That's quite old but only today I uploaded it to YouTube:
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And here is a short technical report:
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Cheers!U.
Human-Robot Following using UWB Tags
Jul 10, 2009
1 Replies
Thanks for posting that. I am not heavily into robots, but have always kept an eye on the developing state of the art. In particular, the "Where Am I?" question has always eluded roboticists. When RFID started to be available, I had wondered if this would be the solution inside buildings, which is where most robots would operate.
I noticed in the video, that the user was holding the RFID tag away from their body. Is this an inherit issue with the technology?
One company I've checked a bit into is
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But, the readers are far too expensive for hobbiest or home use. The Rovio by WoWee seems to have a great low-cost system, with its beacons being projected onto the ceiling. I wonder if the hardware will ever really be available to users as a component?
I suspect that some sort of vision system will eventually be the technology that wins in regards to indoor navigation. Cameras are now cheap, and processing hardware is powerful. Of course, I am sure there will be several technologies in place. There will be something to keep from bumping into thing (Sharp sensor, or Sonar), a method of dead-reckoning (wheel odometry), and finally a method for the robot to determine its absolute position within the building. It is this last technology that has not had a clear winner like the other positioning needs.
What technology do you think will win out for things like home vacuums?
Joe Dunfee
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