Team CERBERUS Wins the DARPA Subterranean Challenge: Technical Overview and Lessons Learned
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Date
2024-04
Publication Type
Journal Article
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yes
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Abstract
This article presents the CERBERUS robotic system-of-systems, which won the DARPA Subterranean Challenge Final Event in 2021. The Subterranean Challenge was organized by DARPA with the vision to facilitate the novel technologies necessary to reliably explore diverse underground environments despite the grueling challenges they present for robotic autonomy. Due to their geometric complexity, degraded perceptual conditions combined with lack of GNSS support, austere navigation conditions, and denied communications, subterranean settings render autonomous operations particularly demanding. In response to this challenge, we developed the CERBERUS system which exploits the synergy of legged and flying robots, coupled with robust control especially for overcoming perilous terrain, multi-modal and multi-robot perception for localization and mapping in conditions of sensor degradation, and resilient autonomy through unified exploration path planning and local motion planning that reflects robot-specific limitations. Based on its ability to explore diverse underground environments and its high-level command and control by a single human supervisor, CERBERUS demonstrated efficient exploration, reliable detection of objects of interest, and accurate mapping. In this article, we report results from both the preliminary runs and the final Prize Round of the DARPA Subterranean Challenge, and discuss highlights and challenges faced, alongside lessons learned for the benefit of the community.
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Publication status
published
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Book title
Journal / series
Volume
4
Pages / Article No.
349 - 312
Publisher
Field Robotics
Event
Edition / version
Methods
Software
Geographic location
Date collected
Date created
Subject
Aerial robotics; Legged robots; Perception; Subterranean robotics; Extreme environments
Organisational unit
09570 - Hutter, Marco / Hutter, Marco
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Related publications and datasets
Is new version of: https://doi.org/10.3929/ethz-b-000557437