Autonomous Robotics Systems
Research Alliance
by
Research Alliance
byObjectives: Societal developments, the maturity of technologies and even on-board computing capabilities mean that more and more activities are being carried out by autonomous systems (robots, drones, space systems, etc.). The goal of this field is to train students in the technological specificities common to autonomous systems by providing them with a transversal and integrative vision of these systems. In particular, it involves introducing students to the technologies essential to autonomous systems, an area at the heart of future developments in aeronautics and space.
By covering numerous subjects, the skills targeted are of different natures:
• Ability to design an autonomous system taking into account the specific constraints of applications
• Global vision of the autonomous system (architecture, functional organization, physical platform, etc.)
• Notions of robustness and qualification of robots and drones
• Taking into account the interaction between the system and man/environment by considering ethical issues
Objectives: autonomous navigation is the ability for a mobile machine to move in its environment without the intervention of a pilot. This capacity requires in particular that the machine perceives and models its environment, locates itself there, and plans the movements to be made. The objective of this module is to present the tools and methods to carry out these functions, particularly detailing localization, which plays a central role.
Objectives: Decision-making autonomy is the ability to choose and plan actions based on objectives and context. It is necessary as soon as the autonomous system must cope with a diversity of tasks and environments and its activity cannot be programmed in advance by the designer. It implements functions for summarizing action plans and interactions, refining actions and monitoring. This module is a brief introduction to the techniques used to endow an autonomous system with deliberation capabilities. It will also highlight the ethical questions posed by robots (aerial or terrestrial).
Objectives: this course aims to introduce machine learning, reinforcement learning, automated planning and human-machine adaptive interaction frameworks to the students following the NeuroIA minor. These AI tools, along with signal processing tools, can be used to estimate human operators cognitive states, in particular those that affect human performance, through behavioral and physiological measures. In a human-centered design, such an estimation, can be used by the autonomous machine to trigger adaptations.
Objectives: The objective of the module is to provide students with a broad vision of the methods for animating a complex chain robot (manipulator arm, mobile manipulator, underwater or aerial, legged robot, quadruped or humanoid), as well as to present in detail several complete solutions for planning and controlling the movements of such a robot, up to implementation in simulation and on real models.
Objectives: The Drones course aims to provide students with a multi-disciplinary technical understanding of a drone system. The student will gain a good knowledge of the jobs, missions, industrial issues and technical constraints that make it possible to design a drone system. Practical sessions based on case studies will allow them to acquire the right decision-making reflexes for the design and operation of drone systems. The course covers drones for civil and military use, ranging from microdrones to MALE or HALE type surveillance drones.
Objectives: The Space Systems course aims to present Space Systems from the point of view of autonomy. After an introduction to the different space systems, the aspects of autonomy, the heart of this course, will be covered. These aspects are different depending on the system considered and will be treated on two case studies, "Autonomy of orbital systems" and "Autonomy of (inter)planetary exploration systems".
The engineer receives solid scientific training. He must master the ingredients of his art, according to the program of Descartes: “Achieve knowledge to make us masters and possessors of nature”. In addition to legitimate questions about this program, there are now growing concerns and the challenges of a worrying future. At a time when technosciences are being asked to study and design all kinds of sophisticated artifacts and systems, possibly autonomous, to contribute to "progress" and "growth", or even to compensate for the damage caused by this growth, it is good to “take your nose off the handlebars”, to ask yourself some fundamental questions.