HCI Robotics Project
Over the course of the summer, I will be working with three colleagues, Chris Miller, Eleri Sverson, and Ramon Zamora, to build an electro-mechnical device that will operate autonomously (a robot). The mechanical moving parts were custom built for Dr. Evan Barba, who is advising us on this project, and the builders also supplied a bit of code that commands the robot to move a short distance forward, back, and toward each of the four diagonals.
The ultimate goal is to have this machine moving around the halls of the building that houses our program, stopping, addressing people directly by name, and supplying directions to specific rooms and offices. This system will incorporate an infrared line following system for navigation, motion and proximity sensors for human safety, and facial recognition using the XBox Kinect system. Recognizing speech patterns and responding appropriately is an area of research we have not yet looked at closely.