Human-Tracking Strategies for a Six-legged Rescue Robot Based on Distance and View

• Published in: Chinese journal of mechanical engineering Vol. 29; no. 2; pp. 219 - 230
• Main Authors: Pan, Yang, Gao, Feng, Qi, Chenkun, Chai, Xun
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Beijing Chinese Mechanical Engineering Society 01.03.2016; Springer Nature B.V; State Key Laboratory of Mechanical System and Vibration, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
• Edition: English ed.
• Subjects: Electrical Machines and Networks; Electronics and Microelectronics; Engineering; Engineering Thermodynamics; Heat and Mass Transfer; Instrumentation; Machines; Manufacturing; Mechanical Engineering; Mechanism and Robotics; Optimization; Power Electronics; Processes; Robot control; Robots; Strategy; Theoretical and Applied Mechanics; Tracking; 优先策略; 六足; 履带式机器人; 救援; 机器人控制; 视图; 距离和; 跟踪策略; human-tracking; intelligent control algorithm; legged robot
• ISSN: 1000-9345; 2192-8258
• DOI: 10.3901/CJME.2015.1212.146

Human tracking is an important issue for intelligent robotic control and can be used in many scenarios, such as robotic services and human-robot cooperation. Most of current human-tracking methods are targeted for mobile/tracked robots, but few of them can be used for legged robots. Two novel human-tracking strategies, view priority strategy and distance priority strategy, are proposed specially for legged robots, which enable them to track humans in various complex terrains. View priority strategy focuses on keeping humans in its view angle arrange with priority, while its counterpart, distance priority strategy, focuses on keeping human at a reasonable distance with priority. To evaluate these strategies, two indexes（average and minimum tracking capability） are defined. With the help of these indexes, the view priority strategy shows advantages compared with distance priority strategy. The optimization is done in terms of these indexes, which let the robot has maximum tracking capability. The simulation results show that the robot can track humans with different curves like square, circular, sine and screw paths. Two novel control strategies are proposed which specially concerning legged robot characteristics to solve human tracking problems more efficiently in rescue circumstances.