Robotics Prototyping for Border Ranges

Our CTO (Luke Cole) previously worked for Hemisphere GPS (orginally called BEELINE, and now bought out by AgJunction) as a "Robotics Engineer" implementing auto-guidance solutions for various quadbikes and agriculture tractors that was used by 100's of vehicles around the world.

For 10 years, starting as a teenager in 1998 - Luke Cole has also worked for leading research institutes and companies such as NICTA (now called CSIRO Data61), CSIRO, Seeing Machines and ANU Robotics System Lab (lead by Alex Zelinsky, who received a rare prestigious AO award in 2017 and was Defence Scientist of Australia from 2012 for 6 years). Luke's worked included various autonomous mobile robot projects, involving computer vision, and even a self-driving car early 2000's. Back then OpenCV and ROS didn't exist, so we did a "roll-your-own" called VisLib and DROS comprised of 364,578 lines of code.

Lance Cole has also worked at NICTA and has a background of various hardware development, such as working for a contract company to the US millary (EOS), building the Common Remotely Operated Weapon Station (CROWS).

We have a long-standing robotics experience - our engineers offering Robotics Prototyping for Border Ranges, robot development and robotics custom software services have something like a combined 50 years worth of experience in the robotics field, from teleoperated and semi-autonomous mobile robotic applications, to custom software and/or custom hardware for general automation solutions, signal processing and control systems. Our knowledge base started in NSW and ACT, but now we primarily service East Coast Queensland.

We have developed autonomous mobile robots for air, underwater and ground. Our professional experience started with developing various control and sensor systems for small underwater vehicles in the late 1990's. We where fortunate enough to have been involved in one of the first self-driving car R&D projects back in early 2000's using a 4WD (to support computers for the large processing requirements). For an overseas client we developed a low profile (70mm high) semi-autonomous mobile robot platform for manikin/dummy mounting to simulate people moving (for vehicle crash safety and collision development by German R&D car manufactures). We have been fortunate enough to have been invited to the bulk of the German R&D car manufactures where they develop and test self-driving and driver assist development systems. We have developed various solutions for 2cm accuracy precision steering-guidance solutions for various types of Agriculture tractors (via the CAN bus and ad-hoc methods), which are still used by 1000's of tractors all over the world. We have retro fitted Quadbikes to allow semi-autonomous control via GPS way points. We have custom developed various indoor mobile robotics for indoor localistion and SLAM R&D purposes.

Robot navigation is the task where an autonomous robot moves safely from one location to another. This involves three primary questions:

1. “Where am I?” which is known as robotic localisation (hard).
2. “Where am I going?” which is known as goal recognition (typically provided by a human).
3. “How do I get there without collisions?” - path planning (easy) and obstacle avoidance (hard).

For robotic localisation and obstacle avoidance we use sensors to solve the problem. To move along the planned path, we use control systems.

We have a deep understanding of signal processing and sensors of various types. We appreciate sensing is a hard problem. There is no one-size-fits all solution. Odemetry (wheel encoders) provide a cost-effective method to measure relative position. however suffer from wheel slip and errors are accumlate over time. GPS only works outdoors, effected by trees/buildings, and without a nearby basestation (for expensive DGPS/RTK) the absolute position error is several meters. IMU (accelerometers + gyros + Magnetometer) suffer from drift errors and noise error causing ``random walk'' when integrated. Magnetometer are effected by magnets, are slow to respond and measure magnetic north (not true north). Infrared are cost-effective, but short range and saturated by sunlight. Ultrasonic range sensors are cost-effective and good for detecting large objects, but can't detect glass/water, only measure a few metres, have a wide beam and provide medium accuracy. RADAR uses radio (instead of sound) to detect objects at long distance, but are relative more expensive then ultrasonic range sensors. Image sensors (video cameras) are a cost-effective, rich in information, and two or more can get depth information, but are computationally expensive, hard to process the data (aka computer vision), affected by dust/fog/rain, and light variations. LIDAR are high accuracy (about 1mm), however are expensive (prices are coming down every year), but can't detect glass/water. Distance measurement sensors are easy to interpret, other sensors are hard. Colour constancy and object classification is very hard (e.g. “Is it a tree or a human?”).

We have a deep understanding of control systems. We typically use Linux-based SBC's and a program a custom PID controller - perhaps even a cascade PID controller, bayesian filters, particle filters, kalman filters, Monte Carlo methods, or train a deep neutral network. The outputs of these systems might control various types of motors (e.g. brushed, brushless, servo, steppers) and/or various types of actuators (e.g. linear, pneumatic, hydraulic), and/or other things like lights or speakers.

We have been involved with computer vision and machine vision since early 2000's - we where involved in the development of two computer vision libraries before OpenCV became popular. Have done much biologically inspired techniques such as optical flow. Was involved in the early days of artificial intelligence using techniques such as Local Binary Patterns (LBP) and Haar-like features (HAAR). These days we typically use machine learning methods such as designing and training deep neural networks (outstanding for vision-based object recognition using ImageNet).

We where involved in the development of a robotic operating system which had 364,578 lines of code, before ROS was written.

We have developed custom software for various manipulators, and have a good understanding of forward and inverse kinematics.

We appreciate that challenges with robotics - particularly with robot navigation, computer/machine vision, and manipulation with the real-world, in real-time using real-robots.

Whilw we can custom develop robot navigation solutions. We can fast-track robot navigation solutions for ground, air and water based platforms via off-the-shelf autopilots. There are many about these days. Some cost-effective open-source options include Pixhawk 4, PX4, and ArduPilot. Some expensive closed-source options include Auterion Skynode, Tersus AutoSteer, Embention Veronte, Outback eDriveX and Trimble EZ Pilot.

We are confident with a broad range of skills and confident our Robotics Prototyping for Border Ranges services can offer solutions such as:

• Autonomous Mobile Robots
• Simultaneous Localisation and Mapping (SLAM)
• Path Planning, Goal Recognition
• Collision Avoidance
• Pattern Recognition
• Object Recognition
• Object Tracking
• Genetic Algorithms
• Neural Networks
• Evolutionary Robotics
• Probabilistic Robotics
• Machine Learning
• Deep Learning
• Optical Flow, Point Clouds
• Stereo Active Vision, Panoramic Cameras, Fisheye Lens/Camera, Log-polar Camera, Time of Flight Cameras, Camera Array
• 3D Reconstruction
• Manipulator, Biped and/or Quadped locomotion
• Sensor Fusion: GPS, LIDAR, IR, Ultrasonic, Vision
• PID Controllers, Cascade Control Loops, Fuzzy Logic
• Bayesian Filters, Particle Filters, Kalman Filters, Monte Carlo Methods

These technologies can be used for various applications such as:

• Lightweight Reconnaissance Vehicle (LRV)
• Remotely operated Underwater Vehicle (ROV)
• Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV)
• Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)
• Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL)
• Multicopter / Multirotor
• Storm Drain and/or Pipe Inspection Robot
• Traffic Control Robot
• Gardening Robot
• Robot Lawn Mower
• Floor Cleaning Robot
• Home Land Security Robots
• Forklift Automation
• Load Haul Dump Automation
• Agriculture Automation
• Production Line Automation
• Asset Tracking
• Kid Tracking
• Pedestrian Tracking

We also offer a R&D robotic platform UGV for hire to help rapid development of robotics systems. If you'd like to know more please visit "Scotty Robot".

Coletek: Your trusted partner for a thriving Border Ranges, Northern Rivers region in New South Wales, Australia

As you navigate the picturesque landscapes of Border Ranges, Northern Rivers, and beyond, it's clear that our corner of New South Wales is steeped in natural beauty. From rolling hills to verdant valleys, this incredible part of the country has so much to offer – from outdoor enthusiasts to foodies and families alike. At Coletek, we're deeply committed to supporting the local businesses and community that make this region such a special place. Having worked closely with clients across Australia for years, we've developed a deep understanding of what it takes to thrive in today's fast-paced business environment. Whether you're looking to revamp your brand, streamline operations, or simply find new ways to innovate and grow, our team is here to help. As an Australian company through-and-through, we take pride in our national reach and local presence. We've built lasting relationships with businesses across the country, from bustling metropolises like Sydney and Melbourne to charming regional hubs like Byron Bay and Lismore – each with its unique character and strengths. This nationwide perspective allows us to bring a wealth of knowledge and expertise to our clients in Border Ranges, Northern Rivers, and nearby. For generations, our community has been built on trust – from the warm relationships between locals to the unwavering support for one another. At Coletek, we're dedicated to upholding this spirit of trust, which underpins everything we do. Whether your business is just starting out or looking to scale new heights, we'll work closely with you every step of the way, offering innovative solutions, actionable advice, and a commitment to getting things right. We believe that innovation should be within reach, regardless of size or scale. That's why our team is always on the lookout for fresh ideas, cutting-edge best practices, and bold new approaches to drive growth and success. By embracing the latest thinking in business, technology, and community, we empower local businesses like yours to stay ahead of the curve – whether you're an entrepreneur with a fledgling startup or an established family-run operation seeking to evolve. As your trusted partner, we'll work tirelessly behind the scenes, leveraging our extensive network and expertise to ensure your Border Ranges, Northern Rivers-based business achieves its full potential. From strategic planning and execution to creative problem-solving and insightful guidance, Coletek is here for you every step of the way. Ready to join forces and achieve great things in your community? Contact Us today!