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Publication number | US7539557 B2 |
Publication type | Grant |
Application number | US 11/618,742 |
Publication date | May 26, 2009 |
Filing date | Dec 30, 2006 |
Priority date | Dec 30, 2005 |
Fee status | Paid |
Also published as | US20070156286, US20080294288, US20110208357, WO2008013568A2, WO2008013568A3 |
Publication number | 11618742, 618742, US 7539557 B2, US 7539557B2, US-B2-7539557, US7539557 B2, US7539557B2 |
Inventors | Brian YAMAUCHI |
Original Assignee | Irobot Corporation |
Export Citation | BiBTeX, EndNote, RefMan |
Patent Citations (5), Non-Patent Citations (4), Referenced by (135), Classifications (29), Legal Events (4) | |
External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, Espacenet | |
This is a non-provisional patent application of Application No. 60/754,635 to Brian YAMAUCHI, filed Dec. 30, 2005, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference into this application.
In the field of mobile robots, mobile robots have been increasingly used in hostile environments (such as, for example, in battle conditions or in rescue operations) for tasks such as ordinance or explosives handling or disposal, field reconnaissance, terrain mapping, and various other procedures in which a considerable risk to life or safety would exist if a person were to perform the task. As a non-limiting example, remotely controlled mobile robots equipped with video cameras have been used to scout hostile positions in environments such as caves or other non-urban terrain. However, limitations of such teleoperated mobile robots include restriction of the operative range of such robots to line-of-sight or areas substantially proximal to the tele-operator, because of real-time wireless communications issues (for example, limited wireless bandwidth availability and/or transmission power for transmitting live camera signals to a teleoperator station) presented by robots that cannot operate autonomously but instead rely entirely on continuous real-time remote control. As a result, risks to the safety of the teleoperator may be heightened because of the necessity to remain rather close to such a remote-controlled mobile robot during operation.
Furthermore, urban warfare is becoming increasingly important in many military operations. For example, combat in cities tends to generate increased risk factors to military forces, such as high risk of "friendly fire" and non-combatant casualties. However, urban combat may be increasingly common because of political and sociological reasons, and adversaries may make extensive use of guerrilla warfare and other unconventional tactics in heavily developed areas such as cities, industrial areas, and critical infrastructure such as paved roadways or neighborhood streets. At the same time, military forces may be required to take extreme care to minimize civilian casualties and other collateral damage.
Under these conditions, in order to maintain situational awareness, aerial and satellite reconnaissance can provide valuable high-level information about terrain and troop movements; however, even UAVs and other low-flying aircraft are limited in their ability to provide real-time information to ground troops about what lies around the next corner or on the next block. Soldiers currently perform most dangerous reconnaissance tasks themselves, potentially placing themselves at great risk in hostile urban environments.
Recently, however, mobile robot platforms are increasingly commonly being deployed by military forces for reconnaissance and other tasks in dangerous environments. As noted above, non-autonomous tele-operated mobile robots have the potential to reduce the risk to military warfighters in urban environments, but they are limited by both radio range, interference and the need for a full-time operator. In urban environments, for example, radio signal attenuation caused by buildings or radio interference may substantially reduce the operational range of such non-autonomous, remote-controlled robots. In addition, the need for a robot operator to devote continuous attention to operating the robot throughout the duration of an operation increases the manpower requirements associated with robotic reconnaissance.
In view of the above, man-portable mobile robots (also referred to herein as "unmanned ground vehicles" or "UGVs") may be enabled to perform fully-autonomous or semi-autonomous reconnaissance missions in urban, industrial or other such developed environments. The mobile robots may be able to explore beyond the range of radio communications required for non-autonomous robots, generate detailed maps of complex urban terrain, record or transmit video and infrared image data, and return to provide up-to-date reconnaissance information for military warfighters.
Substantial academic research in the field of robotics has previously been conducted on the subjects of mapping and localization using mobile robots. However, the previous research has typically attempted to elucidate complex, monolithic, "kitchen sink"-type general approaches for autonomous robot navigation, while the few robot systems based thereon that have actually been constructed have been significantly limited in their real-world robustness and utility. One reason for this is because the complex algorithms and control processes contemplated by academic researchers often require computational or sensory capabilities that are unrealistic for a man-portable military-use mobile robot system due to expense, weight, and fragility of necessary components.
Rather than attempting to solve the unbounded, abstract question of robot navigation in the general case, presently discussed are autonomous, teleoperable mobile robots capable of performing specific reconnaissance behaviors that are currently useful to military warfighters in the near term. These behaviors may include, for example, Route Reconnaissance (in which the mobile robot is provided with one or more waypoints to be traversed while recording a map of the mobile robot's environment as it travels the path defined by the waypoints); Perimeter Reconnaissance (in which the mobile robot circumnavigates a building or other structure by identifying and following the walls of the building, while recording or transmitting a map of the terrain along the perimeter of the building); and Street Reconnaissance (in which the mobile robot travels a particular distance down a road or street, and returns to its initial location, while recording a map of the road).
As such, instead of necessarily using excessive computational or sensory resources to solve the general problems of complex machine vision and navigation in robots, an alternative approach (as discussed herein) instead considers a narrow, but deep, focus on useful urban reconnaissance tasks.
In view of the above, a mobile robot is discussed herein which is capable of autonomously performing navigational tasks and/or other functions. The mobile robot may perform, for example, perimeter-tracking and/or street traversal reconnaissance in autonomous or semi-autonomous operation, inter alia.
Such an autonomous mobile robot may use range-finding or proximity sensors, optical sensors or machine vision techniques to identify linear features in the environment, such as roads, walls, parked automobiles, or buildings, for example.
In addition, in accordance with one non-limiting example, Scaled Vector Field Histogram (SVFH) techniques may be used to detect obstacles positioned along the mobile robot's path. SVFH may also be used to provide evasive maneuvering for steering around such obstacles and reaching a clear heading, inter alia.
In accordance with another aspect, a mobile robot may be positioned along a street or roadway, determine the general direction of the street using range-finding sensors and Hough transform techniques, and then navigate along the street out to a particular distance from its starting location, for example. The mobile robot may then turn back and return to its starting location, and may transmit map or other reconnaissance data gathered during its traversal of the street, while traversing the street.
Thus, in accordance with various aspects, by tailoring the defined task of the mobile robot to useful, yet readily definable goals, the mobile robot can be constructed without necessarily including costly levels of sensor sensitivity and/or computational, memory or bandwidth capacity, for example. Rather, the mobile robot may be equipped with a one or more range-finding sensors such as LIDAR, radar, or sonar ranging sensors, and preferably also includes a stereo vision system, global positioning satellite receiver, inertial navigation system, odometer, inter alia.
The obstacle avoidance system enables the mobile robot to avoid collisions with a wide range of obstacles in both outdoor and indoor environments. This system may combine range data from a 360-degree planar LIDAR system with three-dimensional (3D) depth map data provided by a stereo vision system, the combination of which is then analyzed using a Scaled Vector Field Histogram algorithm, for example. Also, a linear feature identification process may be carried out using a Hough transform algorithm applied to the range data. Data from the range sensors, obstacle avoidance, and the Hough transform may be transmitted to a a teleoperation console that presents the information to the operator graphically and in real-time, for example.
Robot Hardware
The mobile robot 10 includes a control unit 140 having an onboard processor for executing control software, processing sensor input and commands from an operator, and controlling the components and subsystems of the mobile robot 10. In accordance with one embodiment, the control software includes sets of computer software corresponding to various robot behaviors and routines, and also include operation routines that orchestrate high-level missions or operations in response to commands received from the operator. For example, the control software may include routines for a follow-perimeter operation, a follow-street operation, and a follow-waypoints operation that can be selected by the operator on a teleoperation console, as well as various concurrent behaviors or routines such as an obstacle avoidance behavior or a stasis detection behavior that function automatically during operation of the mobile robot 10.
The chassis 101 of the mobile robot 10 may include a payload bay into which the processor 140 or other components, such as the stereo vision system 125 or range finder 121, may be detachably installed.
Reconnaissance Operation "Leash" Constraints
In order to ensure that the mobile robot 10 does not stray too far from its intended reconnaissance target or continue indefinitely, a "leash" constraint may be established for the robot operations, which ensures that the missions performed by the mobile robot have clearly defined limits or parameters. For example, a distance leash of 200 meters may be specified by the operator prior to initiating a follow-street operation, such that the mobile robot will halt its outgoing autonomous navigation down a street once it has traveled 200 meters away from its starting position, and return to the starting point (see, for example, the distance leash method illustrated in
By defining mission parameters using a leash, the operator of the mobile robot is assured that the mobile robot 10 will return to its starting position regardless of whether other "end conditions" trigger the conclusion of an operation. Accordingly, the mobile robot 10 is of greater usefulness because of this operation-constraining capability.
Alternatively, in accordance with other embodiments, the operator may elect not to specify a leash, or even to override an inherent leash included in the control software.
When operating autonomously, the mobile robot 10 performs a mapping behavior that generates and updates the occupancy grid map. Once generated, the occupancy grid map can be transmitted to a teleoperation console 21 by any appropriate mode of communication, such as Wireless Ethernet, or via a tether connection such as a USB cable between the mobile robot 10 and the teleoperation console 21.
In order to perform useful reconnaissance, in accordance with one embodiment, the mobile robot 10 is physically light enough to be carried and transported by hand to a starting location. The operator can quickly initiate one of the various autonomous missions or operations that the mobile robot 10 can perform, such as follow-street, by pushing a button or switch on the chassis 101 of the mobile robot 10 or by issuing a command from the teleoperation console 21. Alternatively, for example, the operator can manually steer the mobile robot 10 to a starting position using the teleoperation console 21 to remotely control the mobile robot 10, and then initiate the autonomous operation by entering a command on the teleoperation console 21 (see
Further regarding the follow-street operation illustrated in
The follow-street operation typically is performed in combination with a distance leash routine that specifies the threshold distance to which the robot should continue down the street. As illustrated in
The distance leash routine then reckons the current position of the mobile robot 10 at step 3803 based on localization or positional data supplied from the GPS, INS and/or odometric systems, calculates the mobile robot's distance from the starting position at step 3804, and determines whether the mobile robot 10 has traveled beyond the threshold distance at step 3805. If the mobile robot's distance from the starting position is less than the distance threshold, the routine returns to step 3801. On the other hand, when the mobile robot 10 reaches the threshold distance away from the starting position, the distance leash routine terminates the follow-street operation and returns the mobile robot 10 back to the starting position, by automatically activating a follow-waypoints operation using only the coordinates of the starting position as the sole waypoint at step 3808.
Similarly, a time leash may be used that operates similarly to the distance leash, but which tracks the time elapsed since a starting time of the operation, instead of distance traversed by the mobile robot 10. As illustrated in
The follow-street behavior uses the Hough transform to detect linear features in the 360-degree planar LIDAR range data, in accordance with one alternative embodiment. Each line hypothesis with at least a minimum number of points is then classified based on whether it is on the right or left side of the mobile robot 10, in which
where L is a line, side(L) is the side of line L, θL is the orientation of line L, θleft min and θleft max bracket the region of interest on the left side and θright min and θright max do the same for the right side. Currently θleft min=0, θleft max=θright min=π, and θright max=2π, so all lines except those orthogonal to the robot's current heading are classified as being on the left or right.
The line headings are used to update separate accumulator arrays for the left and right sides of the robot. As before, these accumulator arrays are used to filter out transient lines generated by the Hough transform and produce a more stable desired heading.
The value of the accumulator bins at time t is given by:
where αleft,i,t-1 is the left accumulator bin value at the previous timestep, αright,i,t-1 is the right accumulator bin value at the previous timestep, λ is the decay rate (between 0 and 1), H is the set of lines detected by the Hough transform, Hj is the jth line from this set, ν(Hj) is the number of points voting for this line, θ(Hj) is the orientation of the line, and β is the bin size. Note that, as before, all of these orientations are in world coordinates, not robot-relative coordinates (although any suitable alternative coordinate system may be utilized, such as compartmentalized regions, polar coordinates, or any other such coordinate scheme, for example).
The selected heading corresponding to the maximum bin in each accumulator is given by:
θleft=(i+0.5)β:∀j:α left,i,t≧αleft,j,t
θright=(i+0.5)β:∀j:α right,i,t≧αright,j,t
The behavior then computes the average of the left and right headings as defined by:
Follow-street then sends θdesired as the desired heading to the SVFH obstacle avoidance behavior. If follow-street is only able to detect strong lines (with at least a minimum number of points) on one side of the robot, it attempts to align itself with the strongest line. If follow-street is unable to detect any lines on either side of the robot, it sends a command to SVFH to move straight forward. In all cases, SVFH avoids obstacles and attempts to drive the robot along the closest open direction to the desired heading.
Also, with regard to additional aspects of the follow-perimeter operation,
Further in view of
In order to ensure smooth following around the perimeter of a navigation target, the follow-perimeter behavior generates and continuously updates an accumulator array of target headings over time, wherein at each iteration of the routine, the effect of older target headings to the accumulator array decays until they no longer effect the currently generated target heading. Nonetheless, the hysteresis effect of more recent previous headings on the accumulator array dampen any sudden shifts in the current target heading relative to the immediately previous target heading, so that unstable steering caused by oscillation is avoided even when the mobile robot 10 encounters a sharp corner along the perimeter being traversed.
As an example, the follow-perimeter routine may select one of 72 bins each corresponding to 5 degrees, among the full possible range of 360 degrees of orientation. The value of an accumulator bin αi at time t is then given by:
in which αi,t-1 is the accumulator bin value at the previous timestep, λ is the decay rate (between 0 and 1), H is the set of lines detected by the Hough transform, Hj is the jth line from this set, ν(Hj) is the number of points voting for this line, q(Hj) is the orientation of the line, and β is the bin size, and in which the coordinates are all provided as global coordinates, rather than robot-relative coordinates. By continuously updating the accumulator bins using an algorithm based on this equation, steering and perimeter tracking is improved, while steering oscillation is reduced.
The follow-perimeter behavior may generate a desired heading based on the relative orientation and desired range to the tracked wall. For example: for left wall following,
For right wall following,
where θ is the behavior's desired heading in radians (relative to the robot's current heading), θw is the orientation of the wall in radians (relative to the robot's current heading), rw is the range to the wall in meters, rd is the desired range to the wall in meters, and k is a constant (for example, π/8).
This desired heading may then be passed to the SVFH obstacle avoidance behavior. The SVFH behavior then selects the obstacle-free heading that is closest to the desired heading output by follow-perimeter. This allows the mobile robot 10 to reactively steer around obstacles that are located next to walls, and then resume wall-following automatically when the obstacle is no longer present.
When navigating toward each waypoint, the mobile robot 10 may identify linear features in its environment, such as streets or buildings, and follow them toward the waypoint. Further, the mobile robot 10 may consider a waypoint as "reached" when the mobile robot 10 moves within a threshold distance (for a non-limiting example, the threshold distance may be set to a radius of ten meters around the precise coordinates of the waypoint, or any other suitable distance) of the waypoint, improving operational efficiency and minimizing the possible effects of mapping or localization errors.
When an iteration of the routine is executed, step 3401 initially checks whether any waypoints remain to be processed and if not, the routine has achieved its purpose (there being no further waypoints left to process) and the follow-waypoints operation halts at step 3408. Otherwise, the coordinates of the next remaining waypoint are retrieved, removed from the set of remaining waypoints, and used as the current target waypoint at step 3402. Step 3403 determines the coordinates of the current position of the mobile robot 10 based on data from the localization system (such as the GPS, INS, and/or odometry systems), and step 3404 correspondingly generates a target heading toward the target waypoint from the current position of the mobile robot 10. At step 3405 a Hough transform is performed on the data from the range finder 121 to identify a strongest line to be used as a path to follow toward the target waypoint at step 3406. Step 3407 determines whether the distance from the mobile robot 10 to the target waypoint is less than the threshold distance: if so, then the current target waypoint is considered "achieved" and the routine loops back to step 3401; if not, then the routine instead loops back to step 3403 to continue seeking the current target waypoint.
When the mobile robot 10 navigates through terrain in order to perform reconnaissance, the mapping behavior may automatically run concurrently with other behaviors in order to generate and transmit a map of the traversed terrain.
At step 3604, the mapping routine determines whether the map should be transmitted in a broadcast manner; if so, step 3605 then broadcasts the map data to the teleoperation console 21 and proceeds to step 3606, which determines whether communication is currently possible, by any method (for example, by a secure WiFi link or a USB cable connection), with the teleoperation console 21. If so, then step 3607 sends the map to the teleoperation before proceeding to step 3608. At step 3608 the routine determines whether a detachable storage medium is accessible; and, if so, the routine records the map to the storage medium at step 3609 before returning to step 3603.
The autonomous navigation behaviors, other than the waypoints operation, do not necessarily rely on any estimate of the robot's absolute position in order to navigate through their environments. Rather, the reactive follow-perimeter behavior may operate directly off the Hough transform estimates of the position of nearby walls relative to the robot, without the use of any absolute position information, for example. However, even more accurate localization may be obtained to build accurate maps of the environment.
For example, a hybrid compass/odometry localization technique may be used, in which the compass is used to determine the robot's orientation, and odometry is used to determine the distance translated between updates. The robot's new position may be determined using the following equations:
Δt=√{square root over ((x t −x t-1)2+(y t −y t-1)2)}{square root over ((x t −x t-1)2+(y t −y t-1)2)}
x′t=Δt cos θt,
y′t=Δt sin θt
where (xt, yt) is the odometry position at time t, θt is the compass heading at time t, Δt is the distance traversed between time t−1 and time t, and (x′t, y′t) is the hybrid compass/odometry position estimate for time t.
Pure odometry may tend to rapidly accumulate error in the estimate of the robot's orientation, while hybrid data integrated from multiple localization systems (such as a GPS, INS, or compass-tracking system) can provide highly accurate maps because of the significant improvement in localization precision.
As examples of the difference in accuracy between localization based only on odometry versus hybrid localization integrating data from odometric in combination with GPS, INS or other such positioning systems,
In contrast, use of a compass can enable the mobile robot to reliably determine the robot's position to within a few degrees, and the hybrid compass/odometry localization method may be able to determine the robot's position accurately to within a few meters throughout the perimeter reconnaissance.
Teleoperation Console
As illustrated in
The range-finding system may include a scanning light source (for example, an infrared laser that is continuously rotated so as to scan and detect reflective surfaces of objects positioned anywhere around the mobile robot) and corresponding detector or other LIDAR (light detection and ranging) system 121, as shown in
Data from the range-finding system 121 typically includes patterns or clusters of dots, in which each dot indicates that an object was detected by the range-finder at the location corresponding to the dot (see, for example,
Depending on the mode or operation selected, the mobile robot 10 may then steer so as to proceed in alignment with the Hough strongest line 1606 from the occupancy grid map.
Obstacle Avoidance and SVFH
Various obstacles may be encountered lying along the path of the mobile robot 10 as it operates autonomously. Therefore, the mobile robot 10 includes an obstacle detection and avoidance behavior for identifying and evading obstacles. In accordance with one embodiment, the mobile robot 10 includes a 3D stereo vision system 125 that employs binocular cameras and machine vision methods for generating a depth map (see
In accordance with one embodiment, the target heading generated by the navigation behaviors (e.g., follow-street or follow-perimeter) is first passed to the SVFH obstacle avoidance behavior, which may modify the target heading in response to an obstacle detected along the target heading.
Automatic Flipper Deployment
In accordance with another embodiment, the mobile robot includes a pair of treaded flippers 115 positioned adjacent the main treads 110 of the mobile robot's drive system, to assist in surmounting low-lying obstacles. The current supplied to the drive motors that propel the treads 110 are monitored by an ammeter, which reports the drive motor current to the processor 140 (see
Hardware/Software Organization
This localization information is used made available to a waypoint navigator routine, an obstacle map routine, and a stasis detector routine. Each of these routines outputs to an arbiter routine, which processes the incoming data and outputs velocity and turn rate commands to the drive system control routine for causing the drive system to appropriate steer and propel the robot toward a navigation goal.
As discussed, the follow-waypoints routine uses the localization information to select a target trajectory for the mobile robot 10—for example, by comparing the robot's global coordinates to the coordinates of the next waypoint in the mission information provided to the robot prior to undertaking the waypoint navigation, and calculating the angle between the mobile robot's current heading and the next waypoint. In accordance with the software organization illustrated in
The mapping routine receives input from the range finder 121 and the stereo vision system 125, and constructs a grid occupancy map based on this input. The occupancy grid map is supplied to the arbiter or SVFH obstacle detection routine, where it is used in combination with the target trajectory to adjust the actual steering and/or velocity commands issued to the drive system control routine.
As a result, when detectable obstacles are encountered along the path between the mobile robot and its navigation target, the arbiter or SVFH obstacle detection routine can deduce their presence and location from the occupancy grid map and alter the steering or velocity of the mobile robot so as to swerve around the obstacles. Further, the follow-waypoints routine need not receive the occupancy grid map nor take it into account, because the arbiter automatically processes the occupancy grid map and evades such obstacles when encountered, and resumes steering toward the target trajectory when no obstacles are imminent.
In accordance with one embodiment, the stasis detection behavior routine also receives the localization information regarding the mobile robot's global coordinates and can determine whether the robot is not proceeding appropriately. For example, the stasis detector may periodically compare the mobile robot's coordinates to a previous set of coordinates from a previous time and, if the two sets of coordinates are not sufficiently distant, the routine may then supply appropriate notice to the arbiter and appropriate stasis-escape or cul-de-sac avoidance actions may then be performed.
Hough Transform
Hough transform techniques may be employed to detect walls and road orientations for various navigation behaviors. The Hough transform is a computer vision technique that works by transforming image point coordinates into votes in the parameter space of possible lines. Each point corresponds to a vote for all of the lines that pass through that point. By finding the strongest points in the parameter space, the Hough Transform can determine the parameterized equations for the strongest lines in the image. This library of Hough transform software routines may be integrated with the local obstacle map constructed from the laser and stereo vision range data.
The Hough transform is able to reliably find linear features in the range image and determine their location and orientation. Using the Hough transform in both outdoor and indoor environments, a mobile robot employing the Hough transform may reliably detect exterior building walls, interior hallway walls, street curbs, and rows of parked cars, for example.
In accordance with at least one non-limiting example, the Hough transform processes range data from the LIDAR and calculates the strongest line orientations and offsets relative to the robot's current position. This system is highly accurate and reliable in determining the location and orientation of walls indoors and shows promising levels of accuracy and reliability outdoors.
For example,
If, for example, the robot may become tilted so that it was not parallel to the ground, the laser plane would intersect the ground. In some cases, this may generate a "false positive" (spurious) potential line that could confuse the perimeter following behavior. To deal with this problem, a range filter may be deployed, which uses the sensor data from the mobile robot's pan/tilt sensor to project the laser points into 3D (see the organization diagram of
This filter can work effectively to allow the robot to ignore spurious range readings that hit the ground because of the tilt of the robot, for example. This may enable the robot to successfully follow building walls without being distracted by the spurious ground hits. In addition, when the robot traverses over curbs, this can prevent the obstacle avoidance behavior from erroneously perceiving the ground as an obstacle and undesirably turning to avoid it, for example.
SVFH Obstacle Detection and Avoidance
To enable the mobile robot to avoid obstacles in cluttered environments, a range analysis technique known as Scaled Vector Field Histogram (SVFH) may be used. In the standard VFH technique, an occupancy grid is created in which each "/square" or "cell" of the grid is filled with a probability that an obstacle exists at that point, and a polar histogram of the obstacle locations is created, relative to the robot's current location. Individual occupancy cells are mapped to a corresponding wedge or "sector" of space in the polar histogram. Each sector corresponds to a histogram bin, and the value for each bin is equally to the sum of all the occupancy grid cell values within the sector.
The polar histogram bin values mapped to their bearings relative to the robot's heading. A bin value threshold is used to determine whether the bearing corresponding to a specific bin is open or blocked. If the bin value is under this threshold, the corresponding direction is considered clear. If the bin value meets or exceeds this threshold, the corresponding direction is considered blocked. Once the VFH has determined which headings are open and which are blocked, the robot then picks the heading closest to its desired heading toward its target/waypoint and moves in that direction.
A bin value threshold is used to determine whether the bearing corresponding to a specific bin is open or blocked. If the bin value is under this threshold, the corresponding direction is considered clear. If the bin value meets or exceeds this threshold, the corresponding direction is considered blocked.
Once the VFH has determined which headings are open and which are blocked (see, for example,
SVFH extends the VFH algorithm such that the occupancy values are spread across neighboring bins. That is, because an obstacle that may be easily avoided at long range may require more drastic avoidance maneuvers at short range, the bin values of the SVFH technique are updated to reflect this increased importance.
The extent of the spread is given by:
where k is the spread factor (0.4 in the current SVFH), r is the range reading, and θ is the spread angle in radians. For example: if k=0.4 and r=1 meter, then the spread angle is 0.4 radians (23 degrees). So a range reading at 1 meter for a bearing of 45 degrees will increment the bins from 45−23=22 degrees to 45+23=68 degrees. For a range reading of 0.5 degrees, the spread angle would be 0.8 radians (46 degrees), so a range reading at 0.5 meters will increment the bins from 45−46=−1 degrees to 45+46=91 degrees. In this way, the SVFH causes the robot to turn more sharply to avoid nearby obstacles than to avoid more distant obstacles.
As a non-limiting example, the SVFH algorithm may be implemented on a mobile robot using 360-degree range data from the infrared laser range finder 121. The range finder preferably provides a 360-degree range scan with 2 degree resolution at 5 Hz, for example. The range values from each scan are used to compute a new SVFH. The range finder may provide range data out to, for example, 12 meters, but truncated range values (for example, out to 2 meters instead of the available 12 meters) may be used to compute the SVFH, in order to reduce complexity and computational requirements.
Out-Door Obstacle Avoidance
In accordance with one non-limiting example, planar range data from a LIDAR range finder 121 is combined with 3D range data from the stereo vision system 125 (or other suitable range-detecting system, such as an optical, sonar, electrostatic or magnetic sensor, inter alia, as non-limiting examples) using the SVFH technique, implemented as a control software routine. Such a system can provide robust navigational control for a mobile robot both indoors and outdoors in a wide range of urban and natural settings.
The avoidance system detects a wide variety of potential obstacles, such as walls (indoor and outdoor), doors, furniture, cars, trucks, trees, bushes, rocks, stairs, metal railings, and chain-link fences. Both the LIDAR and the stereo vision system are positioned so they can detect obstacles that the mobile robot 10 is not able of climbing. Lower obstacles such as curbs, which the mobile robot can climb, are preferably excluded from the range of these obstacle sensors and are not included in the obstacle avoidance map. This allows the obstacle avoidance system to permit the mobile robot 10 to simply proceed over climbable obstacles, while avoiding unsurmountable obstacles at the same time. Moreover, computational and/or memory resources are also conserved because of the reduced amount of sensor information required to be processed, for example.
A sonar sensor may also be employed for detecting obstacles such as glass and/or narrow metal wires, for example, where such obstacles are not readily detected by other sensory devices. The combination of LIDAR, stereo vision, and sonar, for example, may provide the capability to detect virtually all of the obstacles a mobile robot 10 might encounter in an urban environment.
Automatic Flipper Deployment
In some cases, the mobile robot may encounter obstacles that are below the plane of the range finder 121, for example, but are difficult to detect using the vision system 125 (black asphalt curbs, for example). To assist the robot in climbing over such obstacles (such as the curb 966 shown in
Cul-De-Sac/Stasis Detection and Avoidance
In some environments, the mobile robot 10 could occasionally become trapped in cul-de-sacs or other dead-end paths. The robot might, for example, follow a wall into a cul-de-sac, then turn around and start to emerge, but end up following the same wall back into the cul-de-sac again, for example.
To prevent this, a stasis detection and avoidance behavior may be provided. This behavior remembers the recent locations of the robot and prevents the robot from getting trapped in a loop. The behavior maintains a trace of the robot's recent positions and treats each point in this trace as an obstacle, which may then be passed to the SVFH obstacle avoidance system (which then regards the traced path as any other obstacle). The robot then can steer away from its recent path and move toward unexplored space, instead.
If the robot were navigating down a very long and narrow cul-de-sac, for example, memory of previous path points could prevent it from initially turning around. In that case, the robot can wait until the path-history memory has expired (when the path-history memory is implemented as a continuously rolling, finite-capacity memory in which previously recorded memories "fall off" the end of the memory after a period of time has passed and as newer memories are recorded, for example) and then obstacle avoidance behavior would lead it back out of the cul-de-sac. When the robot emerges, the cul-de-sac behavior would prevent it from going back into the cul-de-sac, for example.
Furthermore, when the mobile robot 10 operates very close to obstacles in cluttered environments, it could get stuck on a low obstacle adjacent to the rear treads 110, for example—which may occur, when the mobile robot 10 attempts to turn and then abuts an obstacle that was too low to be detected by the robot's LIDAR 121 and vision 125 system, but too high for the tracks 110 to simply slide over sideways during the robot's rotation, inter alia. This is an example of the general problem of behavioral stasis, which occurs when the robot is attempting an action, but is "stuck" and unable to move.
To increase the general robustness and capability of the system, a general stasis-escape behavior may be utilized. This behavior detects when the robot is stuck and then attempts random (or semi-random, or pre-programmed, for example) motions until the robot becomes unstuck.
In a non-limiting example, the stasis-escape behavior maintains a stasis level variable. This variable is increased whenever the behavior system is sending a translation or rotation command, but the robot's treads are not moving (as determined by odometry). Conversely, the stasis level is reduced whenever the robot is moving. When the stasis level exceeds a threshold, an escape action is triggered, for example. The escape action may command the robot to move at a random speed (for example, −0.25 to +0.25 m/sec) and a random rotation (for example, −1.0 to +1.0 radians/sec).
Alternatively, for example, the robot's commanded speed (or direction of rotation of the wheels, treads, or other drive system, such as to alternative between forward and reverse) and/or steering may be caused to alternate in a rythmic pattern, such as in a manner similar to "rocking" a quagmired automobile out of a snowy parking spot or mud pit (in which the driver rythmically alternates the automobile transmission from forward to reverse and back). In such a case, the robot may take advantage of self-reinforcing oscillation such that each successive cycle "rocks" the mobile robot further and further out of its stuck position. Sensors and/or analysis routines may be employed to detect whether a certain rhythm or motion pattern is producing self-reinforcing oscillation, for example, and may change the stasis avoidance behavior to another method when no progress is detected after a particular number of attempts.
If the mobile robot 10 starts moving, the stasis level begins to fall, and when it falls below threshold, the escape action is terminated, and control is returned to the robot's regular behaviors. If the robot does not start moving, then after a specified period of time (2 seconds), another random escape action is generated, and the new translation and rotation commands are sent to the robot. The stasis-escape behavior may repeat this process until the robot starts moving.
Obstacle Classification and Visualization using 3D Stereo Vision
In accordance with at least one non-limiting example, an obstacle classification system analyzes the set of 3D return points from the stereo vision sensor by converting the depth map information back into 3D point information. As illustrated in
Once the statistics grid is computed to filter out spurious readings, false short depth-readings a set of heuristic rules are used to classify grid cells as obstacles based on the properties of the robot system. These are:
Grid-to-Grid Slope Threshold:
Grid Minimum Height Threshold:
The combination of these two heuristic classification approaches yield good 3D obstacle perception that is matched to the vehicle mobility characteristics. In accordance with at least one exemplary implementation, as a non-limiting example, the system including stereo processing, data transmission, obstacle classification and conversion to range data operates at 15 Hz with speed being limited by stereo processing throughput at the moment. This allows robot speeds of over 1 m/s with a fairly good safety margin, given the ˜5 m detection range of the stereo obstacle system.
Conversion to Range Scan Data Using 3D Stereo Vision Input
In accordance with another non-limiting example, once the data have been classified as obstacles, these obstacles are then integrated into the SVFH map. The laser range data is used for obstacle avoidance and map building in the mobile robot's autonomous behavior modes. In addition, the laser data can provide augmented spatial awareness in tele-operated modes.
Once the data have been classified as obstacles, these obstacles are then converted into the range/bearing scan format used by the obstacle avoidance software. The mobile robot's control software can build a temporary Local Perceptual Space (LPS) map based thereon that represents the region of space near to the mobile robot 10. This map preferably includes a quantized point cloud that represents all recent range readings in the mobile robot's local coordinate frame.
The pattern of points on the LPS map 2514 represent recent range returns in the robot's current local coordinate frame. As the robot translates or rotates, previously detected points are transformed into the current reference frame. These points decay over time (on the order of seconds) as they are no longer detected. This means that moving obstacles can be dynamically represented in the map as their position changes in the world.
An advantage of this map over a purely reactive approach is that recently detected obstacles can be used in path planning, even if they are no longer visible. So if the robot moves past an obstacle or around a corner, what it saw previously can be used to plan its path.
Each robot navigation behavior (such as the follow-perimeter, follow-street or follow-waypoint behaviors, inter alia) may output a set of desired trajectories that fan out around the most desired path. For example: a behavior may want to move forward at 2 meters per second while turning right at 1 radian per second. The behavior then provides a set of adjacent trajectories at 2 m/sec and 0.6 rad/sec, 0.8 rad/sec, 1.0 rad/sec, 1.2 rad/sec, 1.4 rad/sec, et cetera.
The obstacle detection and avoidance behavior projects these trajectory arcs through the LPS and detects potential collisions. A robot motion model including information regarding the mobile robot's physical size and shape are used to determine the template that is swept through the LPS searching for obstacle collisions.
The trajectories are then scored based on time-to-collision (higher is better) and deviation from the optimal path (lower is better). The combined score is used to select the best turn command. In addition, the robot's speed may also be reduced to slow down for nearby obstacles.
Group Robot Control and Integration
In accordance with another embodiment, a team of two or more mobile robots 10 may be integrally controlled so as to perform joint operations. Furthermore, a tablet computer may be used to facilitate control of the team of mobile robots, by presenting map and location information for the robots comprising the team and accepting commands through a touch-sensitive screen. As shown in
The hardware and many of the software features of the team robots 11, 12 may be substantially similar to any of the embodiments of the mobile robot 10 discussed hereinabove, for example. Also, the team robots 11, 12 may include additional hardware or software features to facilitate team operation. For example, the team robot control system may include extended vector field histogram/scaled vector field histogram functionality, and may include additional behavior routines for performing "assemblage"-type group robot behaviors (for example, "formation" behaviors, a follow-the-leader behavior, a caravaning behavior, distributed landscape exploration behaviors, etc., inter alia). Using an appropriate software platform and software object model, such as the AWARE system, group sensors and behaviors may be abstracted as network services accessible to OCU client software, as a non-limiting example. The system may further include features such as visual landmark modeling or group tasking, for example.
As an advantage, the team control software permits each mobile robot 10 in a team a high degree of local autonomy, offloading robot-specific details such as obstacle avoidance to the onboard obstacle avoidance behavior on each robot. Accordingly, the team control system need only send high-level navigational goals to the team robots 11, 12, and then each team robot 11, 12 will take care of any necessary path adjustments or obstacle avoidance issues on its own as it proceeds toward the high-level navigational goal.
During a team navigation operation, the OCU 24 may display a map of the vicinity of the team robots 11, 12, and superimposed representations of the robots' respective positions in the map. For example,
With these and other situational awareness representations, the operator can quickly gain an overview of the entire system with only a quick glance. If an anomaly is detected, the operator can then tunnel down into more detailed information, including full telemetry from each team robot 11, 12, to diagnose and respond to any issues.
The system may include an interface for designating waypoints for the team robots 11, 12. A complete path can be specified for each robot, by providing a number of waypoints. The interface may use a single mode of operation for simplicity, which preferably allows operation with only a stylus, for example. The interface is to click on a location the robot is either at or a waypoint the robot is already scheduled to reach and then drag to the location the robot should go to and release. Any path that was previously specified past the start waypoint/robot is erased. This interface allows for any path to be specified and modified using only the stylus. Additionally, a patrol loop can be specified by adding a path segment that ends on a previous waypoint. The robot interprets this as a designation of a loop that should be continually traversed until the robot is given other orders.
Another interface feature may be included which permits one team robot 11 to follow another team robot 12. This feature requires that both team robots 11, 12 know their current accurate position. Linking robots in this way sets up a goal for the following robot to get near the leading robot. Robots linked in this way form a leader-follower structure. Robots can be chained together in this method into a single file line, for example.
Local Perceptual Space (Local Obstacle Memory)
A key part of the OD/OA system is the local perceptual space (LPS) which stores a representation of obstacles in the immediate vicinity of the robot. The local perceptual space is stored as an occupancy grid. The grid covers a 4 m�4 m area with 0.12 m�0.12 m cells. Each grid cell stores a simple exponentially weighted sum of evidence for/against an obstacle in that grid cell. The data in the grid cells decays exponentially (which leads to an efficient implementation) with a half life of 0.4 seconds.
In accordance with one embodiment, the grid is centered on the robot in an efficient manner. The grid is generally oriented in the same direction which is aligned with odometric coordinates (a coordinate frame updated solely based on odometry). The robot's current position and orientation in odometric coordinates is also stored. Each grid cell covers a range of odometric coordinates. The exact coordinates covered are not fixed, however, but can change occasionally as the robot moves. The grid acts like a window into the world in the vicinity of the robot. Everything beyond the grid edges is treated as unknown. As the robot moves, the area covered by the grid also moves. The position of the robot has an associated grid cell that the robot is currently inside. This cell acts as the center of the LPS. The grid is wrapped around in both x and y directions (giving the grid a toroidal topology) to provide a space of grid cells that moves with the robot (whenever the robot crosses a cell boundary) and stays centered on the robot. Cells directly opposite from the position of the robot in this grid are ambiguous as to which direction from the robot they represent. These cells are actively cleared to erase old information and are dormant until they are no longer directly opposite from the robot. This structure provides for a fast, efficient, and constant memory space LPS.
To use the LPS in behaviors, a virtual range scan is computed to the nearest obstacles. This virtual range scan represents what a range scanner would return based on the contents of the LPS. Converting to this form allows the same behaviors that were developed with SICK LIDAR data to also be used with data that originates from a SwissRanger which has a significantly smaller field of view.
Heading and speed control to achieve the desired location in odometry coordinates are calculated at the same time. First, for every direction the robot could go (maximum of
45 degrees away from goal), the maximum safe speed in that direction is calculated. Maximum safe speed is calculated proportional to distance to closest obstacle in that direction that the robot would hit with an upper and lower bound. The heading which results in the fastest speed in the direction of the goal is chosen, i.e., the effective speed is based off of the actual speed when projected onto the goal direction.Localization/Mapping for Team Robot Control
For controlling multiple team robots 11, 12, it is important that the operator can communicate his intentions to the robots as easily as possible. For this communication to be effective, it is important that the operator and the robots share a common reference frame to which commands and instructions can be related. The most common reference frame is the physical world. Humans naturally build an internal map with a notion of places and the ways in which they are connected. Robots do not automatically have this ability, but they can be programmed to have this ability. The process of determining the position of a robot within a map is known as localization. When location and mapping are done at the same time, the process is known as Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM).
By having a shared notion of a map of the geography of the environment, it makes it easy for the operator to communicate intent in a language that the team robots 11, 12 can understand. For example, by having a map that is shared between operator and team robots, the operator can direct a robot to go to a particular location simply by clicking where on the map the robot should go. Having a shared map also makes it easy to express desires such as explore this area, patrol this area, follow this path, and take pictures from these locations just to name a few possible tasks.
To enable this kind of natural communication and shared understanding, we localization capability is provided for the team robots 11, 12. The algorithm used for localization may be, for example, Monte Carlo Localization. The algorithm works by maintaining a probability distribution over robot positions. At any point in time, the robot has a notion of the probability of being at a particular location and orientation. For computational efficiency reasons, the probability distribution is represented as a set of discrete guesses of possible locations that the robot might be in. These guesses are commonly called particles or samples. Each particle represents a single, exact position that the robot might be at. For example, a particle might represent the hypothesis that the robot is at exactly at (23.452, 10.024) with an angle of −45.32 degrees relative to the origin.
As the robot moves, the particles are moved in the same fashion. So if the robot moves forward 1 meter, each particle moves forward approximately 1 meter with some error introduced to represent error in the robot's motion. As sensor readings become available, each particle is evaluated to determine how likely it is that the robot would have seen those sensor readings from the position at which the particle is located. This evaluation requires that the robot have a map of its environment. The particles are then weighted based on these likelihoods. Based on these weights, some particles are duplicated and others are removed to produce a new set of samples with uniform weights. Particles with higher weights are more likely to be duplicated and particles with lower weights are more likely to be dropped. All of these updates are done based on a probabilistic foundation which provides proof that the algorithm behaves properly under a set of assumptions, although not all of these assumptions are met in practice. In practice, the algorithm performs well in real world settings and has been extensively used and studied over the last 6 years.
A pictorial representation of the workings of the algorithm is shown in
Although the above-noted discussion describes components and functions implemented in the embodiments with reference to particular standards and protocols, the invention is not limited to such standards and protocols. The terms "standard" or "protocol" are not limited in meaning to public or publicly promulgated concepts, and are inclusive of proprietary and private systems or rules. Standards for Internet and other packet switched network transmission, for public telephone networks, for wireless communication, for buses and interfaces, or for cellular telephone networks represent examples of the state of the art. Such standards are periodically superseded by faster, more capable, or more efficient equivalents having essentially the same functions.
In most cases such standards coexist with similar competing and complementary standards and variations of each. Accordingly, competing and complementary standards (as well as variations of explicitly discussed standards and variations of competitor and complementary standards) having the same role in a network are considered to fall within the literal claim language, or alternatively as equivalents of the literal claim language. Superseding standards, files types, protocols, directory structures, language variations, and/or new generations of each, are also considered to fall within the literal claim language, or alternatively to be equivalents of the literal claim language.
It should be noted that not all of the functions and features described in detail herein are necessary for a complete and functional expression of the invention. For example, the mobile robot can be used without a teleoperation console; the teleoperation console can likewise be operated without a robot; a different mobility platform provided for the robot, or for any permutation or combination thereof. No one (or more) described element or feature is implicitly, explicitly, or inherently critical or necessary to the operation of the invention, except as explicitly described herein.
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US20110167574 * | Nov 5, 2010 | Jul 14, 2011 | Evolution Robotics, Inc. | Methods and systems for complete coverage of a surface by an autonomous robot |
US20110172850 * | Sep 14, 2010 | Jul 14, 2011 | Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd. | Infantry robotic porter system and methods useful in conjunction therewith |
US20110223884 * | May 23, 2011 | Sep 15, 2011 | Chung Lau | Method and system for enhanced messaging |
US20120283905 * | Oct 22, 2010 | Nov 8, 2012 | Murata Machinery, Ltd. | Autonomous mobile device |
US20130079954 * | Oct 30, 2012 | Mar 28, 2013 | Reconrobotics, Inc. | System and method for autonomous vehicle control |
US20130096732 * | Feb 8, 2011 | Apr 18, 2013 | Lorenz Hagenme | Method for assisting a parking maneuver |
US20150212520 * | Sep 24, 2013 | Jul 30, 2015 | RobArt GmbH | Robot And Method For Autonomous Inspection Or Processing Of Floor Areas |
CN101887271A * | Jul 19, 2010 | Nov 17, 2010 | 东莞职业技术学院 | Mobile robot path planning method |
WO2016077703A1 * | Nov 13, 2015 | May 19, 2016 | Worcester Polytechnic Institute | Gyroscope assisted scalable visual simultaneous localization and mapping |
U.S. Classification | 700/245, 701/45, 700/259, 701/301, 700/262, 701/46, 340/937, 701/2, 700/246, 700/258, 340/5.71, 340/12.54 |
International Classification | G06F19/00 |
Cooperative Classification | G05D1/0251, G05D2201/0209, G05D1/024, G05D2201/0207, G05D1/0088, G05D1/0038, G05D1/0044, G05D1/027, G05D1/0278 |
European Classification | G05D1/00F, G05D1/02E6V4, G05D1/00C6, G05D1/00C5, G05D1/02E6D2, G05D1/02E16B, G05D1/02E14B |
Date | Code | Event | Description |
Feb 26, 2007 | AS | Assignment | Owner name: IROBOT CORPORATION, MASSACHUSETTS Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:YAMAUCHI, BRIAN;REEL/FRAME:018932/0869 Effective date: 20070213 |
Nov 26, 2012 | FPAY | Fee payment | Year of fee payment: 4 |
Dec 17, 2013 | CC | Certificate of correction | |
Nov 10, 2016 | FPAY | Fee payment | Year of fee payment: 8 |

subset: commoncrawl


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An unconvincing Real Madrid moved to within three points of the top two in La Liga with a 1-0 win over Espanyol on Sunday.
After seeing title rivals Barcelona and Atletico Madrid draw 0-0 at the Vicente Calderon on Saturday, Real knew a victory would put them back in contention at the halfway stage of the season.
Real's performance, though, was far from their fluent best, but Carlo Ancelotti's men made it seven wins from their last eight league games thanks to Pepe's towering header early in the second half.
The Portugal international rose to meet Luka Modric's right-wing cross and headed past Kiko Casilla for his third goal of the season.
Rayo Vallecano's 1-0 victory over city rivals Getafe saw them move to within two points of safety at the bottom of the table, while extending the gap to Real Betis in last place.
Alberto Bueno grabbed the only goal of the game for Rayo, his sixth in the league this season, to help his side pick up a first league win since early November.
That result was bad news for Betis and things soon got worse as they fell to a 2-1 defeat to Osasuna, meaning new coach Juan Carlos Garrido is still waiting for his first win.
Osasuna took the lead early through midfielder Roberto Torres and, after Nono had been sent off for Betis, the visitors doubled their lead thanks to Jordi Figueras' 57th-minute penalty.
Both sides were down to 10 men on the hour when Andres Fernandez received a straight red. And although Jorge Molina pulled a goal back, Betis' winless streak in the league was extended to 12 games.
Levante ended a run of two consecutive defeats with a 1-0 win over Malaga, a result that sees Joaquin Caparros' side climb above their opponents and into tenth place.
David Barral's 19th-minute header from Andreas Ivanschitz's cross was enough for Levante to seal the three points, although Roque Santa Cruz and Sergio Sanchez both missed chances for Malaga in the latter stages.


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It's been a long time since I've studied American history, but from what I remember, the founding father were the ones that owned all the land and had all the vested interests in America. And my take on the Constitution was that it was written to protect their vested interests in American society. And when it comes to the 2nd amendment, it was all about protecting these interests from the British loyalists.
Somehow, we've collectively romanticized the Constitution into a sort of religion and have tried to morph those interests into our own vested interests. And I think that comes from our own pride and need to feel important. The Constitution protects the property rights of the rich to this day. It's great to feel like it was designed for the well being and protection of all of us. And to a degree, it's worked in that way and has kept a somewhat civil society. But the second amendment almost seems silly to a degree today. Where is this invisible militia taking on the Federal and State governments to keep them in check? If you look at the bills that are passed on a daily basis, they all have loads of crap that the majority of Americans don't need/want. And the things society does want don't always matter to the legislators. The Constitution is now just a slick way to enslave the average American to the wealthy.
And life is generally good for most, so why rock the boat?


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I remember seeing this chick on Leno like 10 years ago, and thinking she was like the most beautiful young woman I'd ever seen. What a friggin waste.
I remember seeing this chick on Leno like 10 years ago, and thinking she was like the most beautiful young woman I'd ever seen. What a friggin waste.
This is her in 2004:
As little Penny would say: "Drugs are bad. Don't do drugs."
And LOL @ the Doc Suess comment... she does look like the friggin cat in the hat in that pic.
Same day, different angle, looks good.
It's a trial, fellas. The idea is not to look beautiful and glamorous and make the judge or ultimately the fat ugly ladies on the jury hate her more.
She was a beautiful about 8 years ago.
Now after the lip job, chin implants and pumping poison into her body for the past handful of years she is a shell of her former self. It is sad. I blame the parents for the enabling they did early on, but eventually she has to take control of her life.
You realize that she is 26-27 years old, right?
Thats an Ok looking 45 year old right there.
Fine if you are looking for a mid-range quickie in a Vegas Hotel room, but awfully sad when you realize she headed for the same fate as Whitney Houston..with countless Judges who dropped the ball... and her own trash parents complicit in her death.
Whatever small spark of innocence that is buried inside that fried noggin of hers is either extinguished or about to sputter out....and not one single person in her orbit could say "we didnt see it coming" with a straight face.
Green, slams book...walks out...glaring.
TBH, I didn't think she looked terrible in the first picture. But, whoever made the Dr. Seuss comment is right on - she definitely looks right out of "Is there a Wocket in My Pocket?"....not that there's anything wrong with that - some damn fine literature right there. The Ghair beneath the Chair is a smokeshow.
I'd douse my rod in a Deer Antler marinade, and proceed to give Lindsay a rogerin' she'd never forget.
I just don't like all the freckles. Out side of that she is very good looking. She needs to stop playing woman she has nothing in common with. She looks nothing like Monroe or Taylor. Anna Nicole maybe.


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Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Winner Wednesday - 5/11
get the InLinkz code (if you'd like to place the link up on *your* blog!)
For now, while this is a small linkup, I'm leaving giveaway links on here until they are over and then going through and deleting them myself. If this gets to be too much, I'll start re-setting the link up every week. ;o)
Also, don't forget, if you've won something on Flip Flop Reviews and would like to share a picture we'd love to post it on Winner Wednesday!
Winner Wednesday
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2 coats of Sapphire Sparkle over (from L to R): Borghese Almondine, OPI Mrs O'Leary's BBQ, China Glaze Flyin' High, OPI DS Mystery. |
I've really fallen in love with Creative Nail Design's Effects polishes. A whole line of colored sparkles and shimmers to transform your polish? Sign me up, please!
Today I have Sapphire Sparkle to show you. Tiny flecks that shift from blue to magenta in a translucent base? I drool a little bit just thinking about it.
Now before we go any further, I will shamefully admit that I've neglected my cuticles lately. The irony is that I'm in nails right now at school... I spend so much time learning about nails and tending to other peoples' phalanges that mine have gone to crap.
I especially like how Sapphire Sparkle looks over Mrs. O'Leary's BBQ. That almost looks like Orly Galaxy Girl, but the sparkle is bluer with Sapphire.
Indoors, lightbox, no flash |


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Posts Tagged 'Easter'
Hollie Steel Easter Sunday Chat Update
Hollie Steel was in the chat room again on Easter Sunday. Apparently she only had two Easter Eggs – but she did receive lots of new clothes.
Hollie received lots of compliments and positive remarks about her latest single, Edelweiss, and revealed that her second single from the forthcoming album will be "O Mio Babbino". The artwork for the second single is currently being prepared.
Hollie also talked about an album track called "Come to My Garden" – in which Hollie harmonises with herself. Sounds doubly good to me!
Hollie then spoke a little about the Miss Photogenic competition that she has entered. The final is not until November so we have a while to wait to see if Hollie will win.
In the next few days, Hollie is going down to London with her mum and Josh, her brother. Josh will be auditioning for a place at the Italia Conti Stage School, so let's keep our fingers crossed that he gets offered a place.


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What Sony calls its "smallest and mightiest PSP system yet," the PSP Go has a 3.8-inch LCD screen, weighs 5.6 ounces, has 16 gigabytes of flash memory (and another 16 GB with a memory stick) and comes in "piano" black or "pearl" white. Sony's selling point, however, is that the PSP Go has ditched the disc drive of PSPs past and grabs all its content directly from the Internet. Sony says 16 gigabytes can hold 10-50 games (depending on the game) plus 10-15 TV shows, four full-length movies and 400 songs and pictures.
But PSP Go's good looks (and ample storage) may not be able to convince consumers to fork over $249, a hefty $80 more than what Sony charges for its PSP 3000. Especially when the latest PSP games, such as "God of War" and "Gran Turismo," can be played on either handheld system.
Not to mention the PSP Go is only $50 less than Sony's PlayStation 3 console, priced at $299. "If people have the money, they'll buy the home system first," predicts Wedbush Securities research analyst Edward Woo.
Consumers are already using
Such all-media systems "fit into people's lifestyle," says Peter Dille, senior vice president of marketing and PlayStation Network. "[The PSP Go] plays games, but also music and TV shows. It's a veritable entertainment device."
Since the PSP Go doesn't have a disc drive, software for the handheld game is downloaded from the online PlayStation store, on the PlayStation Network. The store already offers more than 16,000 pieces of digital downloadable content, including 225 games, 13,300 television episodes and 2,300 movies, which will be available for the PSP Go. PlayStation 3 and PSP 3000 players can also download content onto those systems. Prices for content range from $1.99 for some TV shows to $39.99 for most games.
Retailers may be glum that they won't be able to sell game cartridges for Sony's handheld game any more. But they'll adjust, predicts Woo. "Retailers can sell anything," says Woo. "They didn't like [Apple's] iPod initially because they couldn't sell the music." That is, until retailers realized just how many people would buy iPods–and that they could sell the devices.
Woo doesn't believe the PSP Go can match iPod sales. He thinks PSP Go sales will stay relatively slow as long as the current price point is high. He predicts that Sony might wind up dropping the retail price of the PSP Go by at least $50 as early as 2010.


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American Idol Live 2013
Verizon Theatre (formerly Nokia Theatre)Get Directions »
- July 27, 2013 6:30 pm
We'd ask if people actually still watch this show, but here's our answer. Though the season 12 winner has already been crowned, all the finalists—Amber Holcomb, Angie Miller, Burnell Taylor, Candice Glover, Curtis Finch Jr., Devin Velez, Janelle Arthur, Kree Harrison, Lazaro Arbos, and Paul Jolley, plus fan favorite Aubrey Cleland—will be back for this summer tour. Catch them before they fade into almost certain obscurity alongside Kris Allen, Lee DeWyze, and Bucky Covington. Never heard of them? Exactly.
What's Nearby
- Agua Azul Mexican 1.7 miles away
- Mama's Daughters' Diner Home Cooking 2.3 miles away
- Manila Sun Asian Fusion 3.3 miles away
- Dickey's Barbecue 3.7 miles away
- Villa's Grill Latin American 3.8 miles away
- Reflections Club at the Admiral Hotel DJ-Dance 4.7 miles away
- Humperdinks Restaurant Bars 5 miles away
- Cowboys Dancehall Country 5.3 miles away
- Dee Lincoln's Tasting Room & Bubble Bar Lounges 6.5 miles away
- Fox & Hound Sports Bars 6.6 miles away
- Half Price Books Bookstores 5.1 miles away
- Allaf Oriental Rugs Inc. Furniture and Accessories 6.2 miles away
- Whole Foods Market Specialty Foods 6.7 miles away
- Half Price Books Bookstores 6.9 miles away
- Calloway's Nursery Garden 7 miles away


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Based on a 2,000 calorie diet
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The easiest segment of this recipe was making the filling. I laid out the salt pork and onions on a foil-lined cookie sheet and baked it in a 375F oven for about 15-18 minutes. The rendered fat ...
Linda T, I think I might have the answer to the icky salt pork. Did your salt pork still have the skin/rind attached and did you trim it off or try to dice and cook it? You need to remove that '...


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The Berkeley Daily Planet October 2, 2007
While the protest that you staged in front of my office on Wednesday, Sept. 26th, was an exercise of your constitutional rights, the messages that you left behind were insulting, untrue, and ultimately misdirected. Additionally, from the comments quoted in the Berkeley Daily Planet article, it is clear that you have no idea what it is that I do here. Given that I was unaware of your planned protest, I was unable to contest your claims in person, so I will therefore address them here.
First, a little bit about who I am: I am a Marine captain with over eight years of service as a commissioned officer. I flew transport helicopters for most o f my time in the Marine Corps before requesting orders to come here. Currently, I am the officer selection officer for the northern Bay Area. My job is to recruit, interview, screen, and evaluate college students and college graduates that show an interest in becoming officers in the Marine Corps. Once they've committed to pursuing this program, I help them apply, and if selected, I help them prepare for the rigors of Officer Candidate School and for the challenges of life as a Marine officer. To be eligible for my programs, you have to be either a full-time college student or a college graduate. I don't pull anyone out of school, and high school students are not eligible.
I moved my office to Berkeley in December of last year. Previously, it was located in an old federal building in Alameda . That building was due to be t orn down and I had to find a new location. I choose our new site because of its proximity to UC Berkeley and to the BART station. Most of the candidates in my program either go to Cal or to one of the schools in San Francisco , the East Bay , or the North Bay . Logistically, the Shattuck Square location was the most convenient for them.
Next, you claim that I lie. I have never, and will never, lie to any individual that shows an interest in my programs. I am upfront with everything that is involved at every step of the way and I go out of my way to ensure that they know what to expect when they apply. I tell them that this is not an easy path. I tell them that leading Marines requires a great deal of self-sacrifice. I tell them that, should they succeed in their quest to become a Marine officer, they will almost certainly go to Iraq . In the future, if you plan to attack my integrity, please have the courtesy to explain to me specifically the instances in which you think that I lied.
Next, scrawled across the doorway to my office, you wrote, "Recruiters are Traitors." Please explain this one. How exactly am I a traitor? Was I a traitor when I joined the Marine Corps all those years ago? Is every Marine, therefore, a traitor? Was I a traitor during my two stints in Iraq ? Was I a traitor when I was delivering humanitarian aid to the victims of the tsunami in Sumatra ? Or do you only consider me a traitor while I am on this job? The fact is, recruitment is and always has been a part of maintaining any military organization. In fact, recruitment is a necessity of any large organization. Large corporations have employees that recruit full-time. Even you, I'm sure, must expend some effort to recruit for Code Pink. So what, exactly, is it that makes me a traitor?
The fact is this: any independent nation must maintain a military (or be allied with those who do) to ensure the safety and security of its citizens. Regardless of what your opinions are of the current administration or the current conflict in Iraq , the U.S. military will be needed again in the future. If your counter-recruitment efforts are ultimately successful, who will defend us if we are directly attacked again as we were at Pearl Harbor ? Who would respond if a future terrorist attack targets the Golden Gate Bridge , the BART system, or the UC Berkeley clock tower? And, to address the most hypocritical stance that your organization takes on its website, where would the peace keeping force come from that you advocate sending to Darfur ?
Finally, I believe that your efforts in protesting my office are misdirected. I agree that your stated goals of peace and social justice are worthy ones. War is a terrible thing that should only be undertaken in the most dire, extreme, and necessary of circumstances. However, war is made by politicians. The conflict in Iraq was ordered by the president and authorized by Congress. They are the ones who have the power to change the policy in Iraq , not members of the military. We execute policy to the best of our ability and to the best of our human capacity. Protesting in front of my office may be an easy way to get your organization in the headlines of local papers, but it doesn't further any of your stated goals.
To conclude, I don't consider myself a "recruiter." I am a Marine who happens to be on recruiting duty. As such, I conduct myself in accordance with our core values of honor, courage, and commitment. I will never sacrifice my honor by lying to anyone that walks into my office. I will never forsake the courage that it takes to restrain myself in the face of insul ting and libelous labels like liar and traitor. And, most importantly, I will never waver from my commitment to helping individuals who desire to serve their country as officers in the Marine Corps.
Captain Richard Lund


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Some residents in Sylvania Township's Deerpointe subdivision may get a break from revised federal maps that place them in a floodplain and could trigger costly flood insurance.
The Lucas County engineer's office has decided to survey about 30 lots in the subdivision at Centennial Road and Bancroft Street. The office then will forward the information to the Federal Emergency Management Agency and ask FEMA to reconsider its decision to place those residents in a floodplain, said Brian W. Miller of the engineer's office.
Several weeks ago county surveyors mapped the nearby St. James Wood subdivision, where residents' plans to sell or refinance their homes were quashed when they found out that the mandatory - and expensive - flood insurance was required on their homes.
The engineer's office, which believes that FEMA used outdated topographical maps to calculate the new floodplain maps, is expecting a response from FEMA about the St. James Wood request within a few weeks.
A response to the Deerpointe surveys may not arrive until this fall, Mr. Miller said.
FEMA updated its 1980s maps last year, and area homeowners learned that they had been placed in a 100-year floodplain. FEMA said large-scale development over the years has affected the environment and drain patterns, thus changing the maps. The county has argued that the old maps that FEMA used do not take into account such things as drain improvements.
Residents may themselves make the application to FEMA for map revisions but must pay for a professional survey of their land.


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Center City businessman Lou Lanni last Friday entered the race for an at-large City Council seat, declaring his intentions at Tailhook Tavern, at 3522 Cottman Ave. in Mayfair.
U.S. Sens. Pat Toomey and Bob Casey Jr. have introduced a bill to rename the Philadelphia VA Medical Center, at 3900 Woodland Ave. in West Philadelphia, in memory of Army Cpl. Michael J. Crescenz, a Cardinal Dougherty High School graduate who earned the Medal of Honor for bravery in the Vietnam War.
It's fair to say that not all wounds a veteran may suffer while in military service are physical.
"I think it is only appropriate and fitting that Philadelphia's Veterans Affairs facility be renamed in honor of Corporal Michael Crescenz, a Philadelphia native and Medal of Honor recipient," said Joe Eastman, a retired U.S. Navy officer and director of veterans' services at Broad Street Ministry.
"We try to do what the VA (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs) can't," said Joe Eastman, a veteran and outreach officer for