Search results

1 – 3 of 3
Per page
102050
Citations:
Loading...
Available. Content available
Article
Publication date: 1 August 2006

Sebastian Thrun, Wolfram Burgard and Dieter Fox

932

Abstract

Details

Kybernetes, vol. 35 no. 7/8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0368-492X

Keywords

Access Restricted. View access options
Article
Publication date: 18 April 2016

Satish Kumar Reddy and Prabir K. Pal

– The purpose of this paper is to detect traversable regions surrounding a mobile robot by computing terrain unevenness using the range data obtained from a single 3D scan.

271

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to detect traversable regions surrounding a mobile robot by computing terrain unevenness using the range data obtained from a single 3D scan.

Design/methodology/approach

The geometry of acquiring range data from a 3D scan is exploited to probe the terrain and extract traversable regions. Nature of terrain under each scan point is quantified in terms of an unevenness value, which is computed from the difference in range of scan point with respect to its neighbours. Both radial and transverse unevenness values are computed and compared with threshold values at every point to determine if the point belongs to a traversable region or an obstacle. A region growing algorithm spreads like a wavefront to join all traversable points into a traversable region.

Findings

This simple method clearly distinguishes ground and obstacle points. The method works well even in presence of terrain slopes or when the robot experiences pitch and roll.

Research limitations/implications

The method applies on single 3D scans and not on aggregated point cloud in general.

Practical implications

The method has been tested on a mobile robot in outdoor environment in our research centre.

Social implications

This method, along with advanced navigation schemes, can reduce human intervention in many mobile robot applications including unmanned ground vehicles.

Originality/value

Range difference between scan points has been used earlier for obstacle detection, but no methodology has been developed around this concept. The authors propose a concrete method based on computation of radial and transverse unevenness at every point and detecting obstacle edges using range-dependent threshold values.

Details

International Journal of Intelligent Unmanned Systems, vol. 4 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2049-6427

Keywords

Access Restricted. View access options
Article
Publication date: 14 June 2013

Yang Gao, Shu‐dong Sun, Da‐wei Hu and Lai‐jun Wang

Path planning in unknown or partly unknown environment is a quite complex task, partly because it is an evolving globally optimal path affected by the motion of the robot and the…

782

Abstract

Purpose

Path planning in unknown or partly unknown environment is a quite complex task, partly because it is an evolving globally optimal path affected by the motion of the robot and the changing of environmental information. The purpose of this paper is to propose an online path planning approach for a mobile robot, which aims to provide a better adaptability to the motion of the robot and the changing of environmental information.

Design/methodology/approach

This approach treats the globally optimal path as a changing state and estimates it online with two steps: prediction step, which predicts the globally optimal path based on the motion of the robot; and updating step, which uses the up‐to‐date environmental information to refine the prediction.

Findings

Simulations and experiments show that this approach needs less time to reach the destination than some classical algorithms, provides speedy convergence and can adapt to unexpected obstacles or very limited prior environmental information. The better performances of this approach have been proved in both field and indoor environments.

Originality/value

Compared with previous works, the paper's approach has three main contributions. First, it can reduce the time consumed in reaching the destination by adopting an online path planning strategy. Second, it can be applied in such environments as those with unexpected obstacles or with only limited prior environmental information. Third, both motion error of the robot and the changing of environmental information are considered, so that the global adaptability to them is improved.

Details

Industrial Robot: An International Journal, vol. 40 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0143-991X

Keywords

1 – 3 of 3
Per page
102050