• International Journal of Precision Engineering and Manufacturing
• /
• v.6 no.4
• /
• pp.67-72
• /
• 2005

In a park or street, we can see many people jogging or walking with their dogs that are chasing their masters. In this study, a pet robot that imitates dog's behavior is developed. The task of robot is to chase a person who is recognized as the master. The physical structure and the sensor system are designed for the task and environment. A three-wheel type locomotion system is designed as the robot's physical structure which can follow a person who is jogging in outdoor environment like a park. A sensor system, which can detect relative position of the master to the robot in highly dynamic and hazardous worlds, is developed. This sensor system consists of a signal transmitter which is held by the master and ultrasonic sensor array which are mounted on the robot. The transmitter emits RF (radio frequency) and ultrasonic signals simultaneously. The ultrasonic sensor array detects the signals and calculates direction and distance between the robot and the transmitter. The developed RF-ultrasonic sensor is evaluated through experiments. A purely reactive behavior-based control architecture is used for the robot. The behavior control performance of the robot is assessed in outdoor and indoor tests.