Project: Unmanned Systems for Geomatics Research Applications
Partner: Ryerson University and Sokkia Corporation
Principal Investigator: Akram Afifi
Funder: Cultivate Fund
Students: Baris Cokuysal and Brendan Woo
As remotely piloted aerial systems (RPAS) and autonomous ground vehicles (AGV) enter the mainstream market, Humber is committed to providing opportunities for students and faculty to work hands-on with these technologies. Humber’s Office of Applied Research & Innovation (ARI) is supporting this goal by funding Industry 4.0 applied research projects, including the first stage of development of an unmanned systems zone at Humber. Once established, the zone will function as a test area where students, faculty and partners can analyze various RPAS and AGV solutions utilizing high end sensing and navigation sensors such as LiDAR, integrated GNSS/IMU and simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM).
Led by Principal Investigator Akram Afifi, Ph.D., the first phase of the unmanned zone project focused on the development, programming and testing of RPAS technology, and data collection. With the support of ARI, Afifi secured partnerships with Ryerson University and Sokkia Corporation, a world-leading manufacturer of precision measuring systems. The collaboration allowed for the sharing of Geomatics expertise and resources between the three parties and the prospect of future joint ventures.
In addition to the support of partners, Afifi recruited electromechanical, mechanical and computer programming students to work on the project. As a result, the research team was able to establish an autonomous navigation solution for the AGV using SLAM. SLAM allows the end user to construct a map of an unknown environment (indoor or outdoor) while simultaneously keeping track of its location within it during the vehicle motion. The Ryerson University partnership also enabled Humber’s student research assistants to collaborate with, and learn from, Masters and Ph.D. students from the institution.
The goal of the initial phase of the project was to display what Humber can do with drone technology. To disseminate the knowledge externally, Afifi has submitted the applied research findings to three journals. A second project phase is in development. It will focus on smoothing the trajectory tracking of the camera to enable real-time access to 5G. The ultimate vision for Afifi is to spark support and funding for RPAS and AGV projects of a larger scale in the future.