Experimental Tools Luncheon

Please describe any experimental apparatus or analysis tools you possess or are familiar with that might be useful for testing things people are building. Given that we discussed simulation tools in a previous meeting, please focus on physical tools and testbeds, though feel free to mention hardware-in-the-loop setups or high-fidelity simulation environments. Some general categories to consider:

• Internal Sensors: inertial mass units (IMU's) and accelerometers; GPS devices; vision systems (stereo, thermal, ...); ranging systems (laser, sonar, radar, ...); ...
• External Sensors: high-speed video cameras; radar/sonar/laser rangefinders; radio spectrum analyzers; microphones; ...
• Data Analysis: video processing; filtering (Kalman, particle, ...); sensor fusion; ...
• Space: dedicated lab space for performing experiments, where it might be possible to construct an obstacle course or securely store devices.
• Existing Platforms: commercial robots (Pioneer P2AT, roomba, PackBot, ...); toys (helicopters, gliders, cars, ...); previous projects (gliders, crawlers, helicopters, ...); ...

Meeting notes

• Hedrick's Video Processing Software
  • http://www.unc.edu/~thedrick/software1.html
• Casio consumer-grade high-speed video camera
  • http://www.casio.com/products/Cameras/High_Speed_EXILIM/EX-F1/
• Student machine shop in basement of Cory
  • http://california.eecs.berkeley.edu/iesg/rooms/140FCory/default.asp
  • drill press
  • (no mill)
  • solder reflow station
• Student machine shop in Etcheverry
  • http://www.me.berkeley.edu/new/Shop/enter.html
• Advanced Assembly for PCB population
  • http://www.aapcb.com/
  • ~10 working days
• Real-time motion capture?

Maharbiz

• Cory 407: ~7000fps high-speed video camera

Fearing's Group

• Electronics workstations
  • soldering, oscilloscopes, ...
• Wire & die bonder
• Solder reflow station (needs repair)
  • Zephyrtronics (?)
• Stereo microscopes
• Small horizontal wind tunnel
• (limited use, pre-arranged) laser cutters

• Electronics workstations
• Solder reflow station
• RF vacuum probe station

Bayen's group (McLaughlin Hall)

• Electronics workstations
• GSM and GPS modules

Sastry's Group: Sam, Andrew, Hoam, Travis

Internal (Onboard) Sensors

• IMUs and GPS units
  • Deluo DGM-100 GPS Module with onboard patch antenna http://www.deluogps.com/product.php?id=10-019-00
    • Size: 32 (w) x 32 (l) x 9 (h) mm, very versatile miniature GPS module
  • ISIS-IMU http://www.inertialscience.com/isis_imu.htm
    • Medium accuracy 6 axes IMU with temperature compensation
  • Honeywell DRM4000 http://www.ssec.honeywell.com/magnetic/datasheets/DRM4000.pdf
    • Miniature IMU + magnetometers + proprietary Kalman filter = position estimates without GPS, 'Dead Reckoning'
    • CAUTION: This sensor works only for human walking motion. Can't be used on wheeled mobile robots, etc.
  • Honeywell HMR3000 http://www.ssec.honeywell.com/magnetic/datasheets/hmr3000.pdf
    • 1-axis magnetometer + 2-axis tilt meter provide heading and roll/pitch
    • Tilt range is only +/- 40 degrees, and tilt sensors are very inaccurate in dynamic environments
    • Good for initial heading estimation and angle measurements under NO vibration
• Cameras, camera motes
  • CITRIC Mote http://www.truststc.org/hsn/citric.html
    • The Cal-ITRI-Camera (CITRIC) mote platform approaches computer vision problems and potentially other sensor applications through in-network processing of sensory data.
  • Canon Powershot S3, Sanyo Xacti MPeg4 camera
• Motes
  • Trio Mote (see MotesAndRadios)
• Laser range finders
  • Velodyne laser rangefinder (soon?) http://www.velodyne.com/lidar/products/specifications.aspx
  • Hokuyo miniature laser range finder http://www.acroname.com/robotics/parts/R283-HOKUYO-LASER1.html
    • 20mm to 4 meters range, 240 degrees field of view, 0.36 degree angular resolution, 1 cm range resolution, 10Hz update rate
  • SICK LMS-291 Industrial laser range finder https://mysick.com/partnerPortal/ProductCatalog/DataSheet.aspx?ProductID=9174#
    • Very reliable, 80 m range with 180 degrees field of view, but heavy (4.5Kg) and bulky

External Sensors

• High speed video cameras (via Prof. Full's group, CIBER)

Data Analysis

• Tracking in a wireless sensor network
• Video processing
  • via MATLAB's video processing toolbox
  • nonlinear state estimation (via an Unscented Kalman Filter)

Space

• RFS has indoor and outdoor areas. UAV Lab in Bldg#164 has some office space plus work/storage space. Bldg#280A may be used for large-scale indoor test setup. See http://rfs.berkeley.edu/mapdetail.html.

Existing Platforms

• Pioneer P3AT http://www.activrobots.com/ROBOTS/p2at.html
  • 2DOF grabber, onboard gyro for wheel slip correction, laser mapping and navigation integration option
• Unmanned Helicopters http://robotics.eecs.berkeley.edu/bear/testbeds.html
  • Yamaha RMax Helicopters can climb several hundred feet with ~20Kg payload - can be used to demonstrate 'deploy from UAV' scenario
• Fixed-wing UAVs
  • Fully automated by Procerus autopilot http://www.procerusuav.com/
  • Operation altitude 300 to 1000 ft with 0.5Kg payload
• RC cars
  • Traxxas E-Maxx http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dl2NX5XI-uw and Kyosho Blizzard DF-300 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A857Vb27ou8

Pister's Group: Ankur, Anita, Steven, Travis

Lab equipment:

• RF test equipment (0-6 GHz RF source, 0-13 GHz Spectrum Analyzer)
• General lab test equipment in 484 Cory
• Very large assorment of PCB components and a reasonable assembly/rework bench
• Probe station
• milligram scale

Robots:

• Foam Glider (5 ft wingspan)
• Small helicopters (in various states of disrepair)
  • Walkera 4#3
  • Walkera 5G6
  • Esky Lama V3
  • Eflite Blade mCX
  • Wowwee Bladestar

Motes/Sensors:

• Ankur's IMU board
  • 6 DOF inertial rates
    • 3 axis accelerometer
    • 2 inplane axis gyro
    • 1 axis yaw rate gyro
  • MSP430F2617 microprocessor
  • 802.15.4 radio
• Accelerometer boards for ground vibration sensing (Travis M.)

CAD Tools/Users:

• Cadence tools/server for IC design
• Cadence/Orcad tools for printed circuit board design
• SolidWorks
• MSP430 programming IDEs
• 802.15.4 packet sniffer
• (limited access) single-access rate table
  • co-owned in BSAC

Full Lab and via CIBER (Center for Integrative Biomechanics in Education and Research): Ardian, Jean

• Muscle lever system to study muscle function
• EMG workstations for recording muscle activation patterns
• Faraday cage for low-noise biological recordings, e.g. electrophysiology
• Force platforms for terrestrial locomotion studies (small and large scale)
• 3D kinematics analysis system with high-speed video cameras
• O2 and CO2 measurement systems
• Material testing instrument (Instron)
• Wind tunnel
• Water flume to study fluid dynamics
• Particle image velocimetry for flow visualization in air, water, and sand
• Planer laser-induced fluorescence system for mass-transport studies
• IR imaging camera and spectroradiometer
• Dissection microscropes
• Musculo-skeletal and whole body dynamics software simulation workstations
• Air-suspended sphere tosimulate inertial forces of locomotion
• MEMs accelerometer backpack to study center of mass kinematics and kinetics of running insects
• Treadmills (small and large)