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To navigate successfully in a previously unexplored environment, a mobile robot must be able to estimate the spatial relationships of the objects of interest accurately. A Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) sys- tem employs its sensors to build incrementally a map of its surroundings and to localize itself in the map simultaneously. The aim of this research project is to develop a SLAM system suitable for self propelled household lawnmowers. The proposed bearing-only SLAM system requires only an omnidirec- tional camera and some inexpensive landmarks. The main advantage of an omnidirectional camera is the panoramic view of all the landmarks in the scene. Placing landmarks in a lawn field to define the working domain is much easier and more flexible than installing the perimeter wire required by existing autonomous lawnmowers. The common approach of existing bearing-only SLAM methods relies on a motion model for predicting the robot’s pose and a sensor model for updating the pose. In the motion model, the error on the estimates of object positions is cumulated due mainly to the wheel slippage. Quantifying accu- rately the uncertainty of object positions is a fundamental requirement. In bearing-only SLAM, the Probability Density Function (PDF) of landmark position should be uniform along the observed bearing. Existing methods that approximate the PDF with a Gaussian estimation do not satisfy this uniformity requirement. This thesis introduces both geometric and proba- bilistic methods to address the above problems. The main novel contribu- tions of this thesis are: 1. A bearing-only SLAM method not requiring odometry. The proposed method relies solely on the sensor model (landmark bearings only) without relying on the motion model (odometry). The uncertainty of the estimated landmark positions depends on the vision error only, instead of the combination of both odometry and vision errors. 2. The transformation of the spatial uncertainty of objects. This thesis introduces a novel method for translating the spatial un- certainty of objects estimated from a moving frame attached to the robot into the global frame attached to the static landmarks in the environment. 3. The characterization of an improved PDF for representing landmark position in bearing-only SLAM. The proposed PDF is expressed in polar coordinates, and the marginal probability on range is constrained to be uniform. Compared to the PDF estimated from a mixture of Gaussians, the PDF developed here has far fewer parameters and can be easily adopted in a probabilistic framework, such as a particle filtering system. The main advantages of our proposed bearing-only SLAM system are its lower production cost and flexibility of use. The proposed system can be adopted in other domestic robots as well, such as vacuum cleaners or robotic toys when terrain is essentially 2D.

The aim of this diploma thesis is the design of an automatic lawn mower. The design solution is based on innovative concept respecting all technical, ergonomical, aesthetical and ecological demands. A research study, including a historical, technical and design analysis of lawn mower, is preceding the description of main creative part of design process starting from the concept development and ending up with the final solution. A conclusion of the thesis presents an analysis of final solution, its character, contribution to the human society and the particular role of industial design in automatic lawn mower concept.

Background: Robotic lawnmowers are autonomous outdoor mobile robots designed to mow the lawn autonomously. The robotic lawnmower market is rapidly growing and constantly developing. However, adopting robotic lawnmowers on golf courses has been relatively slow due to concerns about game interference, job displacement, and hesitations towards new technology. Factors that caused new challenges for providers in the industry regarding understanding and managing the expectations of professional customers in implementing this technology.    Purpose: Establish how professional golf customers' expectations evolve throughout the customer purchase journey of robotic lawnmowers.    Method: The study is based on the interpretivism paradigm and follows inductive reasoning. By using semi-structured interviews following a purposive sampling approach, qualitative data was created, and an exploratory case study was conducted.    Conclusion: The research developed the current literature on customer purchase journeys and established how customer expectations evolve throughout the journey. Several vital touchpoints were detected, and the study suggests that the customer purchase journey of robotic lawnmowers for professional golf customers has four critical phases: Pre-Purchase, Purchase, Handover, and Post-Purchase. In addition, the findings shed light on how customers' expectations in the purchase journey influenced expectations regarding providers' strategic decision-making.

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No description available.