A simple yet smart head module for mobile manipulators*

Mobile manipulators working in semi-structured human environments need smart vision capabilities to perceive the world and interact with human operators. With this purpose in mind, this paper presents the development of a robotic head module composed of an OAK-D camera mounted on a pan-and-tilt WidowX XM430 structure. The OAK-D camera provides high-resolution images, including stereo vision and depth sensing, and advanced capabilities based on embedded artificial intelligence functions. These features combined with the high-range motion of the WidowX XM430, allow the head module to have advanced visual tracking capabilities. The implementation has been done using ROS (Robot Operating System), which allows the head module to be easily integrated to any mobile manipulator.