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Stereo Based 3D Perception for Obstacle Avoidance in Autonomous Wheelchair Navigation

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ROBOT2022: Fifth Iberian Robotics Conference (ROBOT 2022)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems ((LNNS,volume 589))

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Abstract

In recent years, scientific and technological advances in robotics, have enabled the development of disruptive solutions for human interaction with the real world. In particular, the application of robotics to support people with physical disabilities, improved their life quality with a high social impact. This paper presents a stereo image based perception solution for autonomous wheelchairs navigation. It was developed to extend the Intellwheels project, a development platform for intelligent wheelchairs. The current version of Intellwheels relies on a planar scanning sensor, the Laser Range Finder (LRF), to detect the surrounding obstacles. The need for robust navigation capabilities means that the robot is required to precept not only obstacles but also bumps and holes on the ground. The proposed stereo-based solution, supported in passive stereo ZED cameras, was evaluated in a 3D simulated world scenario designed with a challenging floor. The performance of the wheelchair navigation with three different configurations was compared: first, using a LRF sensor, next with an unfiltered stereo camera and finally, applying a stereo camera with a speckle filter. The LRF solution was unable to complete the planned navigation. The unfiltered stereo camera completed the challenge with a low navigation quality due to noise. The filtered stereo camera reached the target position with a nearly optimal path.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. ISUS Unit, FCT - University Fernando Pessoa, Porto, Portugal

    Bruno Gomes, José Torres & Pedro Sobral

  2. LIACC, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal

    Bruno Gomes, José Torres, Pedro Sobral, Armando Sousa & Luís Paulo Reis

Authors
  1. Bruno Gomes
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  2. José Torres
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  3. Pedro Sobral
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  4. Armando Sousa
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  5. Luís Paulo Reis
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Bruno Gomes .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Centro Universitario de la Defensa (CUD), Zaragoza, Spain

    Danilo Tardioli

  2. Grupo de Robótica, Universidad de León, León, Spain

    Vicente Matellán

  3. GRVC Robotics Lab, Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería, Universidad de Sevilla, Sevilla, Spain

    Guillermo Heredia

  4. School of Engineering, Polytechnic Institute of Porto, Porto, Portugal

    Manuel F. Silva

  5. Institute of Systems and Robotics, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal

    Lino Marques

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Gomes, B., Torres, J., Sobral, P., Sousa, A., Reis, L.P. (2023). Stereo Based 3D Perception for Obstacle Avoidance in Autonomous Wheelchair Navigation. In: Tardioli, D., Matellán, V., Heredia, G., Silva, M.F., Marques, L. (eds) ROBOT2022: Fifth Iberian Robotics Conference. ROBOT 2022. Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems, vol 589. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-21065-5_27

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