International Planning Visit: Robotic Exploration of the Mersa/Wadi Gawasis, Hurghada, Egypt

Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh PA

Investigators

Abstract

OISE-1066733 Choset Summary: The proposal is for support of a planning visit to develop a project on: Robotic Exploration of Mersa/Wadi Gawasis Archeological Sites, Hurghada, Egypt. The PI seeks to establish a long-term collaboration with Dr. Mohamed Abd El-Maguid, marine archeologist at the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities, to use robots to inspect regions of archeological interest that are too dangerous for people to enter. The specific area of interest lies in the Mersa/Wadi Gawasis region that contains many man-made caves that were used to store pieces of ancient ships. This region has now gained considerable interest by Egyptologists. Dr. Kathryn Bard of Boston University and Rodolfo Fattovich of the University of Naples "l'Orientale" are active in this area, and Abd El-Maguid has joined with them to assist in excavations and in determining historical significance. They have identified two specific caves that contain artifacts of great interest and are looking at another location for a man-made storage facility. These areas are not safe for people to enter. The PI has developed robots, called snake robots, because they articulate and maneuver through cluttered spaces, much in the same ways biological snakes do. They are to be explored for use in these sites. Intellectual merit: Snake robots are expected to identify and even retrieve items from archeological caves. This trip will allow the PI to inspect the cave entrances which hopefully will be followed up by an expedition with the robots. The PI also will work with Dr. Majd Sakr, another Carnegie Mellon faculty, using efforts in cloud computing to disseminate the results of their excavations with the robots. Broader Impact: The PI and his Egyptian collaborator expect this work to lead to future expeditions of robotics in archeology in confined spaces. Already, robots have been used once in the great pyramid and under water. In this new field of robotics, archaeologists can use robots as tools to explore and investigate important archaeological sites without disturbing the surrounding areas, which often happens when people enter such locations. While exploring such regions, the robot is able to construct a map of the site, which in turn can be viewed by others. This map will provide a three-dimensional view of the location, allowing anyone, both archaeologist and non-specialist alike, to remotely and virtually visit a location of great national interest. The PI plans to visit schools around Pittsburgh to talk about robotics, drawing on the application of archeology for subject matter. Snake robots looking for artifacts of historical significance is one of the more compelling stories one can tell a middle school student to raise interest in science and engineering. Choset will also develop lab modules for the undergraduate robotics with the theme of looking for artifacts in dangerous environments. This project is funded by the Division of Information and Intelligent Systems and the Office of International Science and Engineering.