Autonomous Service Robotics

Autonomous robotics emerged as a research and development field nearly forty years ago, but only fifteen years ago, after the DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency of the United States Department of Defense) challenge, autonomous mobile systems started to be considered as a solution to the transportation and service problem. This chapter is focused on autonomous (i.e., robotic) vehicles used as human transportation service from two points of view: on one hand, the autonomous vehicle that leads to intelligent transportation systems; on the other hand, autonomous vehicles used for rehabilitation or for enhancing mobility capabilities of their users. Both perspectives of autonomous systems are linked by the use of rapid prototyping techniques, aimed at converting a previously commercial product into a robotic system with a specific transportation usage. This chapter shows, in particular, two cases: two electric commercial vehicles (one golf cart and one car) converted into an autonomous robot for transporting people in cities or for executing specific tasks in sites; and an assistive vehicle (an electric scooter) used by people with reduced mobility. The design of the different components needed to achieve such automation is shown in detail herein.