Human Robot Following Using Parco UWB RFID Tags and Obstacle Detection

A system developed by Parco Wireless (http://www.parcowireless.com/) was installed at the Washington Hospital Center (WHC) (http://www.imedi.org/docs/references/mr.htm). UWB RFID active tags can be wore by patients, medical staff and robots. The credit card-size tags information can be read at a frequency of up to 30 times a second.

Tracking is achieved based on dynamic calculations between x and y coordinates of a tag located on the human and x and y coordinates of a tag placed on the robot. In order to accompany a person, the robot should estimate the next position of the person in order to move without any delay. The robot calculates the distance and angle required to reach the person. The robot calculates the distance between the robot's and human's actual tag readings.

A video is available here:

http://www.compactech.com/kartoun/videos/Uri_Kartoun_Human_Robot_Following_August_1_2005.wmv'>http://www.compactech.com/kartoun/videos/Uri_Kartoun_Human_Robot_Following_August_1_2005.wmv

Other robot-related videos:

http://www.compactech.com/kartoun/videos/

Thanks!

Uri.