Development of a Helicopter Deployable Robotic System for Survey and Ground Sampling
Michael Rose, Brian McCabe, Kevin B. Kochersberger · Infotech@Aerospace 2011 · 2011
The use of unmanned systems in hazardous environments is becoming more prevalent as technology progresses. This paper presents the development of a combined unmanned aerial vehicle and ground robotic system being developed by the Unmanned Systems Lab at Virginia Tech that can be deployed in a post-detonation scenario. The purpose of the system is to keep investigators at a safe distance while maintaining the ability to collect important information about the environment. The system performs aerial radiation detection system, aerial 3D terrain mapping, and ground sample collection. An overview of the complete system is presented, a proposed mission scenario is explored, and the robotic ground sample collection system is discussed in detail. The signi cant progress that has been made towards the development of the system is discussed, and some of the future research being conducted is presented.