University of Pennsylvania MAGIC 2010 Final Report

Abstract : In this report, we describe the technical approach and algorithms that have been used by the Univ. of Pennsylvania in the MAGIC 2010 competition. We have constructed and deployed a multivehicle robot team, consisting of intelligent sensor and disrupter UGVs, that can survey, map, recognize, and respond to threats in a dynamic urban environment with minimal human guidance. The custom hardware systems consist of robust and complementary sensors, integrated electronics, computation, and highly capable propulsion and actuation. The mapping, navigation, and planning software is organized hierarchically, allowing autonomous decisions to be made by the robots while enabling human operators to interact with the robot team in an efficient and strategic manner. The ground control station interfaces integrate information coming from the robots as well as metadata feeds to focus the operator attention and rapidly respond to emerging threats. These systems were developed and tested by the team to complete two phases of the MAGIC 2010 challenge in a safe and timely manner.