ROBDEKON
Robot systems for decontamination in hostile environments
ROBDEKON stands for "Robot systems for decontamination in hostile environments" and is dedicated to research in the field of autonomous or semi-autonomous robot systems. It is coordinated by the Fraunhofer Institute for Optronics, Systems Engineering and Image Analysis IOSB. In addition to the DFKI Robotics Innovation Center, the Karlsruhe and Ilmenau sites of the Fraunhofer IOSB, the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and the FZI Research Center for Computer Science are involved as research institutions. Industrial partners in the consortium are Götting KG, Kraftanlagen Heidelberg GmbH, ICP Ingenieurgesellschaft Prof. Czurda und Partner mbH and KHG Kerntechnische Hilfsdienst GmbH. ROBDEKON is the first competence centre for robot systems in hostile environments and has been funded by the BMBF as part of the "Research for Civil Security" programme since mid-June 2018. The project will initially run for four years, but the aim is that the competence centre will continue to exist in the long term.
| Duration: | 15.06.2018 till 14.06.2022 |
| Donee: | German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence GmbH |
| Sponsor: | Federal Ministry of Education and Research |
| Grant number: | 13N14675 |
| Partner: |
Fraunhofer IOSB, Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT), FZI Forschungszentrum Informatik, Götting KG, Kraftanlagen Heidelberg GmbH, ICP Ingenieurgesellschaft Prof. Czurda und Partner mbH, KHG Kerntechnische Hilfsdienst GmbH
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| Application Field: |
Assistance- and Rehabilitation Systems
Electric Mobility Logistics, Production and Consumer SAR- & Security Robotics |
| Related Projects: |
TransTerrA
Semi-autonomous cooperative exploration of planetary surfaces including the installation of a logistic chain as well as consideration of the terrestrial applicability of individual aspects
(05.2013-
12.2017)
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| Related Robots: |
ARTER
Autonomous Rough Terrain Excavator Robot
|
| Related Software: |
Phobos
An add-on for Blender allowing editing and exporting of robots for the MARS simulation
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Project details
The Robotics Innovation Center (RIC) of the DFKI under the direction of Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Frank Kirchner is working on the sub-project "Mobile semi-autonomous robots in dismantling scenarios under human coordination". Robots and humans shouldwork together in deconstruction or decontamination processes of industrial plants and complement each other. The developed technology must allow close cooperation between humans and robots on site, but also in tele-operation scenarios.
RIC will contribute its many years of expertise in the development of mobile autonomous robots especially for use in hostile and extreme environments such as space or the deep sea to the ROBDEKON competence centre. In order to achieve the necessary autonomy and thus the ability of the systems to act, robots used in contaminated areas must meet very similar requirements, especially with regard to their mobility, robustness and learning ability (artificial intelligence).
The DFKI research division has extensive expertise in the areas of machine learning, teleoperation and human-robot collaboration in order to ensure the safe cooperation of humans and robots in hybrid teams in the context of deconstruction and decontamination processes. In ROBDEKON, the Robotics Innovation Center will further develop innovative robot systems that possess the capabilities required for this demanding field of application. In ROBDEKON, the focus is on further developing the existing technological possibilities and integrating robots especially in deconstruction and decontamination processes and demonstrating their use in hybrid teams.
Videos
Robdekon: ARTER mobile walking excavator and SherpaTT rover working together to recover a barrel
DFKI has equipped the ARTER walking excavator with new mechanical components, sensors and software so that various control modes can now be implemented. This includes both teleoperation and automation. Easy-to-use interfaces between the robots and humans allow one operator to control both systems. In addition to live images of the surroundings, the control center also receives 3D data from which map material is generated. Once the operator has gained an accurate picture of the position and condition of the barrel to be recovered using the camera in Sherpa's arm, it can be retrieved and brought to a safe location.