Hubert Szolc

Hubert Szolc, Tomasz Kryjak

This paper presents a system for hardware-in-the-loop (HiL) simulation of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) control algorithms implemented on a heterogeneous SoC FPGA computing platforms. The AirSim simulator running on a PC and an Arty Z7 development board with a Zynq SoC chip from AMD Xilinx were used. Communication was carried out via a serial USB link. An application for autonomous landing on a specially marked landing strip was selected as a case study. A landing site detection algorithm was implemented on the Zynq SoC platform. This allowed processing a 1280 x 720 @ 60 fps video stream in real time. Performed tests showed that the system works correctly and there are no delays that could negatively affect the stability of the control. The proposed concept is characterised by relative simplicity and low implementation cost. At the same time, it can be applied to test various types of high-level perception and control algorithms for UAV implemented on embedded platforms. We provide the code developed on GitHub, which includes both Python scripts running on the PC and C code running on Arty Z7.

Hubert Szolc, Karol Desnos, Tomasz Kryjak

Deep reinforcement learning (DRL) is currently the most popular AI-based approach to autonomous vehicle control. An agent, trained for this purpose in simulation, can interact with the real environment with a human-level performance. Despite very good results in terms of selected metrics, this approach has some significant drawbacks: high computational requirements and low explainability. Because of that, a DRL-based agent cannot be used in some control tasks, especially when safety is the key issue. Therefore we propose to use Tangled Program Graphs (TPGs) as an alternative for deep reinforcement learning in control-related tasks. In this approach, input signals are processed by simple programs that are combined in a graph structure. As a result, TPGs are less computationally demanding and their actions can be explained based on the graph structure. In this paper, we present our studies on the use of TPGs as an alternative for DRL in control-related tasks. In particular, we consider the problem of navigating an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) through the unknown environment based solely on the on-board LiDAR sensor. The results of our work show promising prospects for the use of TPGs in control related-tasks.

Mateusz Wasala, Krzysztof Blachut, Hubert Szolc et al.

Nowadays, the increasing demand for maintaining high cleanliness standards in public spaces results in the search for innovative solutions. The deployment of CCTV systems equipped with modern cameras and software enables not only real-time monitoring of the cleanliness status but also automatic detection of impurities and optimisation of cleaning schedules. The Digital Twin technology allows for the creation of a virtual model of the space, facilitating the simulation, training, and testing of cleanliness management strategies before implementation in the real world. In this paper, we present the utilisation of advanced vision surveillance systems and the Digital Twin technology in cleanliness management, using a railway station as an example. The Digital Twin was created based on an actual 3D model in the Nvidia Omniverse Isaac Sim simulator. A litter detector, bin occupancy level detector, stain segmentation, and a human detector (including the cleaning crew) along with their movement analysis were implemented. A preliminary assessment was conducted, and potential modifications for further enhancement and future development of the system were identified.

Artur Cyba, Hubert Szolc, Tomasz Kryjak

In this paper, we present a control system that allows a drone to fly autonomously through a series of gates marked with ArUco tags. A simple and low-cost DJI Tello EDU quad-rotor platform was used. Based on the API provided by the manufacturer, we have created a Python application that enables the communication with the drone over WiFi, realises drone positioning based on visual feedback, and generates control. Two control strategies were proposed, compared, and critically analysed. In addition, the accuracy of the positioning method used was measured. The application was evaluated on a laptop computer (about 40 fps) and a Nvidia Jetson TX2 embedded GPU platform (about 25 fps). We provide the developed code on GitHub.