The IRPS (Intelligent Robotic Porter System) is an FP6 project of the European Commission and has as goals to demonstrate an intelligent robotic porter service for large public areas. The localisation of the robotic unit is based on an innovative LIDAR based 3D mapping and measurement system which is developed within the project to achieve mllimetric accuracy.

The IRPS is comprised of 3 main subsystems :

• The Mission control Center (MCC) with one operator controlling a fleet of Robotic Porter Units
• The Mobile Robotic Platform(MRP) or porter unit.
• The LIDAR Imaging and measurement System allowing positioning of the MRP at millimetric accuracy inside and outside buildings

The IRPS architecture and operation are summarized in this diagram .A typical IRPS service demo scenario is illustrated on this diagram and animated in this video (80 MB)

The shorter video here  illustrates the IRPS service for porting in public areas and and the  technologies involved.

See more details in the other news and articles. 

A first integration workshop followed by a test campaign took place at FARO airport, hosted by ANA, Aeroportos de Portugal,  on May 18-29th 2009.

The team memebers had the opportunity to meet, integrate their components and work out

• MRP-Configuration for TC1
  
• IRPS Demonstrator Architecture and IRPS MRP Integration Bench
• IRPS SW simulation integration bench
• IRPS LIMS Integration bench
• Global LIMS Sensor integration in LIMS integration Bench
  
• test scenarii to assess the IRPS system performance.

We provide also some videos illustrating achievements and work progress:

• the IRPS Service demonstration where a user calls a Robotic Porter using a web service device (IPOD) to be picked-up and trasmported to a destination gate IRPS.CS.IRM_090603_MRP_Integration_Demo1.wmv
  
• The MRP integration bench demonstrating MRP moves controlled by the NetworkHMI interface IRPS.CS.IRM_090603_MRP_Network_controlled2.wmv
  
• The integrated LIMS Sensor in calibration Operation IRPS.CS.IRM_090603_LIMSS_Calibration.wmv . The LIMS sensor(LIMSS) consists in an electro-optical box and a elctronics box mounted on a trolley pulled by the MRP. During calibration the LIMSS will acquire the environement on successive stops along a calibration path. At each stops acquired data is send ( through high speed WIFI) to the LIMS control station and processed to compute the look up table entry for the given position. Position is measured by a Laser Range Finder(LRF)  connected by bluetooth.
• The integrated LIMSS in Navigation Operation IRPS.CS.IRM_090603_LIMSS_Navigation.wmv
  the IRPS navigates along a path, getting its position from the LIMSS which compares the real data acquired to the one stored during calibration
• The system computes simultaneously localisation and 3DMAP using the Sensor system( based on 2sick lasers,+IMU + MRP odometry) mounted ontop of the MRP.IRPS.CS.IRM_090603_TSLAM_Demo.wmv

PS:Congratulations to the whole IRPS integration workshop team for their hard work and results achieved!