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Robotic systems performing end-user oriented autonomous exploration can be deployed in different scenarios which not only require mapping but also simultaneous inspection of regions of interest for the end-user. In this work, we propose a novel Next-Best-View (NBV) planner which can perform full exploration and user-oriented exploration with inspection of the regions of interest using a mobile manipulator robot. We address the exploration-inspection problem as an instance of Multi-Objective Optimization (MOO) and propose a weighted-sum-based information gain function for computing NBVs for the RGB-D camera mounted on the arm. For both types of exploration tasks, we compare our approach with an existing state-of-the-art exploration method as the baseline and demonstrate our improvements in terms of total volume mapped and lower computational requirements. The real experiments with a mobile manipulator robot demonstrate the practicability and effectiveness of our approach outdoors.

IEC 63047 is a recently introduced binary standard for so-called list-mode data acquisition, which is applicable to data files and streams. The standard is specified using Abstract Syntax Notation One (ASN.1). The format supports various types of time-stamped data and can be used in a wide range of applications involving radiation detection and measurement. It may also be used to represent data from other sensors than radiation detectors and supports positioning data from Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS). The standard has a wide potential for CBRNE detection equipment, including robotics. To facilitate the use of the standard, an open-source solution for encoding and decoding IEC 63047 messages has been implemented and tested. In addition, a simple demonstration device was developed from off-the-shelf components. For a better use with unmanned robot systems, a soft-ware interface between IEC 63047 and the Robot Operating System (ROS) was implemented. This paper describes the newly established standard and the demonstration device, and discusses its performance with respect to fulfilling the requirements of the standard and its applicability to typical field conditions for robotics in radiological and nuclear (RN) applications.