Waypoint-Based Human-Tracking Navigation for Museum Guide Robot

A visitor-following method that guides visitors as they move around was successfully developed without changing the structure of the waypoint navigation system. We previously developed a guidance robot, “EM-Ro,” to provide guidance services at the ECO35 Muffler Museum, and used the waypoint navigation system to implement a visitor-escort method along a predetermined route. With this visitor-following method, EM-Ro was able to follow a target visitor along visitor-derived waypoints, which were estimated using 2D LiDAR. Thus, the proposed navigation system for the guidance robot provides both visitor-escort and visitor-following guidance services. Using the same waypoint navigation system, it was possible to seamlessly switch between visitor-escort and visitor-following guidance. Switching between prepared or visitor-derived waypoints can make a visitor choose the preferred guidance method. Visitors can switch the guidance method anytime by providing EM-Ro requests from the remote controller. In addition, a guest redetecting method was developed when EM-Ro lost guests. The experimental results at the Muffler Museum showed that both visitor-escort and visitor-following driving by the EM-Ro were successfully demonstrated while guiding guests in the facility.