Enabling Internet connectivity for mobile objects that do not have a permanent home or regular movements is a challenge due to their varying energy budget, intermittent wireless connectivity, and inaccessibility. We present a hardware and software framework that offers robust data collection, adaptive execution of sensing tasks, and flexible remote reconfiguration of devices deployed on nomadic mobile objects such as animals. The framework addresses the overall complexity through a multi-tier architecture with low tier devices operating on a tight energy harvesting budget and high tier cloud services offering seamless delaytolerant presentation of data to end users. Based on our multi-year experience of applying this framework to animal tracking and monitoring applications, we present the main challenges that we have encountered, the design of software building blocks that address these challenges, and examples of the data we collected on flying foxes.
Robotic inspection often relies on building custom platforms for each new deployment; this is a luxury that urban search and rescue (USAR) robots do not have when time is of critical importance. A significant factor for robots deployed in disaster areas is the varying size of voids and access ways in their path. These situations require platforms that can quickly reconfigure on location. With these challenges in mind, we present the NeWheel system: An in‐field reconfigurable robotic platform that allows mobility changes before, and during, deployment. The NeWheel platform also has the advantage of being small enough to be person‐deployable and to travel as checked luggage on a commercial flight. This field report presents the results and learnings from three field trips on Peel Island located off the coast of Brisbane, Australia. These field trips featured the deployment of the NeWheel system in multiple configurations to inspect and map inside historic dilapidated buildings. It demonstrates the potential of the NeWheel in buildings cluttered with debris and with unstable flooring whether they are historically important or in USAR contexts.
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