Context classification for service robots

This dissertation presents a solution for environment sensing using sensor fusion techniques and a context/environment classification of the surroundings in a service robot, so it could change his behavior according to the different rea-soning outputs. As an example, if a robot knows he is outdoors, in a field environment, there can be a sandy ground, in which it should slow down. Contrariwise in indoor environments, that situation is statistically unlikely to happen (sandy ground). This simple assumption denotes the importance of context-aware in automated guided vehicles

Enhancing The Sensing Capabilities of Mobile and Embedded Systems

In this work, we aim to develop new sensors and sensing platforms that facilitate the development of new mobile and embedded devices. Mobile and embedded devices have become an integral part of our everyday lives and the sensing capabilities of these devices have improved throughout the years. Developing new and innovative sensors and sensing platforms will provide the building blocks for developing new sensing systems. In an effort to facilitate these innovations we have developed two new in-air sonar sensors and a new reconfigurable sensing platform. The first in-air sonar sensor is designed for ranging applications and uses the phone\u27s microphone and rear speaker to generate a wide beam of sound. The second in-air sonar sensor is an external module which uses a narrow beam of sound for high resolution ranging. This ranging information is then combined with orientation data from the phone\u27s gyroscope,magnetometer and accelerometer to generate a two dimensional map of a space. While researching ways of enhancing the sensing capabilities of mobile and embedded devices, we found that the process often requires developing new hardware prototypes. However, developing hardware prototypes is time-consuming. In an effort to lower the barrier to entry for small teams and software researchers, we have developed a new reconfigurable sensing platform that uses a code first approach to embedded design. Instead of designing software to run within the limited constraints of the hardware, our proposed code-first approach allows software researchers to synthesize the hardware configuration that is required to run their software

Architecture for Multi-Technology Real-Time Location Systems

[Abstract]The rising popularity of location-based services has prompted considerable research in the field of indoor location systems. Since there is no single technology to support these systems, it is necessary to consider the fusion of the information coming from heterogeneous sensors. This paper presents a software architecture designed for a hybrid location system where we can merge information from multiple sensor technologies. The architecture was designed to be used by different kinds of actors independently and with mutual transparency: hardware administrators, algorithm developers and user applications. The paper presents the architecture design, work-flow, case study examples and some results to show how different technologies can be exploited to obtain a good estimation of a target position.[Resumen]El aumento de la popularidad de servicios localización-basados ha llevado a una investigación considerable en el campo de los sistemas de localización en interiores. Ya no hay solo tecnología para soportar estos sistemas, es necesario considerar la fusión de la información proveniente de sensores heterogéneos. Este papel presenta una arquitectura de software diseñada para un sistema de localización de híbridos donde nosotros podemos combinar información de múltiples tecnologías de sensor. La arquitectura fue diseñada para ser utilizada por diferentes tipos de actores independientemente y con transparencia mutua: los administradores de hardware, los desarrolladores de algoritmo y aplicaciones de usuario. El documento presenta el diseño de arquitectura, flujo de trabajo, ejemplos de estudios de caso y algunos resultados para mostrar cómo las diferentes tecnologías pueden explotarse para obtener una buena estimación de la posición de destinoMinisterio de Industria, Turismo y Comercio; IPT-020000-2010-35Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia; TEC2010-19545-C04-01Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia; CSD2008-0001

A critical analysis of an IoT—aware AAL system for elderly monitoring

Abstract A growing number of elderly people (65+ years old) are affected by particular conditions, such as Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) and frailty, which are characterized by a gradual cognitive and physical decline. Early symptoms may spread across years and often they are noticed only at late stages, when the outcomes remain irrevocable and require costly intervention plans. Therefore, the clinical utility of early detecting these conditions is of substantial importance in order to avoid hospitalization and lessen the socio-economic costs of caring, while it may also significantly improve elderly people's quality of life. This work deals with a critical performance analysis of an Internet of Things aware Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) system for elderly monitoring. The analysis is focused on three main system components: (i) the City-wide data capturing layer, (ii) the Cloud-based centralized data management repository, and (iii) the risk analysis and prediction module. Each module can provide different operating modes, therefore the critical analysis aims at defining which are the best solutions according to context's needs. The proposed system architecture is used by the H2020 City4Age project to support geriatricians for the early detection of MCI and frailty conditions

A Review of Hybrid Indoor Positioning Systems Employing WLAN Fingerprinting and Image Processing

Location-based services (LBS) are a significant permissive technology. One of the main components in indoor LBS is the indoor positioning system (IPS). IPS utilizes many existing technologies such as radio frequency, images, acoustic signals, as well as magnetic sensors, thermal sensors, optical sensors, and other sensors that are usually installed in a mobile device. The radio frequency technologies used in IPS are WLAN, Bluetooth, Zig Bee, RFID, frequency modulation, and ultra-wideband. This paper explores studies that have combined WLAN fingerprinting and image processing to build an IPS. The studies on combined WLAN fingerprinting and image processing techniques are divided based on the methods used. The first part explains the studies that have used WLAN fingerprinting to support image positioning. The second part examines works that have used image processing to support WLAN fingerprinting positioning. Then, image processing and WLAN fingerprinting are used in combination to build IPS in the third part. A new concept is proposed at the end for the future development of indoor positioning models based on WLAN fingerprinting and supported by image processing to solve the effect of people presence around users and the user orientation problem

Development and Impact of a Mobile Application that Allows Users to Track Their Location on an Educational Institution Campus

This research study aims to solve user location issues within the campus at an educational institution. As this campus comprises a large number of places and departments, users often get confused about how to reach a specific location. To address this problem, the “Ubícate” (“locate by yourself” in Spanish) application was developed following the CDIO methodology, which encompasses four creative process steps: conceive, design, implement, and operate. The “Ubícate” app provides users with information on places of interest such as schools, departments, halls, auditoriums, and sports venues, offering a visual reference of available locations through 360-degree images. The application also uses Google Maps to track user location within the campus, thus marking a reference route between university gates and the different locations available, in addition to providing information on university-sponsored events. In this paper, Section 2 describes the methodology and each of the stages that were addressed in the following sections. Section 3 presents the development itself and the data used for the purposes thereof. Next, Section 4 reveals the results from this study. Later, Section 5 assesses these results and the findings from the study. In Section 6, our conclusions are discussed. Finally, Section 7 lists topics for future research. The application did indeed contribute to improving the attendance of the academic community at events. Where the application was used, the first-hand perception of visitors and their own was very positive and enhanced the institutional image and sense of belonging. The contribution of this study consists of presenting a mobile application as a solution from three approaches: the technical aspects for application development, the business vision to satisfy the user’s needs, and the end user’s perception. All three approaches provide a technical reader, an entrepreneur, or an end user an overview of a scalable solution to different types of implementations in different types of businesses that require indoor location through the use of technologies in mobile applications. The mobile application performs the location indoors using the Google Maps platform, allowing a more agile development in implementing the APP