Dynamic individualized hazard detection using mobile robotics
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Solution Overview
Problem
Adults face challenges in effectively identifying and mitigating hazards in a living or working space from the perspective of young children or vulnerable individuals, as they may not be aware of dangers that are apparent only from the child's or individual's perspective, such as low-lying objects or hazards that are attractive to them.
Innovation Solution
A hazard identification system utilizing a mobile robotic device with a camera that communicates with a computer device to receive imaging and identify hazards based on a profile of the individual to be protected, employing machine learning algorithms to assess the environment and provide recommendations for risk mitigation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If adults manually inspect the environment to identify hazards, then they can recognize obvious dangers, but they fail to detect hazards from the perspective of children or vulnerable individuals due to differences in height and viewpoint
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies inversion by having the mobile robotic device assume the perspective of the child or vulnerable individual rather than the adult perspective. The robotic device moves through the environment at child-height levels and captures images from these lower viewpoints, thereby inverting the traditional inspection approach and enabling detection of hazards that are invisible from adult eye level.
Solution Approach 2:
The mobile robotic device serves as an intermediary between the adult inspector and the child's perspective. Instead of the adult directly observing from their own viewpoint, the robotic device acts as a mediator that physically occupies the child's spatial position and returns visual information, bridging the gap between different height perspectives.
2Reliability
If comprehensive hazard identification is performed manually, then safety coverage is improved, but the time and effort required increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies self-service by enabling the mobile robotic device to autonomously navigate the environment, capture images, and identify hazards without requiring continuous human intervention. The robotic device independently performs the inspection tasks that would otherwise require manual effort, thereby reducing the time and labor investment needed for comprehensive hazard identification.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical manual inspection process with an automated robotic system. Instead of adults physically moving through spaces and visually scanning for hazards, the mobile robotic device performs these mechanical navigation and detection functions automatically, substituting human physical effort with automated machinery.
3Measurement precision
If multiple perspectives are considered during hazard identification, then detection completeness improves, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent addresses detection completeness by adding the dimension of height variation. Instead of only horizontal scanning at adult eye level, the system introduces vertical dimensionality by operating at multiple height levels corresponding to different user perspectives (adult, child, wheelchair user), thereby achieving more comprehensive hazard detection through dimensional diversification.
Data Source
AI summary
A hazard identification system includes: a computer device comprising a hazard identification application; and a mobile robotic device for self-propelled movement within a designated environment and with an interface for communicating with the hazard identification application, the mobile robotic device further comprising a camera for imaging the designated environment. The hazard identification application is to receive imaging of the designated environment from the camera of the mobile robotic device and to identify hazards in the designated environment from the imaging.