The City of Los Angeles, Bureau of Engineering maintains over 11,000 miles of sidewalks. When a segment of sidewalk does not settle evenly or has been raised up by tree-root growth, the sidewalk becomes uneven. This can create pedestrian hazards.  In addition, the City is obligated to ensure that its sidewalks conform to Federal ADA standards, which limit the extent to which a sidewalk may slope.

ABSTRACT / DESCRIPTION: This is the fifth term of a multi-year project. In the last term, a  rover has been successfully fabricated. Now, the rover is capable of 1) moving autonomously, 2) measuring crossing slopes and running slopes, 3) collecting  GPS data, and 4) taking photo images. In this term, we will continue developing various software by focusing on the following tasks:

• Task 1 – Verify calibration of slope measurement on the current data collection process. – The students shall work with Civil Engineering Department to verify the correct procedure for collecting slope measurements in the current data collection process.
• Task 2 – Port the current program developed on Leo Rover to the new rover platform. – The students shall port the current program developed on Leo Rover to a new rover platform by making the necessary modification.
• Task 3 – Develop a method to collect horizontal displacement and vertical displacement on the sidewalk – The students shall develop a strategy to collect horizontal/vertical displacement on the sidewalk by equipping the rover with needed components. (i.e., distance measure lidar, sonar, etc.)
• Task 4 – Work with the UCLA Civil Engineering team and develop software to display geographical data. – The students shall develop software to display geographically referenced data as needed for Sensing & Robotics for Infrusture (SRI) lab.