AIDED – Robotics & Autonomous Systems

This project is about the use of Artificial Intelligence for the detection of explosive devices. The armed conflicts in Afghanistan, Iraq or Syria have seen a dramatic rise in the use of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and landmines by adversaries. In operations in those countries, 50% of soldier deaths in action are directly related to IEDs.

AIDED will use a set of state of the art Artificial Intelligence (AI) algorithms able to identify unconventional (IEDs) and conventional (buried mines) explosive devices, and autonomously plan offline and run-time missions plans. It will also provide positioning, navigation and mapping to control a fleet of robots that cooperate quickly to identify a safe passage in a high-risk area.

European Commission

Preparatory Action on Defence Research

2021 – 2023

1,5 M€

Project Publications

2024

Z. Chekakta, N. Aouf, S. Govindaraj, F. Polisano, and G. De Cubber, “Towards Learning-Based Distributed Task Allocation Approach for Multi-Robot System," in 2024 10th International Conference on Automation, Robotics and Applications (ICARA), 2024, pp. 34-39.
[BibTeX] [DOI]

@INPROCEEDINGS{10553196,
author={Chekakta, Zakaria and Aouf, Nabil and Govindaraj, Shashank and Polisano, Fabio and De Cubber, Geert},
booktitle={2024 10th International Conference on Automation, Robotics and Applications (ICARA)},
title={Towards Learning-Based Distributed Task Allocation Approach for Multi-Robot System},
year={2024},
volume={},
number={},
pages={34-39},
keywords={Sequential analysis;Automation;Accuracy;Robot kinematics;Prediction algorithms;Approximation algorithms;Resource management;Task Allocation;Multirobot System;Distributed Algorithms;Graph Convolutional Neural Networks},
doi={10.1109/ICARA60736.2024.10553196},
unit= {meca-ras},
project= {AIDED}
}

K. Hasselmann, M. Malizia, R. Caballero, F. Polisano, S. Govindaraj, J. Stigler, O. Ilchenko, M. Bajic, and G. De Cubber, “A multi-robot system for the detection of explosive devices," in “IEEE ICRA Workshop on Field Robotics", 2024.
[BibTeX] [Download PDF] [DOI]

@inproceedings{Hasselmannetal2024ICRAWSFRO,
doi = {10.48550/ARXIV.2404.14167},
url={https://arxiv.org/abs/2404.14167},
booktitle = {"IEEE ICRA Workshop on Field Robotics"},
author = {Hasselmann, Ken and Malizia, Mario and Caballero, Rafael and Polisano, Fabio and Govindaraj, Shashank and Stigler, Jakob and Ilchenko, Oleksii and Bajic, Milan and De Cubber, Geert},
title = {A multi-robot system for the detection of explosive devices},
year = {2024},
unit= {meca-ras},
project= {AIDED, AIDEDEX}
}

M. Kegeleirs, D. G. Ramos, K. Hasselmann, L. Garattoni, G. Francesca, and M. Birattari, “Transferability in the automatic off-line design of robot swarms: from sim-to-real to embodiment and design-method transfer across different platforms," IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters, 2024.
[BibTeX] [Download PDF] [DOI]

@article{kegeleirs2024transferability,
title={Transferability in the automatic off-line design of robot swarms: from sim-to-real to embodiment and design-method transfer across different platforms},
author={Kegeleirs, Miquel and Ramos, David Garz{\'o}n and Hasselmann, Ken and Garattoni, Lorenzo and Francesca, Gianpiero and Birattari, Mauro},
journal={IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters},
year={2024},
doi={https://doi.org/10.1109/LRA.2024.3360013},
url={https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10416330},
publisher={IEEE},
unit= {meca-ras},
project= {AIDEDEX}
}

2023

G. De Cubber, E. Le Flécher, A. La Grappe, E. Ghisoni, E. Maroulis, P. Ouendo, D. Hawari, and D. Doroftei, “Dual Use Security Robotics: A Demining, Resupply and Reconnaissance Use Case," in IEEE International Conference on Safety, Security, and Rescue Robotics, 2023.
[BibTeX] [Download PDF]

@inproceedings{ssrr2023decubber,
title={Dual Use Security Robotics: A Demining, Resupply and Reconnaissance Use Case},
author={De Cubber, Geert and Le Flécher, Emile and La Grappe, Alexandre and Ghisoni, Enzo and Maroulis, Emmanouil and Ouendo, Pierre-Edouard and Hawari, Danial and Doroftei, Daniela},
booktitle={IEEE International Conference on Safety, Security, and Rescue Robotics},
editors ={Kimura, Tetsuya},
publisher = {IEEE},
year = {2023},
vol = {1},
project = {AIDED, iMUGs, CUGS},
location = {Fukushima, Japan},
unit= {meca-ras},
doi = {},
url={https://mecatron.rma.ac.be/pub/2023/SSRR2023-DeCubber.pdf}
}

E. Ghisoni, S. Govindaraj, A. M. C. Faul{‘i}, G. De Cubber, F. Polisano, N. Aouf, D. Rondao, Z. Chekakta, and B. de Waard, “Multi-agent system and AI for Explosive Ordnance Disposal," in 19th International Symposium Mine Action, 2023, p. 26.
[BibTeX] [Download PDF]

@inproceedings{ghisonimulti,
title={Multi-agent system and AI for Explosive Ordnance Disposal},
author={Ghisoni, Enzo and Govindaraj, Shashank and Faul{\'\i}, Ana Mar{\'\i}a Casado and De Cubber, Geert and Polisano, Fabio and Aouf, Nabil and Rondao, Duarte and Chekakta, Zakaria and de Waard, Bob},
booktitle={19th International Symposium Mine Action},
publisher = {CEIA},
year = {2023},
project = {AIDED},
location = {Croatia},
unit= {meca-ras},
url={https://www.ctro.hr/userfiles/files/MINE-ACTION-2023_.pdf},
pages={26}
}

2022

E. Ghisoni and G. De Cubber, “AIDED: Robotics & Artificial Intelligence for Explosive Ordnance Disposal," in International Workshop on Robotics for risky interventions and Environmental Surveillance-Maintenance (VRISE), Les Bons Villers, Belgium, 2022.
[BibTeX] [Abstract] [Download PDF]

This paper presents an overview of the AIDED project on AI for IED detection.

@InProceedings{ghisoni2022a,
author = {Ghisoni, Enzo and De Cubber, Geert},
booktitle = {International Workshop on Robotics for risky interventions and Environmental Surveillance-Maintenance (VRISE)},
title = {AIDED: Robotics & Artificial Intelligence for Explosive Ordnance Disposal},
year = {2022},
month = jun,
organization = {IMEKO},
publisher = {IMEKO},
address = {Les Bons Villers, Belgium},
url = {https://www.ici-belgium.be/registration-and-program-vrise2022-june-7/},
abstract = {This paper presents an overview of the AIDED project on AI for IED detection.},
project = {AIDED},
unit= {meca-ras}
}

2021

Y. Baudoin, G. De Cubber, and E. Cepolina, “Mobile Robots Supporting Risky Interventions, Humanitarian actions and Demining, in particular the promising DISARMADILLO Tool," in Proceedings of TC17-VRISE2021 – A VIRTUAL Topical Event of Technical Committee on Measurement and Control of Robotics (TC17), International Measurement Confederation (IMEKO), Theme: “Robotics for Risky Interventions and Environmental Surveillance", Houston, TX, USA, 2021, pp. 5-6.
[BibTeX] [Download PDF]

@INPROCEEDINGS{knvrise,
author={Baudoin, Yvan and De Cubber, Geert and Cepolina, Emanuela},
booktitle={Proceedings of TC17-VRISE2021 - A VIRTUAL Topical Event of Technical Committee on Measurement and Control of Robotics (TC17), International Measurement Confederation (IMEKO), Theme: "Robotics for Risky Interventions and Environmental Surveillance"},
title={Mobile Robots Supporting Risky Interventions, Humanitarian actions and Demining, in particular the promising DISARMADILLO Tool},
year={2021},
volume={},
number={},
pages={5-6},
url={https://mecatron.rma.ac.be/pub/2021/TC17-VRISE2021-Abstract%20Proceedings.pdf},
project={AIDED, Alphonse, MarSur, SSAVE, MarLand, iMUGs, ICARUS, TIRAMISU},
publisher={IMEKO},
address={Houston, TX, USA},
month=oct,
unit= {meca-ras}
}