The DARPA PerceptOR program has implemented a rigorous evaluative test program which fosters the development of field relevant outdoor mobile robots. Autonomous ground vehicles were deployed on diverse test courses throughout the USA and quantitatively evaluated on such factors as autonomy level, waypoint acquisition, failure rate, speed, and communications bandwidth. Our efforts over the three year program have produced new approaches in planning, perception, localization, and control which have been driven by the quest for reliable operation in challenging environments. This paper focuses on some of the most unique aspects of the systems developed by the CMU PerceptOR team, the lessons learned during the effort, and the most immediate challenges that remain to be addressed.

Abstract. The DARPA PerceptOR program implements a rigorous evaluative test program which fosters the development of field relevant outdoor mobile robots. Autonomous ground vehicles are deployed on diverse test courses throughout the USA and quantitatively evaluated on such factors as autonomy level, waypoint acquisition, failure rate, speed, and communications bandwidth. Our efforts over the three year program have produced new approaches in planning, perception, localization, and control which have been driven by the quest for reliable operation in challenging environments. This paper focuses on some of the most unique aspects of the systems developed by the CMU PerceptOR team and the most immediate challenges that remain to be addressed.

We have developed the CHIMP (CMU Highly Intelligent Mobile Platform) robot as a platform for executing complex tasks in dangerous, degraded, human‐engineered environments. CHIMP has a near‐human form factor, work‐envelope, strength, and dexterity to work effectively in these environments. It avoids the need for complex control by maintaining static rather than dynamic stability. Utilizing various sensors embedded in the robot's head, CHIMP generates full three‐dimensional representations of its environment and transmits these models to a human operator to achieve latency‐free situational awareness. This awareness is used to visualize the robot within its environment and preview candidate free‐space motions. Operators using CHIMP are able to select between task, workspace, and joint space control modes to trade between speed and generality. Thus, they are able to perform remote tasks quickly, confidently, and reliably, due to the overall design of the robot and software. CHIMP's hardware was designed, built, and tested over 15 months leading up to the DARPA Robotics Challenge. The software was developed in parallel using surrogate hardware and simulation tools. Over a six‐week span prior to the DRC Trials, the software was ported to the robot, the system was debugged, and the tasks were practiced continuously. Given the aggressive schedule leading to the DRC Trials, development of CHIMP focused primarily on manipulation tasks. Nonetheless, our team finished 3rd out of 16. With an upcoming year to develop new software for CHIMP, we look forward to improving the robot's capability and increasing its speed to compete in the DRC Finals.

Critical time intervention (CTI) is a nine-month, three-stage intervention that strategically develops individualized linkages in the community and seeks to enhance engagement with treatment and community supports through building problem-solving skills, motivational coaching, and advocacy with community agencies. It is an empirically supported practice shown to enhance continuity of care for people with mental illness after discharge from homeless shelters and psychiatric hospitals. This article describes CTI as a promising model to provide support for reentry from prison for people with mental illness. A conceptual model is presented for evaluating the impact of CTI on the transition from correctional settings to the community. The model is potentially useful for further development of mental health service-driven models of reentry process and outcome. Although CTI is a potentially useful model for reentry services for this population, challenges remain in adapting it to specific correctional facilities, justice systems, and community contexts.

When analysing raw milk for the presence of Bacillus sporothermodurans, 11 Bacillus strains were isolated which could be differentiated from known Bacillus, Brevibacillus and Paenibacillus spp. by different primer specificity in PCR experiments, indicating that they probably belong to Bacillus species as yet undescribed. Using repetitive element sequence based PCR (REP-PCR), these 11 strains could be clearly distinguished from B. sporothermodurans as well as from each other. Eighty-five B. sporothermodurans strains were characterized by a typical REP-pattern. Using REP-PCR combined with separation on non-denaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and silver staining, individual B. sporothermodurans strains could be discriminated, which was not possible by methods previously published.