human shortcomings lead to errors in driving a precise course, variations in speed, and limitations in endurance. Recent developments in robotics have resulted in the development of an autonomous tow vehicle that can overcome these shortcomings. The “Tugbot” robot works with any geophysics array. In the summer and fall of 2006 the robot was proven at an 1800-acre site where production was improved dramatically by 100% over similar projects where humans were operating the vehicle. Additionally, due to Tugbot’s precise control and positioning capabilities, superior throughput, operational quality control, data integrity, and safety results resulted,. Improved precision in geophysical data may allow discrimination of UXO targets in geophysical data. This document briefly describes the Tugbot and its operation.