Motion Detection and Tracking for an AIBO Robot using Camera Motion Compensation and Kalman Filtering1

Motion detection and tracking while moving is a desired ability for any soccer player. For instance, this ability allows the determination of the ball trajectory when the player is moving himself or when he is moving his head, for making or planning a soccer-play. If a robot soccer player should have a similar functionality, then it requires an algorithm for real-time movement analysis and tracking that performs well when the camera is moving. The aim of this paper is to propose such an algorithm for an AIBO robot. The proposed algorithm uses motion compensation for having a stabilized background, where the movement is detected, and Kalman Filtering for a robust tracking of the moving objects. The algorithm can be adapted for almost any kind of mobile robot. Results of the motion detection and tracking algorithm, working in real-world video sequences, are shown.