Project description
Navigating forests with ground robots
Forests, covering over 40 % of Europe, face increasing threats from climate change, including wildfires and bark beetle outbreaks. While aerial robots aid in monitoring, ground robots with heavier equipment struggle due to autonomous systems designed for obstacle-free scenarios. With the support of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the RaCOON project - short for Radar Classification Of Obstacles in Nature - aims to empower ground robots in forests by utilising radar technology to classify vegetation as obstacles or non-obstacles. This groundbreaking approach enables autonomous trajectory planning and navigation in challenging terrains. Through proof-of-concept experiments and forest robotic dataset creation, RaCOON seeks to revolutionise forest management, fostering advancements in field robotics and expanding professional networks.
Objective
Forests cover more than 40% of Europe’s surface and are essential for biodiversity, provide fresh water, absorb carbon and prevent
erosion. Yet they face detrimental effects of climate change, such as wildfires or outbreaks of the bark beetle. The field of robotics
offers a pallet of tools to help manage and monitor forests, yet mainly by flying robots. Ground robots that could carry heavier
equipment and last longer struggle in vegetation since their autonomy systems have been developed for obstacle-free scenarios
(e.g. driving on roads). The research proposed here, “Radar Classification Of Obstacles in Nature (RaCOON)”, aims to enable the
deployment of ground robots in forests by giving them the ability to decide which vegetation can be safely driven through. The
applicant will deploy a new sensor modality, i.e. radar, and develop a novel sensor fusion system that will classify vegetation into the
obstacle and non-obstacle categories. This additional information will allow ground robots to autonomously plan trajectories and
navigate in vegetation. The problem will be approached first by exploring the possibilities of radars in a proof-of-concept experiment.
Then, a forest robotic dataset will be recorded in various types of vegetation. The experience from the proof-of-concept experiment
and the recorded data will motivate the design of the final sensor fusion system. The outcomes of RaCOON will be 1) dissemination of
the new system and dataset to the research community and professional networks, 2) training of the applicant in the deployment of
radars for mobile robots and 3) extending the applicant’s professional network and independent research capabilities, advancing him towards starting his own robust field robotics research group.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- engineering and technology electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering information engineering telecommunications radio technology radar
- engineering and technology electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering electronic engineering sensors
- natural sciences biological sciences ecology ecosystems
- engineering and technology electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering electronic engineering robotics
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
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Topic(s)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2022-PF-01
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
70182 Orebro
Sweden
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.