Work

Development and Testing of a Multi-Robot Integrated Control System for Antarctic Exploration

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Research on extreme environmental exploration using unmanned robots has recently attracted significant attention. In particular, unmanned robot exploration in vast areas such as Antarctica requires a system capable of remotely monitoring and controlling multiple robots. This paper proposes an integrated control system designed to monitor, control, and assign exploration tasks to multiple robots operating in extreme environments. This system utilizes GPS-based collaboration to support specific tasks, such as crevasse exploration and automatic battery charging, in Antarctic target areas. The system’s user interface (UI) is designed for efficiency and integrates elements such as remote control and mission execution commands tailored to the Antarctic environment. The proposed system was implemented using three robot platforms, and through performance evaluation tests in Antarctica, it achieved a cumulative driving distance of over 500 km and over 200 h of operation for over a month. The successful execution of simultaneous crevasse exploration by three robots highlights the system’s capability for coordinated multi-robot operations in extreme environments.

Source: Applied Sciences

DOI: 10.3390/app151810086

Authors: Taeyoung Uhm, Jiwook Kwon, Jongdeuk Lee, Jongchan Kim, Hyojun Lee, Young-Ho Choi

Institution: Korea Institute of Robot and Convergence

Language: English

Topic: Robotics and Automated Systems

Subfield: Control and Systems Engineering

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,896

Funders: Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, Korea Institute of Marine Science and Technology promotion