Tracking a moving object with real‐time obstacle avoidance

Purpose – Aims to develop a robotic platform to autonomously track a moving object Design/methodology/approach – This robotic platform, based on a modular system known as SafeBot, uses two sensors: a visual CCD camera and a laser‐based range sensor. The rigidly mounted camera tracks an object in front of the platform and generates appropriate drive commands to keep the object in view, even if the object itself moves. The range sensor detects other objects as the platform moves to provide real‐time obstacle avoidance while continuously tracking the original object. Findings – The current approach successfully tracks an object, particularly a human subject, and avoids reasonably sized obstacles, but on‐board processing limitations restrict the speed of the object to approximately 5 km/h. Originality/value – The core technology – a moving object tracked by a mobile robot with real‐time obstacle avoidance – is an integrated system comprising object tracking on a mobile platform and real‐time obstacle avoidance with robotic control. This system is applicable to a variety of automated applications such as inventory management, industrial palette distribution, and intruder surveillance.