This paper describes algorithms for a mobile robot with sparse, short-range sensing to create a topological map of an unknown environment. While a limited array of sensors is appealing from the standpoint of having simpler and cheaper hardware, mapping is more difficult because the robot cannot guarantee it will detect obstacles as soon as they enter its sensing range. Thus, the robot’s mapping...

In this paper we present a large dataset intended for use in mobile robotics research. Gathered from a robot driving several kilometers through a park and campus, it contains a five-degree-offreedom dead-reckoned trajectory, laser range/reflectance data and 20 Hz stereoscopic and omnidirectional imagery. All data is carefully timestamped and all data logs are in human readable form with the ima...

Obviously navigation is one of the most complicated issues in mobile robots. Intelligent algorithms are often used for error handling in robot navigation. This Paper deals with the problem of Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) error handling by using Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) as an Expert Algorithms. Our focus is put on the field of mobile robot navigation in the 2D environments. The main chall...

Compared with rigid robots, soft robots have the advantages of strong environmental adaptability, good human-robot interaction, and simple control systems; therefore, actuators been widely studied in recent years. Based on DLP 3D printing technology, this study makes three kinds pneumatic actuators: gripper auxetic structure, Elongation Bellow Actuator (EBA) Omnidirectional Bending (OBBA). Thro...

Obviously navigation is one of the most complicated issues in mobile robots. Intelligent algorithms are often used for error handling in robot navigation. This Paper deals with the problem of Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) error handling by using Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) as an Expert Algorithms. Our focus is put on the field of mobile robot navigation in the 2D environments. The main chall...

A practical way for obtaining depth in computer vision is the use of structured light systems. For panoramic depth reconstruction several images are needed which most likely implies the construction of a sensor with mobile elements. Moreover, misalignments can appear for non-static scenes. Omnidirectional cameras offer a much wider field of view than the perspective ones, capture a panoramic im...

This thesis develops a local omnidirectional vision system for the FU-Fighters, the F180 robotic soccer team of the Freie Universität Berlin, playing in the Small Size League of RoboCup. RoboCup was founded in 1997 with the aim to foster the development of artificial intelligence and related field by organizing international games where robotic soccer teams compete. The system consists of a sma...

This paper describes a complete and efficient vision system developed for the robotic soccer team of the University of Aveiro, CAMBADA (Cooperative Autonomous Mobile roBots with Advanced Distributed Architecture). The system consists on a firewire camera mounted vertically on the top of the robots. A hyperbolic mirror placed above the camera reflects the 360 degrees of the field around the robo...