Transport by throwing - A bio-inspired approach

In modern industrial production fast and easily reconfigurable transportation systems are necessary. A viable bio-inspired approach to this is throwing and catching of transportation goods. In order to catch a thrown object the catching device has to be moved to the right position on time. This requires a fast and accurate acquisition of flight position and a prediction system for the interception point. The main topic of this paper is the development and comparison of two prediction models for the flight trajectory of a thrown tennis ball. The position acquisition, that is the base for the prediction, is based on a binocular vision system similar to two-eyed humans. The impact of the vision systems frame rate on the error of the prediction is reviewed as well. Future prediction is planned to be done based on a bio-inspired approach using a small set of reference throws.