SENA - Autonomous Embedded Navigation System: navigator for urban-like environments

Abstract

All over the world traffic injuries and fatality rates are increasing every year. The combination of negligent and imprudent drivers, adverse road and weather conditions produce tragic results with dramatic loss of life and US$ billions. In addition to this, the world's population is getting old. This would provoke a considerable reduction in population independence and autonomy, due to the inherent difficulties that old drivers have (health problems, reduction of their cognitive skills, etc.) In this scenario, the use of mobile robotics technology (Artificial Intelligence, sensors, actuators, etc.) on-board passenger vehicles could reduce casualties and increase the safety on roads and urban environments. In this project, the M.Sc. student of the Mechatronics Lab at EESC-USP will work on this topic. Her project focuses on the development of a Navigator for urban-like environments that will be embedded in an experimental passenger vehicle (a Fiat Stilo 1.8). The algorithms of the Navigator will be tested in a urban-like environment (inside the USP São Carlos campus) and their main parts will consist of obstacle detection, obstacle classification (pedestrians, cars, bikes, etc.), obstacle tracking, and path planner modules. The data extracted from the environment will be use to plan collision free trajectories for the vehicle. (AU)