Tethered mobile robots are ideal for mapping extreme environments because an attached electromechanical tether provides support on steep terrain, continuous power, and a reliable wired connection. TReX is a platform that was designed for deployment to harsh environments for geologic survey, disaster response, and infrastructure inspection.
Note: This project is now over and was realized during a formal employment at the University of Toronto, within the ASRL. It is used here to showcase reseach competences and to inspire future projects.
- Main Investigator: Tim Barfoot
- Technical Lead: Patrick McGarey
- Scientific Support: François Pomerleau
Publications
- McGarey, P., Yoon, D., Tang, T., Pomerleau, F., & Barfoot, T. D. (2018). Field Deployment of the Tethered Robotic eXplorer to Map Extremely Steep Terrain. Proceedings of the Conference on Field and Service Robotics (FSR). Springer Tracts in Advanced Robotics, 5, 303–317.
Bibtex source - McGarey, P., Yoon, D., Tang, T., Pomerleau, F., & Barfoot, T. D. (2018). Field Report: Developing and Deploying a Tethered Robot to Map Extremely Steep Terrain. Journal of Field Robotics, 35(8), 1327–1241.
Bibtex source - McGarey, P., MacTavish, K., Pomerleau, F., & Barfoot, T. D. (2017). TSLAM: Tethered simultaneous localization and mapping for mobile robots. The International Journal of Robotics Research, 36(12), 1363–1386. https://doi.org/10.1177/0278364917732639
Publisher Bibtex source - McGarey, P., Mactavish, K., Pomerleau, F., & Barfoot, T. D. (2016). The line leading the blind: Towards nonvisual localization and mapping for tethered mobile robots. Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), 2016-June, 4799–4806.
Bibtex source - McGarey, P., Pomerleau, F., & Barfoot, T. D. (2016). System design of a tethered robotic explorer (TReX) for 3D mapping of steep terrain and harsh environments. Proceedings of the Conference on Field and Service Robotics (FSR). Springer Tracts in Advanced Robotics, 113, 267–281.
Bibtex source