Automation, Robotics and Computer Vision Laboratory (ARVC)

The project proposes the use of mobile robots for the automatic surveillance of premises, including indoor and outdoor areas and for the identification of risk situations in challenging operation conditions, with the common philosophy of using AI tools for the robust approach to these issues. Currently, these tasks are carried out by specialized personnel, with the help of cameras located in fixed positions. We propose to achieve much more effective surveillance through mobile robots that can patrol the areas to be monitored and use different types of sensors (visible spectrum cameras, infrared cameras, laser range sensors, etc.) to detect both risk elements and situations. It is expected that the results of this project can be relevant both for security companies and for the State security forces and bodies.

To achieve this goal, the project is structured into two main objectives. The first one consists in the development of algorithms for the navigation of mobile robots in large social environments and in challenging operation conditions. The second will address the perception and integration of technologies for interpretation of the environment and the resolution of security and surveillance tasks with mobile robots. Both objectives are fully aligned with current research trends in mobile robotics and sensory perception and the research team plans to contribute to the generation of knowledge in these areas.

In addition, the proposal also provides solutions to specific problems in the thematic priority "Digital world, industry, space and defense", since it pursues the digitalization of tasks related to improving the security of venues, infrastructures, buildings and industrial facilities. The fact of using mobile robots gives the proposal great capacity and versatility to detect risk situations. However, this requires that the methods developed within the framework of the two objectives expressly take into account the specificities of this kind of applications. In this way, the project addresses, among other tasks: (a) the creation of maps of extensive environments, indoors and outdoors, with useful semantic information for security and surveillance tasks, including the systematic exploration of a priori unknown environments, (b) the location of the robot itself (both indoors and outdoors, including adverse lighting conditions) and the alarms or risk situations detected from the fusion of sensory information, (c) the planning of trajectories for surveillance, carrying out sweeps of the assigned areas, paying special attention to critical points and boundaries of the enclosure and in collaboration with the human operator, (d) the interpretation of the environment based on sensory data, with special attention to critical elements for security tasks and to the risk situations detected, such as fire outbreaks or people falling. In addition to the development of these algorithms designed to address the specificities of this type of applications, the work plan contemplates the integration and implementation of a common graphical interface that shows the created map, the estimated position of the robot and the alarms, intrusions or elements potentially dangerous detected and that will allow interaction with the operator, so that he of she can influence the task carried out by the mobile robot.

Proyecto de I+D+i financiado por la Agencia Estatal de Investigación - Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades y por la Unión Europea.

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