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Safe Robot Navigation in Dense Crowds

Project description

Helping robots assist people in crowded environments

Navigating autonomously and assisting humans in crowded environments poses a significant challenge for mobile robots. These robots are programmed to stop when they approach obstacles or come too close to people to avoid collisions, which prevents them from effectively operating in densely frequented areas. The EU funded CROWDBOT project aims to bridge the gap in knowledge regarding close interactions between robots and humans during navigation tasks. By enhancing robot sensing, cognitive and navigation abilities, CROWDBOT seeks to enable mobile robots to safely manoeuvre amidst crowds. Focusing on realistic scenarios, including a wheelchair, the Pepper robot, and the cuyBot, CROWDBOT will address ethical and safety concerns through dedicated guidelines. The results will have a significant impact on scientific and industrial applications, such as robot assisted crowd traffic management.

Objective

CROWDBOT will enable mobile robots to navigate autonomously and assist humans in crowded areas. Today’s robots are programmed to stop when a human, or any obstacle is too close, to avoid coming into contact while moving. This prevents robots from entering densely frequented areas and performing effectively in these high dynamic environments. CROWDBOT aims to fill in the gap in knowledge on close interactions between robots and humans during navigation tasks. The project considers three realistic scenarios: 1) a semi-autonomous wheelchair that must adapt its trajectory to unexpected movements of people in its vicinity to ensure neither its user nor the pedestrians around it are injured; 2) the commercially available Pepper robot that must navigate in a dense crowd while actively approaching people to assist them; 3) the under development robot cuyBot will adapt to compact crowd, being touched and pushed by people. These scenarios generate numerous ethical and safety concerns which this project addresses through a dedicated Ethical and Safety Advisory Board that will design guidelines for robots engaging in interaction in crowded environments.
CROWDBOT gathers the required expertise to develop new robot capabilities to allow robots to move in a safe and socially acceptable manner. This requires achieving step changes in a) sensing abilities to estimate the crowd motion around the robot, b) cognitive abilities for the robot to predict the short term evolution of the crowd state and c) navigation abilities to perform safe motion at close range from people.
Through demonstrators and open software components, CROWDBOT will show that safe navigation tasks can be achieved within crowds and will facilitate incorporating its results into mobile robots, with significant scientific and industrial impact. By extending the robot operation field toward crowded environments, we enable possibilities for new applications, such as robot-assisted crowd traffic management.

Call for proposal

H2020-ICT-2016-2017

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Sub call

H2020-ICT-2017-1

Coordinator

INSTITUT NATIONAL DE RECHERCHE EN INFORMATIQUE ET AUTOMATIQUE
Net EU contribution
€ 730 470,00
Address
DOMAINE DE VOLUCEAU ROCQUENCOURT
78153 Le Chesnay Cedex
France

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Region
Ile-de-France Ile-de-France Yvelines
Activity type
Research Organisations
Links
Total cost
€ 763 770,00

Participants (7)