An autonomous human following caddie robot with high-level driving functions

Nowadays, mobile robot platforms are utilized in various fields not only for transportation but also for other diverse services such as industrial, medical and, sports, etc. Mobile robots are also an emerging application as sports field robots, where they can help serve players or even play the games. In this paper, a novel caddie robot which can autonomously follow the golfer as well as provide useful information such as golf course navigation system and weather updates, is introduced. The locomotion of the caddie robot is designed with two modes: autonomous human following mode and manual driving mode. The transition between each mode can be achieved manually or by an algorithm based on the velocity, heading angle, and inclination of the ground surface. Moreover, the transition to manual mode is activated after a caddie robot has recognized the human intention input by hand. In addition, the advanced control algorithm along with a trajectory generator for the caddie robot are developed taking into consideration the locomotion modes. Experimental results show that the proposed strategies to drive various operating modes are efficient and the robot is verified to be utilized in the golf course.