On-board high-performance computing for multi-robot aerial systems

With advancements in low-energy-consumption multi/many core embedded-computing devices, a logical transition for robotic systems is Supercomputing, formally known as high performance computing (HPC), a tool currently used for solving the most complex problems for humankind such as the origin of the...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Camargo Forero, Leonardo, Royo Chic, Pablo|||0000-0002-8829-7528, Prats Menéndez, Xavier|||0000-0003-3717-4701
Format: book part
Publication Date:2017
Country:España
Institution:Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC)
Repository:UPCommons. Portal del coneixement obert de la UPC
Language:English
OAI Identifier:oai:upcommons.upc.edu:2117/112818
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/2117/112818
https://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.69443
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:Drone aircraft
high performance computing (HPC)
cluster of computers
multi-robot systems
HPC-ROS
ubiquitous supercomputing
unmanned aerial system (UAS)
unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)
HPC cluster of robots
Avions no tripulats
Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Aeronàutica i espai::Aeronaus
Description
Summary:With advancements in low-energy-consumption multi/many core embedded-computing devices, a logical transition for robotic systems is Supercomputing, formally known as high performance computing (HPC), a tool currently used for solving the most complex problems for humankind such as the origin of the universe, the finding of deceases’ cures, etc. As such, HPC has always been focused on scientific inquires. However, its scope can be widening up to include missions carried out with robots. Since a robot could be embedded with computing devices, a set of robots could be set as a cluster of computers, the most reliable HPC infrastructure. The advantages of setting up such an infrastructure are many, from speeding up on-board computation up to providing a multi-robot system with robustness, scalability, user transparency, etc., all key features in supercomputing. This chapter presents a middleware technology for the enabling of high performance computing in multi-robot systems, in particular for aerial robots. The technology can be used for the automatic deployment of cluster computing in multi-robot systems, the utilization of standard HPC technologies, and the development of HPC applications in multiple fields such as precision agriculture, military, civilian, search and rescue, etc.