Abstract :
In this paper, the authors describe a sensing method, called differential compassing, which can be applied to pursue leader/follower behaviors in the field of service robotics. Differential compassing is applied to integrate proximity/range sensing in robot systems, the operation of which can involve a hands-free interaction mode, where the robot (the follower) reacts to the movements of a walking user (the leader), so as to maintain close proximity to him. Differential compassing exploits two compasses, one of them on the leader and the other one on the follower. The simple idea behind this approach is that, if a magnetic disturbance affect the two compasses, one compass will be more influenced than the other, but heading errors may have similar magnitude
Keywords :
humanoid robots; magnetic field measurement; magnetic sensors; differential compassing; hands-free interaction mode; human-robot teams; leader/follower behavior; magnetic disturbance; magnetic sensor; magnetically disturbed environments; range sensing; relative heading determination; robot systems; service robotics; Dead reckoning; Human robot interaction; Legged locomotion; Magnetic sensors; Magnetic separation; Mobile robots; Navigation; Personal digital assistants; Robot kinematics; Robot sensing systems; Compassing; leader/follower behavior; relative heading determination; service robotics;
