PERCEPT: a sophisticated experimental set-up dedicated to heterogeneous sensor fusion

The study of perception, an essential function for autonomous robotics, has led to new developments in the fields of modeling, stochastic data processing, and control. The authors describe a surveillance robot dedicated to heterogeneous data fusion algorithms´ implementation and real-size real-time testing, which has become necessary to validate these emerging techniques in a realistic environment. This robot holds various sensors mounted on rotational units and provides a multi-degree-of-freedom command. The design includes original distributed hardware and software architectures encompassing the specific data processing, fusion, and feedback control. Modularity and a user-friendly interface allow easy design of perception control applications