How a mobile robot selects landmarks to make a decision based on an information criterion

Abstract

Most current mobile robots are designed to determine their actions according to their positions. Before making a decision, they need to localize themselves. Thus, their observation strategies are mainly for self-localization. However, observation strategies should not only be for self-localization but also for decision making. We propose an observation strategy that enables a mobile robot to make a decision. It enables a robot equipped with a limited viewing angle camera to make decisions without self-localization. A robot can make a decision based on a decision tree and on prediction trees of observations constructed from its experiences. The trees are constructed based on an information criterion for the action decision, not for self-localization or state estimation. The experimental results with a four legged robot are shown and discussed.