Between the 14th and 24th of June 2022, the UNEXUP team conducted a fieldwork mission in Budapest, Hungary, specifically in the Kőbánya-mine. The primary goal of this mission was to test several of the UX-1Neo robot’s autonomous capabilities in the largest underwater section of the mine, which had partially flooded over time. The dry areas of the mine are currently used as cellars.
Initially, UX-1Neo created a 3D model of the region after completing the initialization process. Over the following 10 days, the team tested the newly developed autonomous functions and navigational software to explore the flooded part of the cellars. The technology’s automatic mapping capabilities were put to the test using the leftover items in the rooms and corridors with excessive details.
The highlight of the mission was the successful first completely autonomous dive and the first teleoperation of UX-1Neo from INESCTEC facilities in Porto, Portugal. The team gained confidence in the robot’s capabilities, as it was sent on increasingly longer missions, eventually mapping the entire corridor autonomously, which is almost 300 m long.
The fieldwork was a success, with the UNEXMIN Georobotics Ltd. (UGR), INESCTEC, and University of Miskolc teams collaborating to test the latest features of the UNEXUP robotic technology.
See the following YouTube videos about the mission: