Robotics, when successfully carried out, is concerned with artifacts that optimize their own behavior in the light of information using sensors and actuators. The information includes both that which is stored and that which is immedi ately available from the sensors. In this paper the problem addressed is how the speed and the steer angle of a path curvature limited robot-vehicle, one that has to move in order to turn, may be altered in order to achieve desirable changes in its position and orientation. A kinematic description of both a tricycle and "turtle" vehicle architecture is developed. A comparison is made between the two architectures. The effect of modulating the steer angle of a path curvature limited vehicle, a tricycle, with a gaussian envelope is illustrated for various amplitudes of the gaussian and speed of the robot-vehicle. The effect of the time concat enation of the steer angle with two or more gaussian enve lopes shows that a range of activities relevant to the functional needs of a robot-vehicle are possible. A number of other "modulating" functions are identified, and it is suggested that these deserve further investigation.
The ability to automatically generate internal models from sensed data will be of critical importance in the development of flexible, adaptive and useful unmanned underwater vehicles. The subsequent recognition of objects based on these a-priori models, which may be incomplete or partial, will also be an essential component in the success of UUV missions. This paper describes and presents experimental results obtained with our calibrated computer controlled frequency modulated (FM) subbottom penetrating sonar. We present a topographic model of the sea-floor surface and a sequence of sonar "images", obtained with the same FM sonar. This latter sequence shows a vertical section through the sea-bed itself. Despite the absence of surface features the variations in stratigraphy of this vertical section and the automation of the interpretation of these features opens the possibiliity of using these data to navigate when resurfacing is either not an option or desirable, for example, during under ice missions or from full ocean depth.
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