Computational Principles of Mobile Robotics

Although many mobile robot systems are experimental in nature, systems devoted to specific practical applications are being developed and deployed. This chapter examines some of the tasks for which mobile robotic systems are beginning to appear and describes several existing experimental and production systems that have been developed. As noted in Chapter 1, tasks for which practical mobile robot systems exist are usually characterized by one or more of the following properties:

• The environment is inhospitable, and sending a human is either very costly or very dangerous. Such environments include nuclear, chemical, underwater, battlefield and outer-space environments.

• The environment is remote, so that sending a human operator is too difficult or takes too long. Extreme instances of this are those environments that are completely inaccessible to humans, such as microscopic environments. Many other environments, including mining, outer space, and forestry exhibit these properties.

• The task has a very demanding duty cycle or a very high fatigue factor.

• The task is highly disagreeable to a human.

In addition, domains where the use of a robot may improve efficiency, robustness, or safety are candidates for the development of experimental systems that may subsequently become practical.

Fundamentally, the decision to implement a robotic solution to a given task often comes down to a question of economics. If it is cheaper, more efficient, or simpler to use a person to accomplish a task, then economically it does not make much sense to design and use a robot.