On Monday and Wednesday, we were wrapping up our simulation environment and finishing the baseline implementation of RRT. Finishing up this led us to realize that we may also need a dense-matrix implementation of our RRT, which is currently in a sparser form using octrees. On Thursday and Friday, we got together to write the design report.
We won’t be meeting over spring break until the weekend after. We will work on the dense version of RRT, and start implementing the accelerator architecture using HLS for the FPGA.
ABET responses:
A: The product solution we are designing, which uses FPGAs to improve motion planning in robotics, addresses a global need for advanced robotics capabilities. In a rapidly evolving technological landscape, robotics is becoming increasingly integrated with various global challenges and opportunities. By utilizing FPGAs to accelerate motion planning algorithms, our solution not only contributes to the advancement of robotics technology but also addresses broader global concerns such as automation in industries, disaster response, healthcare, and environmental monitoring. Improved motion planning efficiency can lead to safer and more efficient automation processes in manufacturing, potentially reducing labor-intensive tasks and enhancing productivity on a global scale. Moreover, in scenarios such as disaster response and healthcare, where time-sensitive decision-making is important, faster and more accurate motion planning enabled by our solution can aid in faster and more effective response efforts, potentially saving lives. Additionally, in environmental monitoring applications such as autonomous exploration and data collection in remote regions, the improved capabilities of robotic systems can contribute to better understanding and management of global environmental challenges. Thus, by advancing robotics capabilities, our product solution can benefit the world and society at large as robotics becomes a more ubiquitous technology.
B: Does not apply. We are designing an FPGA-accelerated motion planning solution product. Our design focuses on the technical and functional aspects of the product—namely, its speed, efficiency, power consumption, and cost-effectiveness. These features are universally appreciated across various cultural backgrounds due to their direct impact on performance and operational cost savings. The cultural considerations, such as beliefs, moral values, traditions, language, and laws, while critically important in many contexts, do not directly apply to the core functionality and design principles of this specific technology solution.
C: The main goals of FPGA-AMP are to accelerate motion planning and reduce its energy and power costs. Motion planning is one of the most compute intensive steps of the robotics pipeline and therefore consumes a significant portion of the total energy and power of the robot. As the use of robots in industrial and domestic settings becomes more commonplace, the reduction in their energy and power consumption is of paramount importance due to environmental factors. A majority of the worlds electricity is produced from non-renewable resources. This means there is a finite amount of these natural resources and it would be wise to limit our consumption of them. Burning of fossil fuels for electricity production emits CO2 into the atmosphere. Significant bodies of research have shown that this excess amount of CO2 results in climate change which can in turn have a detrimental effect on living organisms. In conclusion, the targeted energy and power reduction of robots that will result from FPGA-AMP will have a positive impact on the environment.
A was written by Matt, B was written by Yufei, and C was written by Chris.