Cooperative Indoor Navigation Using Environment-Embedded Assistance Devices
Tsuyoshi SUZUKI, Kuniaki Kawabata, Daisuke Kurabayashi, Efremov Igor, Hajime Asam · InTech eBooks · 2008
This chapter introduced a cooperative navigation strategy for mobile robots operating in indoor environments with the embedded Information Assistant and Optical Pointer devices, as an application of an intelligent environmental robotic system. In order to provide a more flexible navigation, the management of environmental information was considered. The static global information supplies topological details such as the positional relation of any starting point to any goal point in order to create an approximate route. The dynamic local information includes a local map, obstacles and traffic information for accurate navigation. We proposed the information management and navigation algorithm based on the IA and OP devices embedded into the environment. The experimental example of navigation was described. The robot was initially provided with a coarse route to the goal, and the IA devices managed the environmental information in real-time locally. The OP device was used for guidance at intersections, and communication with mobile robots was performed through the IA device. The OP indicated target positions by means of a laser light projected from a laser pointer onto the ground. The mobile robot detected the laser beacons and followed them to reach its goal destination. The experiments have proved the feasibility of the proposed method.