Tracking of Objects in Intelligent Space Using Laser Range Finders

In this paper we present an approach to tracking of humans and mobile robots in spaces with ubiquitous distributed sensors and actuators - Intelligent Spaces. In order to be able to implement services that depend on the position of humans, a reliable tracking method is needed. Also, for the implementation of mobile robot control it is important to know both the robot's and human's positions. In this work we present an implementation based on laser range finders. First, a short survey of the existing tracking methods, and their applicability to tracking of objects in intelligent environments is presented. Based on those results, we chose laser range finders for measurement. The method we use is based on clustering of the foreground of the measurement and tracking the position using a Kalman filter. Experimental results of tracking mobile robots and humans are given which confirm the applicability of the presented method.