Autonomous Remote Exploration
Statistical models of the environment can tell explorer robots where to travel, what samples to collect and what data to return to scientists. Much of my work aims to ground autonomous science decisions by remote explorers in formal principles of information theory, active learning and experimental design.
- D. R. Thompson, T. Smith and D. Wettergreen. Information-Optimal Selective Data Return for Autonomous Rover Traverse Science and Survey. ICRA 2008 (PDF)
- D. R. Thompson and D. Wettergreen. A Tale of Two Rovers: Mission Scenarios for Kilometer-Scale Site Survey. ICRA Rover Workshop 2008 (Abstract)
- D. R. Thompson and D. Wettergreen. Intelligent Maps for Autonomous Kilometer-Scale Site Survey. ISAIRAS 2008 (PDF)
- D. R. Thompson. Predictive Exploration for Autonomous Science. Proceedings AAAI Doctoral Consortium 2007 (PDF) (Presentation).
- T. Smith, D. R. Thompson and D. Wettergreen. Generating Exponentially Smaller POMDP Models Using Conditionally Irrelevant Variable Abstraction. ICAPS 2007 (PDF).
- D. R. Thompson, T. Smith, and D. Wettergreen. Data Mining during Rover Traverse: From Images to Geologic Signatures. ISAIRAS 2005 (PDF).
Rover Stereo, Mapping, and Tracking
We want robots that can track a lot of objects simultaneously, target the interesting ones for analysis, and recognize things they've seen before. This is tough when you're constantly moving around to see features from different perspectives. However, we're making progress with some visual tracking, scene geometry and shennanigans with a wide-baseline stereo rig.
- F. Calderon P., D. R. Thompson and D. Wettergreen. Autonomous Rover Reflectance Spectroscopy with Dozens of Targets. ISAIRAS 2008
- D. R. Thompson and D. Wettergreen. Multi-Object Detection with Multiple-View Expectation Maximization Clustering IROS, 2005 (PDF).
Automatic Remote Sensing Analysis
I'm working on a project to perform data mining on orbital imagery to automatically draft maps and characterize science phenomena. Recently I've used spatial point processes to generate automatic maps of varying rock distributions in imagery from the Mars HiRise orbiting camera. The statistical models can identify patterns in features' clustering and spread that may not be visible to the naked eye.
- D. R. Thompson and D. Wettergreen. Spatial Point Process Models for the Distribution of Northern Plains Boulders LPSC 2007 (PDF).
Robots in the Atacama Desert
I worked with a CMU project that ran some robot field tests in the driest place on Earth - the Atacama Desert in Northern Chile. There we simulated remote science operations as an analog to a search for life on another planet. During field operations autonomy software automatically identified lichens with the help of a fluorescence imager device.
- T. Smith, D. R. Thompson, D. Wettergreen N. Cabrol, K. Warren-Rhodes and S. Weinstein. Life in the Atacama: Science Autonomy for Improved Data Quality. Journal of Geophysics Researchvol. 112, G04S03, Dec. 2007.
- D. R. Thompson, T. Smith and D. Wettergreen. Automatic Detection of Novel Biologic and Geologic Images in Atacama Desert Rover Traverse Imagery. LPSC 2006 (PDF).
- T. Smith, D. R. Thompson, S. Weinstein and D. Wettergreen. Automatic Chlorophyll Detection and Followup Applied to the Search for Life in the Atacama LPSC 2006 (PDF).
20th Century Chamber Music
A relatively new music craze. I'm a big fan of the French Impressionists (Ravel, Debussy) although I've recently investigated some more modern stuff. Bartok's string quartets are my all-time favorite.