Critical Reflections

At the beginning of the module, there were a couple of goals I had in mind which I would want to achieve at the end of it. The goals I had were, improve my personal communication skills, improve my writing skills, and build enough confidence to talk with an audience.

Professor Blackstone has been a catalyst to my progress in achieving my goals as weeks go by. Plenty of beneficial knowledge was passed down to his students. Despite many mistakes made, he continuously provides me with constructive feedback on the areas that I should focus on and improve further. This helps me improve my writing skills. There were many times when I consult Professor Blackstone regarding my summary analysis and tech report, and he would constantly tell me the strengths and weaknesses in the writing. With the feedback he has given me, I understood the areas that I need to work on. As for personal communication skills and building confidence to speak, there were many activities that Professor Blackstone had carried out in class to help me improve in these areas. The activity that I had benefitted the most is when Professor Blackstone asked me to share my thoughts regarding a specific topic with everyone in the class. In the early stages of the module, I find it pretty hard to gather my thought and lay it out to everyone. As time goes on and Professor Blackstone gives plenty of opportunities to take part in such activities enhanced my ability to adapt and improve. It helps me to build my confidence which allows me to gather my thought and share it with my audience.

During the project, I was able to brainstorm along with my team. Even though we decided to change our ideas midway through the project, we were able to meet all of the project requirements. Through the research project, it helps me widened up my prospect on clean energy. It helps me see what sources of clean energy available are reliable and sustainable.

In the process of the research project, I was given the opportunity to work in all the areas of the project which include the meeting minutes, tech report, and oral presentation. I have little to no experience in writing meeting minutes. Hence, I face difficulties on which format would be suitable and the details that should be taken down in the minutes. But over time, through trial and error, I manage to get a suitable format and able to take down key pieces of information that are needed for the minutes. In the tech report, I realised that it was not much different from the assessment we did earlier, summary analysis. Even though the format and number of words were different, had to do research on our idea and pen it down into a tech report.

During the oral presentation, I was able to show my presentation skills and put what I have learnt since the beginning of the module to display. Despite being nervous in the early stages of my presentation, I was able to overcome them. Expressing my thoughts to my audience in a way that they are able to understand and it felt like I had a good time presenting. It felt like that could be one of the best presentations I had thus far.

In conclusion to my reflection, improving and gaining new skills through this module leading me to attain my goals will not stop me here. I believe it is important for me to continue practicing and develop them even further. This skill set is one of the key things that would make us different than the rest. Being able to work well with others also determines how the outcome of the work would be. Thus, I had a great time attaining new knowledge and skills in the Effective Communication Module.

Summary Analysis Draft #4

The article “The Flying Robot Might Prevent Deforestation” (2012), introduces the functionality and purpose of drones, which provide aerial surveillance and data gathering. The drones act as “tiny, silent guardians of the rainforest” and gather data from disaster zones and illegal logging. The quadrotors capture live footage and allow immediate response to the situation. The article also states that drones can be used to capture “illegal drug trafficking and mining, as well as environmental crimes”. According to Kumar, deputy dean of the University of Pennsylvania, quadrotors can operate automatically for spying, unlike the “fixed-wing drone” that pilots manually. The quadrotors are palm-sized and smarter. Quadrotors have high situation awareness to react to obstructions by adjusting the rotors’ speed to orientate itself and maneuver through. Each quadrotor runs independently, which affects coordination with other units. The size and ability serve the purpose for quadrotors to regulate the rainforest by flying through the canopies. Quadrotors are one of the most versatile mini flying surveillance robots as their features and function have the ability to monitor the rainforest and provide aerial investigations effectively and efficiently.

 

One of the main features that make the quadrotors flexible is that the flying robot weighs approximately 250g and 15cm in diameter (Loianno et al., 2015).  They are equipped with an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU), which enables the quadrotors to speed up to 4.5m/s and accelerates up to 1.5g. It can also roll and pitch to an angle of 90 degrees and has angular rates of up to 800 degrees per second without any structures to rely on (Loianno et al., 2015). The motion capture system transmits feedback to the quadrotors. Thus, enabling quadrotors to perform aggressive maneuvers and be able to rest or hover above any vertical surfaces. With this feature, it allows the quadrotors to carry out missions and tasks that are time-bound, such as search and rescue missions. Entering constricted or confined areas does not pose any problem for these quadrotors as well.

 

One of the most important components to detect a target, conduct surveillance, or monitor rainforest activities would be the drone’s onboard downward-facing camera. The downward-facing camera has a resolution of 176 x 144 pixels and it runs at 60 Frames per Second (FPS) (Ajmera et al., 2015). It covers a field of view at 47.5 degrees x 36.5 degrees. Results have shown that the relationship between image and real word coordinates is maintained (Ajmera et al., 2015). The downward camera has the capability to track and detect stationary or moving targets while working hand in hand with the IMU (Thomas et al., 2017). The target is kept within the field of view of the downward camera. This allows the quadrotors to continuously track targets without losing sight of them. Images and data of the estimated position of the targets will be transmitted to ground control stations for off-board image processing.

 

Large numbers of the quadrotors can be used to monitor large areas and the surveillance is manageable (Pimenta et al., 2013). The quadrotors function individually but work as a team in ensuring that each task such as artistic pattern formation, tracking of mobile targets, perimeter surveillance and boundary coverage, and environmental monitoring is done as required (Pimenta et al., 2013). With multiple quadrotors in the air, aerial surveillance and monitoring will turn out to be more effective as it has the capability to cover large areas of land and to detect activities that run in the area.

 

With all the functions and features of the quadrotors, they are able to detect activities that run in the rainforest be it from a moving or stationary target. Along with the compact size and sheer weight of the object, quadrotors are one of the most versatile mini flying surveillance robots that could effectively and efficiently monitor and conduct aerial surveillance in a large area.

 

 

References

Ajmera J., PR S., K.M. R., Vasan G., Balaji N., Sankara V. (2015). Autonomous visual tracking and landing of a quadrotor on a moving platform. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/7414792

Loianno G., Brunner C., McGrath G., Kumar V. (2015). Estimation, Control, and Planning for Aggressive Flight With a Small Quadrotor With a Single-Camera and IMU.  https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/7762111

Pimenta, L., Peireira, G., Goncalves M., Michael N., Turpin M., & Kumar V. (April 2013). Decentralized controllers for perimeter surveillance with teams of aerial robots.  Advanced Robotics, 27(9), 697-709.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01691864.2013.778942

Thomas J., Welde J., Loianno G., Daniilidis K., Kumar V. (July 2017). Autonomous Flight for Detection, Localization, and Tracking of Moving Targets With a Small Quadrotor. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/7921549

Summary Analysis Draft #3

The article “The Flying Robot Might Prevent Deforestation” (2012), introduces the functionality and purpose of drones, which provide aerial surveillance and data gathering. The drones act as “tiny, silent guardians of the rainforest” and gather data from disaster zones and illegal logging. It captures live footage and allows immediate response to the situation. The article also states that drones can be used to capture “illegal drug trafficking and mining, as well as environmental crimes”. According to Kumar, deputy dean of the University of Pennsylvania, quadrotors can operate automatically for spying, unlike the “fixed-wing drone” that pilots manually. The quadrotors are palm-sized and smarter. It has high situation awareness to react to obstruction by adjusting the rotors’ speed to orientate itself and maneuver through. Each quadrotor runs independently which affects coordination with other units. The size and its abilities served their purpose for quadrotors to regulate the rainforest by flying through the canopies. Quadrotors is one of the most versatile mini flying surveillance robots as its features and function have the ability to monitor and provide aerial investigations effectively and efficiently.

One of the main features that make the quadrotors flexible is that the flying robot weighs approximately 250g and 15cm in diameter. They are equipped with an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) which enables the quadrotors to speed up to 4.5m/s and accelerates up to 1.5g. It can also rolls and pitch to an angle of 90 degrees and has angular rates of up to 800 degrees per second without any structures to rely on (Loianno et al., 2015). The feedbacks that are being transmitted by the motion capture system enables the quadrotors to perform aggressive manoeuvres and is able to rest or hover above any vertical surfaces. Thereafter allowing the quadrotors to carry out missions and tasks that are time-bounded such as search and rescue missions. Entering constricted or confine areas does not pose any problem for these quadrotors as well which could perform surveillance and investigations effectively and efficiently.

One of the most important component to detect a target, conduct surveillance or monitoring would be the onboard downward-facing camera. The downward-facing camera has a resolution of 176 x 144 pixels and it runs at 60 Frames per Second (FPS). It covers a field of view at 47.5 degrees x 36.5 degrees. Results have shown that the relationship between image and real word coordinates is maintained (Vasan et al., 2015). The downward camera has the capability to track and detect stationary or moving targets while working hand in hand with the IMU (Loianno et al., 2017). The target is kept within the field of view of the downward camera. Multiple experiments and simulations were done successfully. This allows the quadrotors to continuously track targets without losing sight of them. Images and data of the estimated position of the targets will be transmitted to ground control stations for off-board image processing.

Large numbers of the quadrotors are used to monitor large areas and the surveillance is manageable. The quadrotors function individually but work as a team in ensuring that each task such as artistic pattern formation, tracking of mobile targets, perimeter surveillance and boundary coverage, and environmental monitoring is done as required (C.A. et al., 2013). With multiple quadrotors in the air, aerial surveillance and monitoring will turn out to be more effective as it has the capability to cover large areas of land and to detect activities that run in the area.

With all the functions and features of the quadrotors, they will be able to detect activities that run in the area be it a moving or stationary target. Along with the size and weight of the object, quadrotors are one of the most versatile mini flying surveillance robots that could effectively and efficiently monitor and conduct aerial surveillance in a large area.

References

C.A., A.S., M., M., T., V. (April 2013). Decentralized controllers for perimeter surveillance with teams of aerial robots.  https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01691864.2013.778942

Loianno, Brunner, McGrath, V. (2015). Estimation, Control, and Planning for Aggressive Flight With a Small Quadrotor With a Single-Camera and IMU.  https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/7762111

Loianno, Thomas, Welde, Daniilidis, V. (July 2017). Autonomous Flight for Detection, Localization, and Tracking of Moving Targets With a Small Quadrotor. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/7921549

Vasan, Ajmera, PR, K.M., N., V. (2015). Autonomous visual tracking and landing of a quadrotor on a moving platform. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/7414792

Full Summary Analysis Draft 2

The article “The Flying Robot Might Prevent Deforestation” (2012), introduces the functionality and purpose of drones, which provide aerial surveillance and data gathering. The drones act as “tiny, silent guardians of the rainforest” and gather data from disaster zones and illegal logging. It captures live footage and allows immediate response to the situation. The article also states that drones can be used to capture “illegal drug trafficking and mining, as well as environmental crimes”. According to Kumar, deputy dean of the University of Pennsylvania, quadrotors can operate automatically for spying, unlike the “fixed-wing drone” that pilots manually. The quadrotors are palm-sized and smarter. It has high situation awareness to react to obstruction by adjusting the rotors’ speed to orientate itself and maneuver through. Each quadrotor runs independently which affects coordination with other units. The size and its abilities served their purpose for quadrotors to regulate the rainforest by flying through the canopies. Quadrotors is one of the most versatile mini-flying surveillance equipment as it has the ability to monitor and provide aerial investigations effectively and efficiently.

One of the main features that make the quadrotors flexible is that the flying robot weighs approximately 250g and 15cm in diameter. They are equipped with an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) which enables the quadrotors to speed up to 4.5m/s and accelerates up to 1.5g. It can also rolls and pitch to an angle of 90 degrees and has angular rates of up to 800 degrees per second without any structures to rely on. The feedbacks that are being transmitted by the motion capture system enable the quadrotors to perform aggressive manoeuvres and is able to rest or hover above any vertical surfaces. Thereafter allowing the quadrotors to carry out missions and tasks that are time-bounded such as search and rescue mission. Entering constricted or confine areas does not pose any problem for this quadrotors as well which could perform surveillance and investigations effectively and efficiently.

One of the most important component to detect a target, conduct surveillance or monitoring would be the onboard downward-facing camera. The downward-facing camera has a resolution of 176 x 144 pixels and it runs at 60 Frames per Second (FPS). It covers a field of view at 47.5 degrees x 36.5 degrees. Results have shown that the relationship between image and real word coordinates is maintained (G. Vasan et al., 2015). The downward camera has the capability to track and detect stationary or moving targets while working hand in hand with the IMU. The target is kept within the field of view of the downward camera. Multiple experiments and simulation were done successfully. This allows the quadrotors to continuously track targets without losing sight of them. Images and data of the estimated position of the targets will be transmitted to ground control stations for off-board image processing (G. Vasan et al., 2015).

Large numbers of the quadrotors are used to monitor large areas and the surveillance is manageable. The quadrotors function individually but work as a team in ensuring that each task such as artistic pattern formation, tracking of mobile targets, perimeter surveillance and boundary coverage and environmental monitoring are done as required. With multiple quadrotors in the air, aerial surveillance and monitoring will turn out to be more effective as it has the capability to cover large areas of land and to detect activities that run in the area.

With all the functions and features of the quadrotors, they will be able to detect activities that run in the area be in a moving or stationary target. Along with the size and weight of the object, quadrotors are mini flying robots that could effectively and efficiently monitor and conduct aerial surveillance in a large area.

References

G. Vasan, G. Vasan, J. Ajmera, Siddharthan PR, Ramaravind K.M., N. Balaji, V. Sankaranarayanan (2015). Autonomous visual tracking and landing of a quadrotor on a moving platform. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/7414792

G. Loianno, Chris B., Gary M.G., V. Kumar (2015). Estimation, Control, and Planning for Aggressive Flight With a Small Quadrotor With a Single-Camera and IMU.  https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/7762111

L. Giuseppe, T. Justin, W. Jake, D. Kostas, V. Kumar. (July 2017). Autonomous Flight for Detection, Localization, and Tracking of Moving Targets With a Small Quadrotor. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/7921549

Luciano C.A., Guilherme A.S., Mateus M., Nathan M., Matthew T., V. Kumar (April 2013). Decentralized controllers for perimeter surveillance with teams of aerial robots.  https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01691864.2013.778942

Full Summary Analysis Draft 1

 

The article “The Flying Robot Might Prevent Deforestation” (2012), introduces the functionality and purpose of drones, which provide aerial surveillance and data gathering. The drones act as “tiny, silent guardians of the rainforest” and gather data from disaster zones and illegal logging. It captures live footage and allows immediate response to the situation. The article also states that drones can be used to capture “illegal drug trafficking and mining, as well as environmental crimes”. According to Kumar, deputy dean of the University of Pennsylvania, quadrotors can operate automatically for spying, unlike the “fixed-wing drone” that pilots manually. The quadrotors are palm-sized and smarter. It has high situation awareness to react to obstruction by adjusting the rotors’ speed to orientate itself and maneuver through. Each quadrotor runs independently which affects coordination with other units. The size and its abilities served their purpose for quadrotors to regulate the rainforest by flying through the canopies. Quadrotors is one of the most versatile mini flying surveillance equipment as it has the ability to monitor and provide aerial investigations effectively and efficiently.

One of the main features that makes the quadrotors flexible is that the flying robot weighs approximately 250g and 15cm in diameter. They are equipped with an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) which enables the quadrotors to speed up to 4.5m/s and accelerates up to 1.5g. It can also rolls and pitch to an angle of 90 degrees and has angular rates of up to 800 degrees per second without any structures to rely on. The feedbacks that are being transmitted by the motion capture system enables the quadrotors to perform aggressive maneuvers and is able to rest or hover above any vertical surfaces. Thereafter allowing the quadrotors to carry out missions and tasks that are time-bounded such as search and rescue missions. Entering constricted or confine areas does not pose any problem for these quadrotors as well which could perform surveillance and investigations effectively and efficiently.

One of the most important components to detect a target, conduct surveillance or monitoring would be the onboard downward-facing camera. The downward-facing camera has a resolution of 176 x 144 pixels and it runs at 60 Frames per Second (FPS). It covers a field of view at 47.5 degrees x 36.5 degrees. Results have shown that the relationship between image and real word coordinates is maintained (2). The downward camera has the capability to track and detect stationary or moving targets while working hand in hand with the IMU. The target is kept within the field of view of the downward camera. Multiple experiments and simulations were done successfully. This allows the quadrotors to continuously track targets without losing sight of them. Images and data of the estimated position of the targets will be transmitted to ground control stations for off-board image processing (2).

Large numbers of the quadrotors are used to monitor large areas and the surveillance is manageable. The quadrotors function individually but work as a team in ensuring that each task such as artistic pattern formation, tracking of mobile targets, perimeter surveillance and boundary coverage and environmental monitoring are done as required. With multiple quadrotors in the air, aerial surveillance and monitoring will turn out to be more effective as it has the capability to cover large areas of land and to detect activities that runs in the area.

With all the functions and features of the quadrotors, they will be able to detect activities that runs in the area be in a moving or stationary target. Along with the size and weight of the object, quadrotors are mini flying robots that could effectively and efficiently monitor and conduct aerial surveillance in a large area.

References:

1. IEEE. (July 2017). Autonomous Flight for Detection, Localization, and Tracking of Moving Targets With a Small Quadrotor. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/7921549

2. IEEE. (2015). Autonomous visual tracking and landing of a quadrotor on a moving platform. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/7414792

3.  IEEE. (2015). Estimation, Control, and Planning for Aggressive Flight With a Small Quadrotor With a Single Camera and IMU.  https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/7762111

4. Taylor and Francis Online. (April 2013). Decentralized controllers for perimeter surveillance with teams of aerial robots.  https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01691864.2013.778942

"The Flying Robot Might Prevent Deforestation" Summary Analysis Draft 2

 The article “The Flying Robot Might Prevent Deforestation” (2012), introduces the functionality and purpose of drones, which provide aerial surveillance and data gathering. The drones act as “tiny, silent guardians of the rainforest” and gather data from disaster zones and illegal logging. It captures live footage and allows immediate response to the situation. The article also states that drones can be used to capture “illegal drug trafficking and mining, as well as environmental crimes”. According to a deputy dean of the University of Pennsylvania (Kumar, n.d.), quadrotors can operate automatically for spying, unlike the “fixed-wing drone” that pilots manually. The quadrotors are palm-sized and smarter. It has high situation awareness to react to obstruction by adjusting the rotors’ speed to orientate itself and maneuver through. Each quadrotor runs independently which affects coordination with other units. The size and its abilities served their purpose for quadrotors to regulate the rainforest by flying through the canopies. While quadrotors have the ability to monitor activities in the forest, it might raise problems to monitor the entire vast land with complex terrain.

Done by:
Nasrul

Reference

1. Morgen. P (2012, March 21). How Flying Robots Might Prevent Deforestation. Mashable. https://mashable.com/2012/03/20/flying-robots-deforestation/

Edited on: 05/02/2021

"The Flying Robot Might Prevent Deforestation" Summary Analysis Draft 1

The article “The Flying Robot Might Prevent Deforestation” (2012), introduces the functionality and purpose of drones, which provide aerial surveillance and data gathering. The drones act as “tiny, silent guardians of the rainforest” and gather data from disaster zones and illegal logging. It captures live footage and allows immediate response to the situation. The article also states that drones can be used to capture “illegal drug trafficking and mining, as well as environmental crimes”. According to Kumar, quadrotors can operate automatically for spying, unlike the “fixed-wing drone” that pilots manually. The quadrotors are palm-sized and smarter. It has high situation awareness to react to obstruction by adjusting the rotors’ speed to orientate itself and maneuver through. Each quadrotor runs independently which affects coordination with other units. The size and its abilities served their purpose for quadrotors to regulate the rainforest by flying through the canopies..

Done by:
Nasrul

Reference: HTTPS://MASHABLE.COM/2012/03/20/FLYING-ROBOTS-