Variable Autonomy for Robot Control (228)

Control Architecture

Created a software architecture called Levels of Autonomy that allows robot and operator to share control at different levels. At each level amount of control required by the human and robot change. At highest level robot is fully autonomous, lowest level is pure teleoperation. The five levels of autonomy are:

• Mapping Autonomy: Human in complete control of actions (teleop), robot passively maps area.
• Supportive Autonomy: Human in complete control, robot passively maps and suggests actions. (Like a backseat driver)
• Safeguarded Autonomy: Human provides commands, robot prevents commands that would damage it.
• Waypoint Autonomy: Human provides waypoints for robot to visit, robot plans paths to waypoints and drives there autonomously.
• Decision Autonomy: Robot is fully autonomous. Human only provides mission goal.