Integrated Optical Sensing, Communication, and Computation System for Quadruped Robots

Abstract

This paper develops an integrated optical sensing, communication, and computation system for quadruped robot with virtual-real interaction based on digital twin technology. The system is designed to address key challenges in robotics technology, including real-time performance, low-latency control, high-precision multi-sensor data fusion, stable network transmission, user-friendly interaction interface, system scalability, and maintainability. The system comprises a number of functional modules, including a three-dimensional (3D) modeling module, a positioning perception module, a virtual interaction module, a wise sensing-transmission module, and a cloud server. The 3D modeling module is responsible for constructing the virtual quadruped robot and motion space scenarios. The positioning perception module integrates LiDAR and inertial measurement unit (IMU) data, utilizing Point-light detection and ranging inertial odometry (LIO) and HDL-localization algorithms for high-precision environmental perception and positioning. The virtual interaction module provides a user-friendly control inter-face through computer software and the HoloLens headset. The wise sensing-transmission module employs WiFi and 5G links to ensure low-latency and high-bandwidth data transmission. The optical signal, sensed via camera and LiDAR, is computed at the quadruped robot and subsequently transmitted to the cloud server via the wise sensing-transmission module, which facilitates integrated optical sensing, communication, and computation. The system is designed to run on Ubuntu 20.04 platform, offering excellent scalability and maintainability.