A Semi-Autonomous Vision-Based Navigation System for a Mobile Robotic Vehicle

Direct teleoperation of a mobile vehicle over a communications channel with delay on the order of one second is problematic for precise maneuvering and obstacle avoidance. To curb both operator vigilance and maneuvering mishaps during vehicle teleopera-tion, this thesis aims to develop a semi-autonomous vision-based navigation system for a small mobile robotic vehicle designed by Draper Laboratory. The system re-lies on monocular vision processing to employ an optical flow balance strategy for real-time obstacle avoidance. The system utilizes a multimedia processor for video processing and is implemented within a payload module built for a visual servoing task. The system design relies on a flexible communication protocol to integrate wit