Conceptual spatial representations for indoor mobile robots

We present an approach for creating conceptual representations of human-made indoor environments using mobile robots. The concepts refer to spatial and functional properties of typical indoor environments. Following findings in cognitive psychology, our model is composed of layers representing maps at different levels of abstraction. The complete system is integrated in a mobile robot endowed with laser and vision sensors for place and object recognition. The system also incorporates a linguistic framework that actively supports the map acquisition process, and which is used for situated dialogue. Finally, we discuss the capabilities of the integrated system

GNL: GeoFencing Based Smart Outdoor Navigation and Localization

Navigation is a technique used by humans to construct a plan to help them travel within a place using instruments or maps. Navigation in the modern age is done using various electronic systems which provide a real-time map of the place and the step-by-step directions to the desired destination. The technology widely used today is GPS i.e. Global Positioning System. Outdoor navigation using Google maps, here maps or safari is a common go-to for the users but the problem is the map provided by these companies just has an overview of the place and not the detailed information. The GNL approach which authors have used in this paper focuses on the navigation and localization of the gated environment so that the person living and visiting the area will get familiar with the area and understand the area very well. The web app that authors have designed can be used for the College Campus, Fairs, open museums, etc. Comparative analysis of the web app-based approach is done with an existing one. The Presented approach will not only help you in navigation but also provide you with information about the POI (Point of Interests) of those visiting places. The Geofence mechanism will help users to navigate and get information about the area. The aim is to give the user the maximum information about the place with secured transfer of information and better localization. The authors have tested the approach on the real testbed in the gated society and it provides good results for what it promises

Using Virtual Tours as a University Campus Guide: Al- Zaytoonah University Case Study

Most university campuses, such as the campus of Al-Zaytoonah University of Jordan (ZUJ), are usually large and comprise many buildings. Finding the location of an office, a lecture hall, a service center, etc. is not an easy task for most visitors and even for many students and employees. Therefore, a virtual tour of the campus and its buildings will provide a valuable tool that eases this task, especially when it is available on a public website and accessible without the need for special virtual reality devices. Previous studies on virtual tours focused on their important marketing aspect. On the other hand, this study is focused on using virtual tours as a guide for finding the specific locations that different users seek to visit. Consequently, a virtual tour of ZUJ has been designed and provided via the university website. The building names and numbers are provided on the website in Arabic and English with links to their tours. The tours that lead to the important locations include many significant details inside the buildings such as room numbers, bathroom signs, and door signs. The study showed user satisfaction with the tours and the efficacy of using the website without special virtual reality devices

Navigation, Path Planning, and Task Allocation Framework For Mobile Co-Robotic Service Applications in Indoor Building Environments

Recent advances in computing and robotics offer significant potential for improved autonomy in the operation and utilization of today’s buildings. Examples of such building environment functions that could be improved through automation include: a) building performance monitoring for real-time system control and long-term asset management; and b) assisted indoor navigation for improved accessibility and wayfinding. To enable such autonomy, algorithms related to task allocation, path planning, and navigation are required as fundamental technical capabilities. Existing algorithms in these domains have primarily been developed for outdoor environments. However, key technical challenges that prevent the adoption of such algorithms to indoor environments include: a) the inability of the widely adopted outdoor positioning method (Global Positioning System - GPS) to work indoors; and b) the incompleteness of graph networks formed based on indoor environments due to physical access constraints not encountered outdoors. The objective of this dissertation is to develop general and scalable task allocation, path planning, and navigation algorithms for indoor mobile co-robots that are immune to the aforementioned challenges. The primary contributions of this research are: a) route planning and task allocation algorithms for centrally-located mobile co-robots charged with spatiotemporal tasks in arbitrary built environments; b) path planning algorithms that take preferential and pragmatic constraints (e.g., wheelchair ramps) into consideration to determine optimal accessible paths in building environments; and c) navigation and drift correction algorithms for autonomous mobile robotic data collection in buildings. The developed methods and the resulting computational framework have been validated through several simulated experiments and physical deployments in real building environments. Specifically, a scenario analysis is conducted to compare the performance of existing outdoor methods with the developed approach for indoor multi-robotic task allocation and route planning. A simulated case study is performed along with a pilot experiment in an indoor built environment to test the efficiency of the path planning algorithm and the performance of the assisted navigation interface developed considering people with physical disabilities (i.e., wheelchair users) as building occupants and visitors. Furthermore, a case study is performed to demonstrate the informed retrofit decision-making process with the help of data collected by an intelligent multi-sensor fused robot that is subsequently used in an EnergyPlus simulation. The results demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed methods in a range of applications involving constraints on both the environment (e.g., path obstructions) and robot capabilities (e.g., maximum travel distance on a single charge). By focusing on the technical capabilities required for safe and efficient indoor robot operation, this dissertation contributes to the fundamental science that will make mobile co-robots ubiquitous in building environments in the near future.PHDCivil EngineeringUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/143969/1/baddu_1.pd

GUI3DXBot: Una herramienta software interactiva para un robot móvil guía

Nowadays, mobile robots begin to appear in public places. To do these tasks properly, mobile robots must interact with humans. This paper presents the development of GUI3DXBot, a software tool for a tour-guide mobile robot. The paper focuses on the development of different software modules needed to guide users in an office building. In this context, GUI3DXBot is a server-client application, where the server side runs into the robot, and the client side runs into a 10-inch Android tablet. The GUI3DXBot server side is in charge of performing the perception, localization-mapping, and path planning tasks. The GUI3DXBot client side implements the human-robot interface that allows users requesting-canceling a tour-guide service, showing robot localization in the map, interacting with users, and tele-operating the robot in case of emergency. The contributions of this paper are twofold: it proposes a software modules design to guide users in an office building, and the whole robot system was well integrated and fully tested. GUI3DXBot were tested using software integration and field tests. The field tests were performed over a two-week period, and a survey to users was conducted. The survey results show that users think GUI3DXBot is friendly and intuitive, the goal selection was very easy, the interactive messages were very easy to understand, 90% of users found useful the robot icon on the map, users found useful drawing the path on the map, 90% of users found useful the local-global map view, and the guidance experience was very satisfactory (70%) and satisfactory (30%).Actualmente, los robots móviles inician a aparecer en lugares públicos. Para realizar estas tareas adecuadamente, los robots móviles deben interactuar con humanos. Este artículo presenta GUI3DXBot, un aplicativo para un robot móvil guía. Este artículo se enfoca en el desarrollo de los diferentes módulos software necesarios para guiar a usuarios en un edificio de oficinas. GUI3DXBot es una aplicación cliente-servidor, donde el lado del servidor se ejecuta en el robot, y el lado del cliente se ejecuta en una tableta de 10 pulgadas Android. El lado servidor de GUI3DXBot está a cargo de la percepción, localización-mapeo y planificación de rutas. El lado cliente de GUI3DXBot implementa la interfaz humano-robot que permite a los usuarios solicitar-cancelar un servicio de guía, mostrar la localización del robot en el mapa, interactuar con los usuarios, y tele-operar el robot en caso de emergencia. Las contribuciones de este artículo son dos: se propone un diseño de módulos software para guiar a usuarios en un edificio de oficinas, y que todo el sistema robótico está bien integrado y completamente probado. GUI3DXBot fue validada usando pruebas de integración y de campo. Las pruebas de campo fueron realizadas en un periodo de 2 semanas, y una encuesta a los usuarios fue llevada a cabo. Los resultados de la encuesta mostraron que los usuarios piensan que GUI3DXBot es amigable e intuitiva, la selección de metas fue fácil, pudieron entender los mensajes de interacción, 90% de los usuarios encontraron útil el ícono del robot sobre el mapa, encontraron útil dibujar la ruta planeada en el mapa, 90% de los usuarios encontraron útil la vista local-global del mapa, y la experiencia de guía fue muy satisfactoria (70%) y satisfactoria (30%)

EdTec Tour of What’s Possible: Challenging Concepts of Technology Use in the Classroom Through BreakoutEDU

While teacher education candidates and faculty have improved their knowledge and skills with technology, challenges remain regarding their understanding of how to integrate technology effectively within their pedagogical practices. One solution is to provide models of purposeful technology integration within instruction that embeds digital pedagogy throughout the learning process. This paper describes how a teacher education program is addressing the need to engage candidates and faculty around issues of technology integration and adoption. This is done through participation in a Breakout EDU game focused on introducing candidates, and faculty to what might be possible when integrating technology within their instructional practices. Throughout the paper, we describe how restructured instructional spaces and the Breakout EDU game model technology integration and has initiated change within the teacher preparation program

Remote interaction with mobile robots

This paper describes an architecture, which can be used to build remote laboratories to interact remotely via Internet with mobile robots using different interaction devices. A supervisory control strategy has been used to develop the remote laboratory in order to alleviate high communication data rates and system sensitivity to network delays. The users interact with the remote system at a more abstract level using high level commands. The local robot's autonomy has been increased by encapsulating all the robot's behaviors in different types of skills. User interfaces have been designed using visual proxy pattern to facilitate any future extension or code reuse. The developed remote laboratory has been integrated into an educational environment in the field of indoor mobile robotics. This environment is currently being used as a part of an international project to develop a distributed laboratory for autonomous and teleoperated systems (IECAT, 2003).Publicad