A new approach to improve robot navigation in crowded environments
While robots have become increasingly advanced over the past few years, most of them are still unable to reliably navigate very crowded spaces, such as public areas or roads in urban environments. To be implemented on a large-scale and in the smart cities of the future, however, robots will need to be able to navigate these environments both reliably and safely, without colliding with humans or nearby objects.
While the capabilities of robots have improved significantly over the past decades, they are not always able to reliably and safely move in unknown, dynamic and complex environments. To move in their surroundings, robots rely on algorithms that process data collected by sensors or cameras and plan future actions accordingly.
In crowded environments, more robots don’t always mean faster results—in fact, too many can bring everything to a standstill. Harvard researchers discovered a surprising fix: adding a bit of randomness to how robots move can actually prevent gridlock and boost efficiency. By allowing robots to “wiggle” slightly instead of marching…
Researchers have developed a novel framework named WildFusion that fuses vision, vibration and touch to enable robots to 'sense' and navigate complex outdoor environments much like humans do.