Imagine a construction area where blocks of different sizes are located in piles around the region. The goal is for our system to build a structure made by stacking the blocks in a user specified configuration.
The major technology that we are developing will include:
- The use of visual servoing to detect and navigate towards target locations.
- Developing flight controllers to account for the change in dynamics when the system is close to the objects as well as when the object is grasped.
- Developing the manipulator that is able to robustly pick and place the objects as desired.
The system operates using a process that is broken down as:
- First, the system autonomously detects the blocks and then navigates towards the pile.
- Once the system is close enough to the pile, the pose of a chosen block is determined.
- The block is then grasped and transported back to the designated area where it is placed in an appropriate position.
This process is repeated until the entire structure is built.
Use Case:
Bob and Dylan are modern day contractors hired to build a house. Having labor
cost, safety, and efficiency in mind, they purchased Team RAMS’s system to au-
tonomously pick up building blocks to construct a wall. They then proceed to carry
RAMS near the construction zone and set up the drone and base station.
Bob and Dylan then put in their desired size, shape, and position of the wall onto
the base station. When Bob clicks ‘GO’, the drone takes off into the sky and starts
looking around for blocks. The drone locates the pile of blocks and dashes towards it.
As the drone gets closer to the blocks, it starts to decelerate and hovers. The
drone then starts moving it’s arm towards the easiest block to pick up and uses the
electromagnetic end effector to grasp it. With the block grasped, once again it starts
to take off into the sky.
The drone then starts flying towards the specified building location and slowly places
the block. After successful placement, the drone starts to take off again, looks for
the next block to pick up, and the process repeats until the wall is complete.
