Shared autonomy for robotic inspection

Abstract

In this paper, we describe how an autonomy engine can work together with an operator to perform human-machine collaborative inspection of offshore structures using shared autonomy. The approach is driven by the robot's autonomy, which can make suggestions of what the autonomy engine considers to be desirable actions to fulfil a mission. The operator can at any time inject its own action, choose from the robot's generated suggestions or allow the robot to continue fully autonomously until the next user input. The approach removes the need for constant monitoring and can enable a single operator to control multiple vehicles at once, as the robot will ensure safe and collision-free operation while performing actions. The approach has been tested in various underwater environments with successful results, including offshore wind turbines.