Food-Service Robot Multi-Camera Navigation for Obstacle Avoidance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Restaurants face challenges in using robots due to unique environmental obstacles and spatial constraints, such as tables, bar stools, and varying object dimensions, which complicate navigation and collision avoidance.
Innovation Solution
A robot equipped with multiple cameras and a processing unit for obstacle detection and navigation, including a base with wheels, a body supporting food and drinks, and a system for combining point clouds from these cameras to determine obstacle boundaries, allowing for efficient navigation and collision avoidance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a robot is used for serving food and drinks in a restaurant, then productivity is improved, but the robot may collide with obstacles such as tables, bar stools, and chairs due to complex spatial constraints
Solution Approach 1:
The robot performs preliminary scanning of the environment using cameras before navigation to identify obstacles and plan safe paths in advance, preventing collisions before they occur
Solution Approach 2:
The robot continuously captures real-time images from multiple cameras, processes them to detect obstacles, and adjusts its navigation path based on the detected obstacle boundaries, creating a closed-loop feedback system for safe operation
2Measurement precision
If multiple cameras are added to the robot for obstacle detection, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The camera system is segmented into multiple cameras positioned at different locations (front, rear, left, right) on the robot body, each capturing images of specific spatial regions to achieve comprehensive obstacle detection
Solution Approach 2:
Images from multiple cameras are merged and processed together to generate a unified point cloud representation of the environment, combining information from all camera views to improve obstacle detection accuracy
Data Source
AI summary
A robot includes: a base having a plurality of wheels; a body having a bottom portion coupled above the base, and a top portion above the bottom portion, the top portion configured to support food and/or drink; a first camera at the bottom portion, wherein the first camera is oriented to view upward; and a second camera at the top portion, wherein the second camera is configured to view upward.