Developing Self-aware Mobile Robots

This research explores methods for implementing self-awareness in mobile robots, and seeks to expand the knowledge base in this area by creating an affordable mobile robot test bed that is suitable for research in developing self-aware mobile robots. This extensible mobile robot includes a sensory system with visual input, navigation, and the ability to interact with the physical world. The hardware consists of low-cost embedded microcomputers and commercially available modules, which have been integrated to create a platform suitable for research in cognitive robotics. The software leverages open source components coupled with custom software to support the robot's real-time visual attention system. The software also includes face detection capability, which was used in a series of experiments to evaluate the robot's ability to recognize itself and differentiate itself from other objects in its environment, a prerequisite for demonstrating even a minimal level of self-awareness.