From: 2024-06-05 11:00 to 12:00
Place: Seminar Room M 3170-73 at Dept. of Automatic Control, LTH
Contact: bjorn [dot] olofsson [at] control [dot] lth [dot] se

Date & Time: June 5th, 11:00 - 12:00
Location: Seminar Room M 3170-73 at Dept. of Automatic Control, LTH 
Author: Johanna Häggström Wedding and Ella Thunborg
Title: Robotised Guard Tours in Security Systems
Supervisor: Björn Olofsson and Mathias Haage
Examiner: Karl-Erik Årzén

Abstract:
With the growing market for enhanced security combined with recent advancements in robotic technology, the possibility of integrating these two fields is of considerable interest. While traditional surveillance relies on mounted cameras and scheduled guard tours by humans, the next step would be to use a robot to complement a person in such systems. This project explores the integration of autonomous robotics into security systems by developing and implementing a robotic guard tour using Boston Dynamics' Spot robot. An external thermal camera and computer vision algorithms were used to monitor the environment and respond to anomalies. Utilising Spot's existing capability, the primary objective was to evaluate the robot's ability to dynamically alter its pre-defined inspection route based on real-time sensor input, specifically the detection of anomalies. 

Results, gathered at the Mechanical Engineering building at LTH and the Vipan construction site in Lund, show that the robot effectively adjusted its routes in response to detected anomalies, demonstrating enhanced surveillance capabilities. The findings in different settings—LTH’s controlled environment versus the dynamically changing conditions at the construction site—proved that the robot could successfully conduct guard tours under both constant and variable conditions. The use of behaviour trees enabled decision-making and route management, suggesting potential improvements for future deployments to achieve more dynamic and autonomous surveillance operations. This thesis highlights the adaptability of autonomous robotic systems in complex and dynamic environments.