Liddell, K., & Wu, C. (2006, September), Development of an Open Source Software Package for Autonomous Robotic Docking Using Stereoscopic Imaging  Paper presented at 2006 ASEE Midwest Section Conference, University of Missouri - Kansas City, Kansas City, Missouri. 10.18260/1-2--51745

\bibitem{asee_peer_51745}
  Liddell, K., \& Wu, C. (2006, September), \emph{Development of an Open Source Software Package for Autonomous Robotic Docking Using Stereoscopic Imaging}
  Paper presented at 2006 ASEE Midwest Section Conference, University of Missouri - Kansas City, Kansas City, Missouri.
  10.18260/1-2--51745

Kyle Liddell and Chih-Hao Wu.  "Development of an Open Source Software Package for Autonomous Robotic Docking Using Stereoscopic Imaging".  2006 ASEE Midwest Section Conference, University of Missouri - Kansas City, Kansas City, Missouri, 2006, September.  ASEE Conferences, 2006.  https://peer.asee.org/51745 Internet.  09 Mar, 2025

\bibitem{asee_peer_51745}
  Kyle Liddell and Chih-Hao Wu.
  "Development of an Open Source Software Package for Autonomous Robotic Docking Using Stereoscopic Imaging".
  \emph{2006 ASEE Midwest Section Conference, University of Missouri - Kansas City, Kansas City, Missouri, 2006, September}.
  ASEE Conferences, 2006.
  https://peer.asee.org/51745 Internet.  09 Mar, 2025

@INPROCEEDINGS{asee_peer_51745
author = "Kyle Liddell and Chih-Hao Wu"
title = "Development of an Open Source Software Package for Autonomous Robotic Docking Using Stereoscopic Imaging"
booktitle = "2006 ASEE Midwest Section Conference"
year = "2006"
month = "September"
address = "University of Missouri - Kansas City, Kansas City, Missouri"
publisher = "ASEE Conferences"
note = {https://peer.asee.org/51745}
number = {10.18260/1-2--51745}
}

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - The goal of our project, Development of Machine Vision Algorithms for Cooperation in a Multi-Agent Robotic System, is to create and implement algorithms to enable a robot to find and dock itself with another vehicle system.  The intent of this system is to create a framework to allow for robotic missions to be decentralized by separating the various sensors from the rover itself.  Those sensors can be placed on an inexpensive chassis without control or movement systems, leaving the actual rover system to be a much simpler device only needing equipment to move itself and a sensor package.  Currently a matching pair of IEEE1394 digital video cameras are used on a PC running a combination of open source image processing software and our target tracking and control C code.  Our code can currently detect a target in a cluttered scene, and then find the direction to the target.  The code to plot the course to the target will be ready shortly, and then will be combined with our motor control code.  Once the  framework has been implemented and tested on our current hardware, work will then shift to making the software easier to adapt to various robot and camera systems, and, once it is available, allowing our code to work with NASA's CLARAty software.  This will allow us to offer a package of free software that can be integrated into any robotic system to provide a ready to use docking and control mechanism. 
Robotic systems have become more popular in various applications during recent years .  Much of the work involved in implementing a robotic system involves writing software to perform basic tasks that are common to any robotic system.  In particular, some mechanism is often needed to allow the robot to dock with a target device.  If the positions of the robot and the target are known, a simple dead reckoning method can be used.  However, if one of the positions is not known, then the more complex problem of finding the target must be solved. One solution is to use various computer vision techniques.  The target must be found in a potentially cluttered image, and then position information must be extracted from the scene.  Also, the distance to the target must be determined, which requires a secondary sensor device, such as a second camera to allow the use of stereoscopic imaging techniques. 
Autonomous docking by means of computer vision systems has been implemented successfully in many research projects.  However, the projects have shared two negative traits: their implementation only works with their equipment, and (perhaps for that reason) the software is not released to the public.  This requires anyone wanting their robot to dock with a target to "reinvent the wheel" and write their own implemetation of an autonomous docking algorithm.  The goal of our project is to produce a software package without those two problems.  Instead of having the target information hard-wired into the software, the package will have a mechanism allowing the user to provide the needed characteristics of their target.  Also, a well defined modular interface will be used to allow new hardware "drivers" to be written by the user.  This will allow the user to make use of whatever robotic hardware is the best fit for their application.  Finally, the code will be freely available, which will allow anyone to skip all the housekeeping work needed for their robotic system.  The software will be released as free software licensed under the GNU General Public License, which allows anyone to use, modify, or copy the software for the own use. 

AU  - Kyle Liddell
AU  - Chih-Hao Wu
CY  - University of Missouri - Kansas City, Kansas City, Missouri
DA  - 2006/09/15
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Development of an Open Source Software Package for Autonomous Robotic Docking Using Stereoscopic Imaging
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/51745
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--51745
ER  -