A hybrid technique to supply indoor service robots

Service robots are extensively installed with end-effectors, which require high energy to achieve a specific task. Robots require high-power energy sources that can meet several goals simultaneously. Given the technology of today a battery-driven robot cannot work for long on a single charge. To develop a new powerful battery technology may take many years. In this paper we present a dual-energized scheme called Hybrid Power Supply (HYPOS) that integrates the function of batteries and household electric system to supply power to a robot. This technique can be realized by the existing technology and is applicable to a variety of indoor applications. The paper includes the description of the prototype robot and the experiments that illustrate the effectiveness and practicalness of this proposed system.