An ARVA Sensor Simulator

Abstract

Robot Operating System (ROS) framework supports different kind of sensors, typically used to develop robotic applications, such as vision and depth sensors, laser scanners and so on. In this chapter, we present a new ROS package designed to simulate ARVA transceiver sensors: arva_sim. ARVA is a French acronym which stands for Appareil de Recherche de Victims en Avalanche and represents the forefront technology adopted in Search & Rescue operations to localize victims of avalanches buried under the snow. In order to simulate its behavior, this package provides two Gazebo plugins: the transmitter and receiver. The aim of this chapter is to describe the mathematical and theoretical background of the transceiver, discussing its implementation and integration with ROS. To demonstrate the accuracy of the proposed sensor model, we present a simulation scenario in which an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) equipped with the transceiver sensor performs a basic S&R pattern using the output of ARVA system. It is worth nothing that the proposed ROS package, arva_sim, represents the first simulation model of an ARVA transceiver system and can be useful for the developer to design, test and benchmark faster and smarter search strategies to speed up rescue missions in case of avalanches.

UAV-Based Search and Rescue in Avalanches using ARVA: An Extremum Seeking Approach

“…In order to promote flexibility and encourage usage as well as further improvements, the presented algorithm has been implemented as an extension of the open-source PX4 flight software [27]. Simulations are carried out exploiting the Gazebo-based simulation environment RotorS [28] along with the provided model of the 3DR Iris quadrotor, properly modified to carry the latest available ARVA receiver plugin [29]. The adopted Iris model is also equipped with an essential sensor suite composed of an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) and a GPS.…”