A mobile robot control centre for mission and data management

In this paper, the control and localization of mobile robots using a three-dimensional model of the operating environment is discussed. The authors provide a new concept for a control center which makes use of a virtual reality environment model to improve mission management, operator situation awareness and access to robot sensor information. The model is built from the robot´s sensor data together with photos taken by a swivel-mounted onboard camera, and the robot is controlled by a straightforward goal designation in this virtual environment. Furthermore, the model is used to determine the robot´s position by comparing the virtual with the real view