Indoor Mobile Robot Navigation and Obstacle Avoidance Using a 3D Camera and Laser Scanner

Thanks to the developing sensor technology in mobile robot navigation and obstacle avoidance there are new and affordable solutions which can be used to accomplish smooth, safe and reliable robot movement in an indoor environment. A laser scanner is a commonly used sensor for detecting obstacles as well as for navigation, but a laser scanner is unable to detect all the different obstacles and terrain features by itself. In this article complementary sensors are examined, on a real mobile robot platform. Communication between the sensors and the controller and the basic control possibilities are also discussed. Finally, an advertising mobile robot is described