A Human-Like Semi Autonomous Mobile Security Robot

Abstract

The Mechatronics Group of the University of Waikato have developed a fleet of five mobile robots capable of autonomous operation. These robots are constructed to traverse a variety of terrains including farms, forests, underwater and smooth indoor surfaces. MARVIN (Mobile Autonomous Robotic Vehicle for Indoor Navigation) is designed to act as a security agent for indoor environments and consequently must interact with people who may have little or no knowledge of robotic devices. It is essential that this interaction be as natural as possible in order for the human to be comfortable communicating with MARVIN. To facilitate this, in association with Robotechnology, MARVIN has been substantially redesigned and provided with speech recognition and speech synthesis software as well as the ability to verbally and non-verbally convey emotional states.