Ego-Centric framework for a three-wheel omni-drive Telepresence robot

Abstract

Social interaction is an intrinsic property of all human beings. From the last few decades, robots have been entering the personal space of human beings. Therefore, it is essential for the robot to possess intelligence enough to act socially like humans in such an environment. One such example of a socially active robot is a telepresence robot. In this paper we have proposed a low-cost design, for the case of a telepresence robot, which has been built from scratch. It is a three-wheel omni drive robot, which makes it easy to move in a wide range of directions. The robot operates in two different modes namely the teleoperation and autonomous modes. An ego-centric framework has been used for the purpose of tracking the person with whom the communication has to be established in the autonomous mode. This omits the factor of uncertainty of the position of the robot and the camera calibration factor. The person to be tracked is first recognised so that the robot just tracks the concerned person irrespective of other people in the background.