Image processing for navigation on a mobile embedded platform - Design of an autonomous mobile robot

This paper deals with intelligent mobile platforms connected to a camera controlled by a small hardware-platform called RCUBE. This platform is able to provide features of a typical actuator-sensor board with various inputs and outputs as well as computing power and image recognition capabilities. Several intelligent autonomous RCBUE devices can be equipped and programmed to participate in the BOSPORUS network. These components form an intelligent network for gathering sensor and image data, sensor data fusion, navigation and control of mobile platforms. The RCUBE platform provides a standalone solution for image processing, which will be explained and presented. It plays a major role for several components in a reference implementation of the BOSPORUS system. On the one hand, intelligent cameras will be positioned in the environment, analyzing the events from a fixed point of view and sharing their perceptions with other components in the system. On the other hand, image processing results will contribute to a reliable navigation of a mobile system, which is crucially important. Fixed landmarks and other objects appropriate for determining the position of a mobile system can be recognized. For navigation other methods are added, i.e. GPS calculations and odometers.