On-line optical flow feedback for mobile robot localization/navigation

Open-loop position estimation methods are commonly used in mobile robot applications. Their strength lies in the speed and simplicity with which an estimated position is determined. However, these methods can lead to inaccurate or unreliable estimates. Two methods are developed in this thesis. The first uses a single optical sensor and can accurately estimate position under ideal conditions and when wheel slip perpendicular to the axis of the wheel occurs. A second method which uses two optical sensors is developed which can accurately estimate position even when wheel slip parallel to the axis of the wheel occurs. Location of the optical sensors is investigated in order to minimize errors caused by inaccurate sensor readings. Finally, the method is implemented and tested using a potential field based navigation scheme. Estimates of position were found to be as accurate as dead-reckoning in ideal conditions and much more accurate in cases where kinematic violations occur

Mobile Robot Performance Analysis for Indoor Robotics

In the last few years the market of robotics has significantly changed and the growing sector of service robotics requires new considerations in civil engineering. This paper investigates different room and furniture arrangements in the view of mobile robot navigation requirements. The described method provides robot motion and path planning cost functions for different furniture arrangements and floor maps. During mobile robot path planning ISO 7176-10:2008 and ISO 7176-5:2008 (electrically powered wheelchair) compatible buildings were considered to find the optimal solutions over the minimal standardized requirements. The proposed method can provide efficient results regarding navigation error, time and power consumption

Weakly Calibrated Stereoscopic Visual Servoing for Laser Steering: Application to Phonomicrosurgery.

International audienceThis paper deals with the study of a weakly calibrated multiview visual servoing control law for microrobotic laser phonomicrosurgery of the vocal folds. It consists of the development of an endoluminal surgery system for laserablation and resection of cancerous tissues. More specifically, this paper focuses on the part concerning the control of the laser spot displacement during surgical interventions. To perform this, a visual control law based on trifocal geometry is designed using two cameras and a laser source (virtual camera). The method is validated on a realistic testbench and the straight point-to-point trajectories are demonstrated

Optical Flow-Based Odometry for Underground Tunnel Exploration

As military operations in degraded or GPS-denied environments continue to increase in frequency and importance, there is an increased necessity to be able to determine precision location within these environments. Furthermore, authorities are finding a record number of tunnels along the U.S.-Mexico border; therefore, underground tunnel characterization is becoming a high priority for U.S. Homeland Security as well. This thesis investigates the performance of a new image registration technique based on a two camera optical- flow configuration using phase correlation techniques. These techniques differ from other image based navigation methods but present a viable alternative increasing autonomy and answering the tunnel based navigation problem. This research presents an optical flow based image registration technique and validates its use with experimental results on a mobile vehicle. Results reveal that further extension to pose estimation yields accuracy within 1.3 cm

Recent Advancements in Augmented Reality for Robotic Applications: A Survey

Robots are expanding from industrial applications to daily life, in areas such as medical robotics, rehabilitative robotics, social robotics, and mobile/aerial robotics systems. In recent years, augmented reality (AR) has been integrated into many robotic applications, including medical, industrial, human–robot interactions, and collaboration scenarios. In this work, AR for both medical and industrial robot applications is reviewed and summarized. For medical robot applications, we investigated the integration of AR in (1) preoperative and surgical task planning; (2) image-guided robotic surgery; (3) surgical training and simulation; and (4) telesurgery. AR for industrial scenarios is reviewed in (1) human–robot interactions and collaborations; (2) path planning and task allocation; (3) training and simulation; and (4) teleoperation control/assistance. In addition, the limitations and challenges are discussed. Overall, this article serves as a valuable resource for working in the field of AR and robotic research, offering insights into the recent state of the art and prospects for improvement

Hardware, Software, and Low-Level Control Scheme Development for a Real-Time Autonomous Rover

The objective of this research is to develop a low-cost autonomous rover platform for experiments in autonomous navigation. This thesis describes the design, development, and testing of an autonomous rover platform, based on the commercial, off-the-shelf Tamiya TXT-1 radio controlled vehicle. This vehicle is outfitted with an onboard computer based on the Mini-ITX architecture and an array of sensors for localization and obstacle avoidance, and programmed with Matlab/SimulinkRTM Real-Time Workshop (RTW) utilizing the Linux Real-Time Application Interface (RTAI) operating system.;First, a kinematic model is developed and verified for the rover. Then a proportional-integral-derivative (PID) feedback controller is developed for translational and rotational velocity regulation. Finally, a hybrid navigation controller is developed combining a potential field controller and an obstacle avoidance controller for waypoint tracking.;Experiments are performed to verify the functionality of the kinematic model and the PID velocity controller, and to demonstrate the capabilities of the hybrid navigation controller. These experiments prove that the rover is capable of successfully navigating in an unknown indoor environment. Suggestions for future research include the integration of additional sensors for localization and creation of multiple platforms for autonomous coordination experiments

Cost-effective robot for steep slope crops monitoring

This project aims to develop a low cost, simple and robust robot able to autonomously monitorcrops using simple sensors. It will be required do develop robotic sub-systems and integrate them with pre-selected mechanical components, electrical interfaces and robot systems (localization, navigation and perception) using ROS, for wine making regions and maize fields