Adaptive, robotic, and mobile sensor systems for structural assessment

Abstract

Structural sensing systems that employ adaptive strategies have the potential to achieve superior performance over nonadaptive counterparts. Adaptation is a means that many systems use to improve performance to compensate for varying and uncertain circumstances. Structural sensing systems can use several different adaptive sensing techniques including adaptive signal processing, adaptive data acquisition protocols, rapidly deployable sensors and mobile sensors. Adaptive signal processing is where the processing that is applied to a given set of data is modified according to the information content in the data or external circumstances. Adaptive data acquisition can be implemented through modifying the acquisition parameters and through the modification of sensor location and spatial sensitivity. The adaptive deployment of sensors requires mobile sensors and mechanisms, such as robots, to move the sensors into more advantageous positions. While the enabling technologies of adaptive sensing systems are readily emerging, optimal and effective adaptive strategies remain largely unexplored. This paper will also discuss some of the issues related to developing effective adaptation strategies for sensing systems and present example applications of adaptive signal processing and mobile robotic sensing applications.