Fuzzy-rule-based behavior control for collaborative human/robot navigation in unknown environments

This paper is to develop an intelligent autonomous mobile robot which also reserves the collaborative navigation ability with human beings. In the strategy for robot navigation in unknown environment, the fuzzy-rule-based algorithm is employed to design the fuzzy behavior controller which coordinates conflicts and competitions among multiple reactive behaviors efficiently. This controller consists three control layers: orientation control layer directing the robot toward the goal frame to move to the destination; obstacle avoidance control layer assists the robot in dodging obstacles and, if necessary, escaping out of the dead-cycle situation; human control layer allows humans to influence navigation for handling emergent behavior. The ultrasonic sensor module provides the distance information between the robot and obstacles, while the compass module indicates the heading direction to the target. Through a wireless-based control panel, collaborative navigation control can be shared between the human and the robot at some specific situations. A low-cost platform has been developed for this mobile robot in a modular design for promoting flexibility from task to task. Experimental results demonstrate the navigation effectiveness of robot in complex and unknown environments.