Object following and obstacle avoidance using a laser scanner in the outdoor mobile robot Auriga-α

Abstract

A low computational cost method for terrestrial mobile robots that uses a laser scanner for following mobile objects and avoiding obstacles is presented. In particular, the technique has been successfully implemented in the outdoor mobile robot Auriga-/spl alpha/. The measurement data from the laser scanner and the vehicle position are used as input variables. The outputs are the new curvature and velocity of the robot in order to follow a mobile object, or track a previously recorded path and avoid any possible obstacle in its way.