| Robotics, Vision, and QS |
| Robots have captured the human imagination
for nearly a century. From 1927’s “Metropolis” to
1956’s “Forbidden Planet” to “The Terminator” in
1984, science fiction has brought robots into the public consciousness
and inspired engineer and cinema-goer alike.
While robots are common in science fiction, their real-world counterparts exist mainly in research laboratories and niche applications. Robots can be found welding automobile body panels on assembly lines, transporting merchandise in warehouses, and capturing scientific data on the surface of Mars. Few robots exist in our everyday lives The lack of pervasive robot application stems partly from difficulties in sensing and navigation. Robots cannot perceive their environment nearly as well as humans—they rely on vision systems and algorithms that are simplistic and error-prone. This leads to difficulty in performing even simple tasks in real-world scenarios. Advances in robotic vision technology are required before robots can enter our everyday life. Quantum Signal is currently developing cutting-edge vision technologies to enable reliable, robust robotic navigation. By bringing our extensive image processing capabilities to bear on robotic vision challenges, we are pushing the state-of-the-art in vision-based sensing.
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| PointCom: UGV Sensing, Navigation, and Control Technologies |
| Quantum Signal is
currently developing novel control technologies for unmanned
ground vehicles (UGVs). UGVs will play an important
role in the nation’s next-generation ground forces. Current
plans call for unmanned systems to perform a wide variety of
roles, including robotic mule applications, unarmed/armed reconnaissance,
and EOD/IED (improvised explosive device) inspection and disposal.
Limited-scale deployment of mobile robotic systems (such as
the Foster Miller TALON and iRobot PackBot systems) in Bosnia,
Ground Zero, Afghanistan and Iraq have served as proofs-of-concept
of the potential effectiveness of these types of systems.
The PointCom system (short for Point-and-Go Command) will enable soldiers to control UGVs through simple taps on a mobile computing (i.e. PDA) interface. By fusing proprietary image processing methods with advanced navigation algorithms, and displaying the results with interface techniques drawn from the commercial video game industry, PointCom delivers a simple, robust navigation technology that can be used to command one UGV or a dozen. PointCom is being developed by Quantum Signal, LLC for the United States Army TACOM, and is expected to see initial deployments on the battlefield in 2008. For more information, please see the video or document below, or contact Quantum Signal at robotics@quantumsignal.com.
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| Robotic Simulation and Visualization |
| Simulation and virtual environments
are playing an increasingly vital role in engineering, business,
medicine, defense, and
many other fields. Advances in computer graphics and processing
power enable interactive multimedia visualizations that are
nearly photo-realistic. More than just a pretty face, these
simulations are built on underlying mathematical models that
can help the user design “what if” scenarios to
better understand real-world applications of their system.
Quantum Signal is developing an integrated suite of multi-body dynamics algorithms, real-time physics systems, and state-of-the-art commercial video game techniques to build a new generation of UGV software simulators. Based on the Gaming Technology Software Initiative (GTSI) codebase under development for the US Army, this robotic simulation tool will enable strategists, engineers, and researchers to perform virtual robotic testing and simulation. This tool will support a variety of UGV models, allow for terrain and scenery definition, scenario scripting, and other components critical to an end-to-end simulation of UGV applications and better understanding of system performance. For additional information, please contact us at 734-994-0028 or email robotics@quantumsignal.com.
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| Robotics for your Application |
| Quantum Signal is developing a wide array of image processing, user interface, and simulation technologies directly applicable to your robotics application. If you would like to add state-of-the-art technology to your system, or consult with a team of experienced experts, please contact us at robotics@quantumsignal.com. |
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