Stereo Vision System To Enhance Unmanned Mobile Robot's Ability To Navigate
Martian and Lunar Terrain
MENLO PARK, Calif., Oct. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- TYZX, Inc., the 3D vision
technology company, today announced that it is working with the National
Aerospace and Science Administration (NASA) to enhance navigation and
obstacle avoidance capabilities of mobile robotic test platforms with
faster stereo vision processing targets.
TYZX is working with NASA Ames Research Center's Intelligent Robotics
Group and their K10 rover, a mobile robot with four-wheel drive and
four-wheel steering. The K10 is being used to conduct geophysical site
surveys of lunar and Martian analog sites on Earth, and going forward, such
surveys will focus on resource prospecting, including subsurface structure
mapping and water detection with a ground-penetrating radar, as well as
charting terrain topography with stereo vision and 3D lidar.
"Working with TYZX, NASA hopes to achieve faster stereo vision
processing and enhanced surface-modeling capabilities, both directly
applicable to future Mars missions," said Lisa Lockyer, chief of the
Technology Partnerships Office at NASA Ames. "This partnership is an
excellent example of what NASA's Space Act authority is designed to
achieve: technology transfer in both directions that enhances NASA
missions, improves the quality of life on Earth, and leverages taxpayer
dollars."
One of the key challenges in mobile robot navigation is determining
which areas of the local environment are topographically safe for driving.
In particular, the robot has to identify regions that are hazardous to
traverse due to slope, obstacles, depressions, etc. Thus, successful
site-surveying endeavors are contingent on NASA's ability to analyze
traversability, both for local obstacle avoidance and global path planning.
Using TYZX G2 System and VNK API on the K10 rover, TYZX and NASA are
testing and evaluating the ability to produce "higher-level" data types
useful for improving robot or unmanned ground vehicle land navigation by
enhancing the controller's guidance (zones/areas, arcs, headings, speeds,
etc.) about where to drive or avoid. TYZX VNK is a lightweight
application-programming interface built upon the TYZX Stereo Vision System.
VNK works by transforming 3D point clouds into a local Digital Elevation
Map that enables a vehicle controller to quickly assess nearby terrain to
determine if a particular area will allow a collision-free path over a
specified distance. A variety of metrics can be analyzed, including slope,
roughness, step size and collision-free distance.
"TYZX Stereo Vision System is a small, high-performance, embedded
stereo camera and processor that can be deployed in applications and
products where traditional workstations cannot be used," said Ron Buck, CEO
of TYZX. "The TYZX solution is especially useful for mobile platforms such
as service robots and automobiles, which require small, low-power systems
to perform complex vision tasks in dynamic, variably lit, real-world
environments."
The NASA Ames K10 Rover, fitted with a TYZX G2 stereo vision camera,
will be on display at the RoboDevelopment Conference and Expo, October
25-26, 2007, at the San Jose McHenry Convention Center in San Jose, Calif.
About TYZX, Inc.
TYZX is a 3D vision company that provides a platform of hardware,
software and services for building products that see and interact with the
world in three dimensions. TYZX delivers high volume, cost-effective 3D
vision solutions to industry leaders in the automotive, consumer
electronics, robotics and security markets. The privately funded company
was founded in 2002, and is based in Menlo Park, Calif.
TYZX received a $4 million investment from Takata, the global
manufacturer of automotive safety systems; following an earlier investment
by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen. For more information, please visit
http://www.tyzx.com/.
TYZX is a registered trademark of TYZX, Inc. All other brands and
products referenced herein are acknowledged trademarks or registered
trademarks of their respective holders.
Editorial contact
Teresa Davis
Page One PR for TYZX
teresa@pageonepr.com
Phone: 650-543-4706
SOURCE TYZX, Inc.
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Related links:
http://www.tyzx.com
CONTACT:
Teresa Davis of Page One PR, +1-650-543-4706,
teresa@pageonepr.com, for TYZX
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