Telepresence mobile robot for security applications

A mobile telepresence robot is currently being developed for use in surveillance and fire-detection applications that will be integrated into the present intelligent building system. The authors discuss the design, construction, and man-machine interface of the mobile telepresence robot. This system will allow the building operator to patrol remote areas from the safety and comfort of the building´s control center. The viewing station contains a BOOM (binocular omni-orientation monitor)-mounted stereoscopic color viewer, while the robot consists of a self-powered mobile platform carrying the slave telepresence camera system and various navigational sensors. The robot patrols a predefined area and goes to a particular landmark autonomously in case of an emergency