The main objective of the CROWDBOT project is safe navigation of mobile robots in dense crowds. Operating a robot safely in a social setting requires overcoming current technical limitations and acquiring human-like intelligence as well as addressing ethical and safety concerns of machines co-existing among human crowds. The scope of this report is limited to the former: technical description of various sub-systems and intelligent modules, and when pieced together, forms a self-reliant, autonomous machine—i.e. the robotic system architecture.
Each CROWDBOT robotic system test requires 1) a mobile robot (i.e. “the bot”), 2) human participants (i.e. “the crowd”) and 3) the physical venue (i.e. “the environment”) in which the test takes place. Three different types of robots (a humanoid, a smart wheelchair and a futuristic transport machine) have been chosen due to their unique features and significant functional differences amongst them.