Cooperative Distributed Cooperative Distributed Vision for Mobile RobotsVision for Mobile Robots

E. MenegattiE. Menegatti and and E. PagelloE. PagelloIAS-LabIAS-Lab

Dept. of Dept. of Electronics and Electronics and

InformaticsInformaticsThe University of The University of

Padua ItalyPadua Italy

E. Menegatti - Cooperative Distributed Vision for Mobile Robots

Presentation’s OutlinePresentation’s Outline

What’s Distributed VisionWhat’s Distributed Vision Previous worksPrevious works Our projects:Our projects:

– Two Vision Agents on a RobotTwo Vision Agents on a Robot– Cooperative Object Tracking with Cooperative Object Tracking with

Mobile RobotsMobile Robots

E. Menegatti - Cooperative Distributed Vision for Mobile Robots

Distributed VisionDistributed Vision

What is it?What is it?It is a set of vision It is a set of vision systemssystems

embedded in the embedded in the environment and environment and connected by a networkconnected by a network

DV tasks?DV tasks?– Real time wide area Real time wide area

surveillancesurveillance– Cooperative tracking Cooperative tracking

of objectof objectss

E. Menegatti - Cooperative Distributed Vision for Mobile Robots

Previous WorksPrevious Works

Cooperative Distributed Vision [1999]Cooperative Distributed Vision [1999]– TT.. Matsuyama Matsuyama aat Kyoto University (Japan)t Kyoto University (Japan)

Distributed Vision System (DVS) [1997]Distributed Vision System (DVS) [1997]– H. Ishiguro at Wakayama University (Japan)H. Ishiguro at Wakayama University (Japan)

E. Menegatti - Cooperative Distributed Vision for Mobile Robots

A simple roomA simple room Uniform backgroundUniform background A big boxA big box 4 Fixed Viewpoint 4 Fixed Viewpoint

PTZ camerasPTZ cameras

Task:Task:

Track a radio Track a radio controlled car or two controlled car or two peoplepeople

The CDV testbedThe CDV testbed

E. Menegatti - Cooperative Distributed Vision for Mobile Robots

CDCDV limitationsV limitations Expensive hardware for Fixed Viewpoint Expensive hardware for Fixed Viewpoint

cameracamera Appearance PlaneAppearance Plane Active cameras but static image Active cameras but static image

processingprocessing Very simple vision algorithmVery simple vision algorithm No implementation for mobile robotNo implementation for mobile robotss

E. Menegatti - Cooperative Distributed Vision for Mobile Robots

The DVS testbedThe DVS testbed

A toy townA toy town OOutdoor-like utdoor-like

lightinglighting 22 non-autonomous non-autonomous

robotsrobots 16 V16 VAAss

Task:Task:

Navigate two mobile Navigate two mobile robots in the townrobots in the town

E. Menegatti - Cooperative Distributed Vision for Mobile Robots

DVS limitationsDVS limitations

No moving camerasNo moving cameras Need teaching phaseNeed teaching phase Robot is not autonomousRobot is not autonomous Very simple vision algorithmVery simple vision algorithm

E. Menegatti - Cooperative Distributed Vision for Mobile Robots

The Heterogeneous TeamThe Heterogeneous Team

The The Artisti VenetiArtisti Veneti RoboCup Team RoboCup Team

E. Menegatti - Cooperative Distributed Vision for Mobile Robots

Two Vision Agents on a Two Vision Agents on a RobotRobot

Vision AgentVision Agent Omnidirectional Vision Agent Omnidirectional Vision Agent

(OVA)(OVA) Perspective Vision Agent (PVA)Perspective Vision Agent (PVA)

Task:Task:

Detect and LocateDetect and Locate

E. Menegatti - Cooperative Distributed Vision for Mobile Robots

Agents’ ViewsAgents’ Views

OVA’s viewOVA’s view PVA’s viewPVA’s view

E. Menegatti - Cooperative Distributed Vision for Mobile Robots

Cooperative Object Cooperative Object TrackingTracking

Cooperative Object Tracking Cooperative Object Tracking Protocol [Matsuyama 1999] Protocol [Matsuyama 1999]

(NO Mobile Robots!!!)(NO Mobile Robots!!!) Agency and Agency’s MasterAgency and Agency’s Master A measure of uncertaintyA measure of uncertainty

absabsslslrelrel

E. Menegatti - Cooperative Distributed Vision for Mobile Robots

ConclusionConclusion

The Cooperative Distributed Vision The Cooperative Distributed Vision ideaidea

Two realisationsTwo realisations

We We presented our researches on presented our researches on this topic:this topic:

– Two VAs on a robotTwo VAs on a robot

– Cooperative Object TrackingCooperative Object Tracking