An intelligent (semi-)autonomous passenger transportation system

We describe the hardware design and the control and navigation system of a (semi-)autonomous robot vehicle whose primary task is the transportation of people in crowded public environments. The system was initially designed as a robotic wheelchair for elderly and disabled people, called the MAid (mobility aid for elderly and disabled people). One of MAid's core functions is deliberative autonomous locomotion in rapidly changing, large-scale environments, such as shopping malls or concourses of airports or railway stations, where tens or hundreds of people and objects are moving around. MAid's performance was tested in the central station of Ulm, Germany, during rash-hour, and in the exhibition halls of the Hannover Messe '98. MAid navigation and control system is currently being extended such that it could be used as a people taxi in airports, for example.