Artificial Intelligence and Robotics

1. Artificial Intelligence and Robotics EU-MOP Dennis FritschFraunhofer-Institutefor Manufacturing Engineering andAutomation (IPA) Athens, June 2006

2. Introduction • The EU-MOP robots should be able to response to oil spills autonomously. • Autonomously means that each unit will have an energy system and an oil skimming device as well as that the EU-MOP units will make its own decisions how to response to the oil spill. • Thus, each unit needs (artificial) intelligence, which will be given to the units with the help of sensors and control systems.

3. Control of the EU-MOP units • In order to achieve an highly robust and flexible oil response system the swarm intelligence approach has been selected as control paradigm for the EU-MOP robots. • Thus, the EU-MOP swarm is a homogeneous group of robots without any hierarchies or central control system.

4. Control of the EU-MOP units • Example: Oil spill in a harbour, several very small patches of oil have to be recovered:

5. Control of the EU-MOP units • Strategy of each robot:

6. 4 following robots 1 robot moving random paths oil pier Control of the EU-MOP units

7. obstacle occurs Control of the EU-MOP units

8. swarm 1: 1 following robots 1 robot moving random paths swarm 2: 2 following robots 1 robot moving random paths Control of the EU-MOP units

9. swarm 1 and swarm 2 merge, but the “leading” robot has a malfunction. Control of the EU-MOP units

10. swarm will again be split into two swarms with each 1 “leading” robot and 1 following robot. Control of the EU-MOP units Thus, the EU-MOP system will be very flexible and fault-tolerant.

11. Sensors for the EU-MOP robots • Nevertheless, the EU-MOP robots will need several sensors, e.g.: • for the detection of oil or the measurement of the thickness of the oil spill, • for absolute or relative positioning of itself, its neighbours, all other units, the mother ship, etc., • for the detection of collisions with other units, shipwrecks, debris etc., • for winds, currents, etc., • for the internal state of the unit (malfunction, full of oil, energy low etc.) • as well as a communication system for communication with other units, with the mother ship and with a human operator.

12. Sensors for the EU-MOP robots • Sensors might increase the performance of the robots, nevertheless, sensors also have disadvantages, e.g.: • increased costs • increased weight and volume • increased consumption of power • increased amount of information that has to be processed • Thus, the question is: What is the best sensor configuration for the EU-MOP robots? And related to that: What are the best strategies in order to response to the oil spill. • These questions will be answered with the help of the simulation technique.

13. Simulation of the EU-MOP robots • Architecture of the simulation

14. Simulation of the EU-MOP robots • Oil Fate model

15. Simulation of the EU-MOP robots • Robot / Swarm Simulation

16. Simulation of the EU-MOP robots • Visualisation water oil slick harbour coast

17. Simulation of the EU-MOP robots • Visualisation 1 unit

18. Simulation of the EU-MOP robots • Visualisation

19. Simulation of the EU-MOP robots • Visualisation

20. Simulation of the EU-MOP robots • Visualisation

21. Simulation of the EU-MOP robots • Visualisation

22. Simulation of the EU-MOP robots • Visualisation

23. Simulation of the EU-MOP robots • Comparison of two types of swarms: • swarm A consists of units without oil sensor • swarm B consists of units with oil sensor. type B: will be able to move intelligent type A: will not be able to move intelligent

24. Simulation of the EU-MOP robots • Comparison of two types of swarms: • Conclusion (for this scenario) • The larger the swarm the better the recovery time. • The better the sensor configuration the better the recovery time. • Nevertheless, the swarm without oil sensors reaches for large swarm sizes more or less the same recovery time as the swarm with oil sensor.

25. Conclusion • The simulation will be able to determine • the recovery time, • the energy consumption, • the quantity of recovery oil • the quantity of oil that polluted the coast, • etc. • These date will be the basis • for an assessment of the EU-MOP units, and • for a cost-benefit-analysis. • Thus, this proceeding will ensure that the EU-MOP consortium will develop a highly effective, flexible and robust oil response system.