Tech Briefs Magazine - October 2021 - 53

Camaroptera is a battery-less
remote image sensor powered
completely by solar panels and
capable of wirelessly transmitting
images over kilometers,
even in a crowded city environment.
It collects images and
processes them through edge
computing. Camaroptera applies
machine learning to the
images it collects and based on
those results, it can send the
interesting images over a radio
while disregarding uninteresting
data, saving the energy that
would have been used to send it.
maps of the lunar surface and
demonstrate long-range and
communication-denied exploration.
Using visual odometry
with a stereo camera and a Sun
sensor, the rover can indepen -
dently orient itself on the lunar
surface and make intelligent
navigational decisions based on
what it sees without being guided,
supervised, or teleoperated
from Earth.
A team led by CMU has taught a robot how to learn to walk.
Rapid Motor Adaptation (RMA) artificial intelligence enables
legged robots to adapt intelligently in real time to challenging,
unfamiliar new terrain and circumstances.
Engineering and Public Policy
The department works to solve problems at the interface of
science, technology, and society in areas such as energy systems,
climate and environment, information and communications
technology, risk analysis, and technology innovation
policy.
Information Networking Institute
Founded in 1989, the Institute focuses on information networking,
security, and mobile and IoT engineering that incorporate
business and policy perspectives.
To fly autonomously, drones need to understand what they
perceive in the environment and make decisions based on
that information. A method developed at CMU allows drones
to learn perception and action separately and creates a way to
safely deploy drones trained entirely on simulated data into
real-world course navigation. The method of separating perception
and control could be applied to tasks for artificial
intelligence such as driving or cooking.
Other modalities like sounds and shapes
could be used for efforts like identifying
cars, wildlife, or objects.
A team from CMU, UC Berkeley, and
Facebook AI taught a robot how to
learn to walk. A major hurdle to deploying
legged robots is figuring out how
the robot will respond to changing conditions.
Humans can adapt as they walk
over rocks, mud, sand, ice, and uneven
surfaces and adjust to carrying a heavy
backpack or limp along with an injured
ankle. Legged robots cannot adjust so
quickly - Rapid Motor Adaptation
(RMA) seeks to change that. The artificial
intelligence enables legged robots
to adapt intelligently in real time to
challenging, unfamiliar new terrain and
circumstances.
MoonRanger, an autonomous rover
headed to the Moon in 2023, is a suitcase-sized
rover developed by CMU and
its spinoff, Astrobotic, in collaboration
with NASA's Ames Research Center. The
rover's autonomy software will build 3D
Tech Briefs, October 2021
Cov
Materials Science and Engineering
The principles of basic sciences and engineering are used to
understanding the behavior of materials, their development,
and applications. Focus areas include computational materials
science, micro- and nano-electronics, magnetics, and inorganic
functional materials such as batteries, fuel cells, and capacitors.
Mechanical Engineering
Focus areas in mechanical engineering are advanced manufacturing,
bioengineering, computational engineering, en -
CMU is working with Apple
to develop new ways to disassemble
old technology. The
work builds on Apple's existing
recycling innovations including its recycling robots Daisy and
Dave. The team is designing machine learning models that
will enable robots to teach themselves how to disassemble a
device they have never seen before. The robot scans a phone
with a laser to create a 3D model. The team then simulates
cracks, cases, or missing batteries to train the model to recognize
the different conditions a device might be in when it
arrives at a recycling center.
MoonRanger is a suitcase-sized autonomous rover headed to the Moon in 2023. Using visual odometry
with a stereo camera system and a Sun sensor, the rover can independently orient itself on the
lunar surface and make intelligent navigational decisions based on what it sees without being guided,
supervised, or teleoperated from Earth.
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Tech Briefs Magazine - October 2021

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