Modelling and characterisation of a mobile robot’s operation

The investigation of robot-environment interaction is the main aim of the RobotMODIC project at the Universities of Essex and Sheffield. The methods developed under this project model and characterise all aspects relevant to the robot’s operation: modelling of sensor perception (“environment identification” or simulation), sensor modelling, and task modelling. In this paper we describe a new procedure to obtain the control code for a mobile robot: Initially, a robot is controlled by a human operator who manually guides the robot through a desired sensor-motor task. The robot’s motion is then “identified” using the NARMAX system identification technique. The resulting transparent model is then used to control the movement of the robot. Using a transparent model for robot control has the advantage that the robot’s motion can be analysed and characterised quantitatively, resulting in a better understanding of robot-environment interaction.