Embedded low-power low-cost Camera Sensor based on FPGA and its applications in mobile robots

In this paper, we present the functionality of a low-cost camera sensor based on FPGAs. It is intended to be a solution for affordable robotic platforms requiring a smart vision sensor. This implies using simple image processing algorithms that are, nevertheless, flexible enough to ensure the robot navigation. The image processing elements and the connectivity both to the camera and the robot are embedded in an Actel Igloo FPGA, which fits the low power consumption, reprogrammability and cost requirements. We also present two applications. The first one, related to path planning, shows how a robot with such a device is able to identify different scenarios in the process of learning how to escape from a maze using reinforcement learning. The second application is a set of interactive activities using a companion robot and requiring robot vision devised to improve the recovery of children with brain trauma. In this particular case, both the cost and power consumption requirements for the camera sensor are demanding, since the robot has to be distributed to a large number of children and low consumption is essential to keep the robot working time within the therapeutic needs.