NTU talk: Image-Based Mobile Robot Navigation Design

Title: Image-Based Mobile Robot Navigation Design
Speaker: Prof. Kai-Tai Song, National Chiao Tung University
Time: 2:20pm, April 2 (Fri), 2010
Place: Room 103, CSIE Building


Abstract: Autonomous navigation is a basic function of every mobile robot. It is important for a mobile robot to travel and arrive at a desired location autonomously. In order to accomplish this function, the robot needs to observe its surroundings and locate itself through acquired environmental information. Various sensors have been utilized for acquiring information from environment. Among these perception sensors, image-based systems are most promising for practical application in daily-life scenarios. In this talk, I will first give a general perspective of domestic and service robots today. Then the design issues of mobile robot navigation will be discussed. Two approaches to visual navigation design will be presented. One employs an omni-directional camera, the other uses a normal webcam. In this presentation, the design and implementation of the navigation system will be discussed. Some interesting video clips of autonomous mobile robots will be presented.

Short Biography: Kai-Tai Song received his Ph.D. degree in mechanical engineering from Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium in 1989. Since 1989 he has been a faculty member and is currently a Professor with National Chiao Tung University (NCTU). From 2007 to 2009, he served as the Associate Dean of the R & D Office of NCTU. He is currently the Director of Institute of Electrical and Control Engineering of NCTU. He has served as the Chairman of IEEE Robotics & Automation Chapter, Taipei Section in the term of 1999. His is a directorate of Robotics Association Taiwan, Taiwan Robotics Society, Taiwan Association of System Science and Engineering, and Chinese Automatic Control Society.
His areas of research interest include mobile robotics, image processing, visual tracking, human-robot interaction, and mechatronics.