Open Mobile Map

Merlin Robotics (www.merlinrobotics.co.uk) have created a new remote navigation system that allows a standard robot vacuum cleaner (IRoomba with wireless link for example) to navigate around large complex indoor spaces such as homes and offices without getting lost. Merlin will launch this service to customers 1st Qtr 2008. The navigation system currently requires a simple plan of the space to be navigated but future version will generate the plan automatically. The video shows the simple room plan and the programmed waypaints. The route is designed to demonstrate a path that cannot be achieved via dead-reckoning alone.

Using a biomimetic vision system for mobile robot navigation. Vision system developed in The University of Adelaide’s Physiology Dept. This is Phase 2 of the Autonomous Control System for a Mobile Robot final year project for BEng (Electrical & Electronics) under the supervision of Dr Russell Brinkworth and Mr Charlie Green. Test 4 - Using ‘natural world’ images instead of black & white stripes and old newspapers. The vision system was tuned to work best with these types of images. The ‘tunnel’ was a bit too short for the robot. We’ll make longer ones soon. This is a work in progress, lots more to do. Control system is definitely not optimally tuned yet. Filmed on 28th April 2009.

A description of the Cockroach Controlled Mobile Robot, by Garnet Hertz: “Cockroach Controlled Mobile Robot” is an experimental mechanism that uses a living Madagascan hissing cockroach atop a modified trackball to control a three-wheeled robot. If the cockroach moves left, the robot moves left. Infrared sensors also provide navigation feedback to the cockroach, striving to create a pseudo-intelligent system with the cockroach as the CPU Project website : www.conceptlab.com