Supervised Telemanipulation Interface for Humanoid Driving

Abstract

This thesis proposes solutions for semi-autonomous driving of an Ackerman-style vehicle by an full-sized humanoid robot. A Robot Operating System based interface is developed to promote humanoid driving. The humanoid robot is also equipped with an on-board vision system which comprises of a 2D LIDAR, an inertial measurement unit and stereo cameras. Based on the visual information from the vision system, the operator speci es the operation to be performed. The operator commands the turning angle for the steering wheel and the robot takes the necessary actions to realize this task. Likewise, pressing or releasing the gas pedal is done based on the operator's request. The operator has the option of visualizing the virtual model of the robot and its work site, which facilitates command and control of the robot. Experiments are conducted on an full-sized humanoid robot DRC-Hubo, to drive a golf cart and a two-passenger utility vehicle. Previous stages of driving such as searching for the vehicle and walking towards it are also brie y discussed