Stereovision-Based Fuzzy Obstacle Avoidance Method

This work presents a stereovision-based obstacle avoidance method for autonomous mobile robots. The decision about the direction on each movement step is based on a fuzzy inference system. The proposed method provides an efficient solution that uses a minimum of sensors and avoids computationally complex processes. The only sensor required is a stereo camera. First, a custom stereo algorithm provides reliable depth maps of the environment in frame rates suitable for a robot to move autonomously. Then, a fuzzy decision making algorithm analyzes the depth maps and deduces the most appropriate direction for the robot to avoid any existing obstacles. The proposed methodology has been tested on a variety of self-captured outdoor images and the results are presented and discussed.