TY  - JOUR
A1  - Schiffer, Stefan
A1  - Ferrein, Alexander
A1  - Lakemeyer, Gerhard
T1  - Caesar: an intelligent domestic service robot
JF  - Intelligent service robotics
N2  - In this paper we present CAESAR, an intelligent domestic service robot. In domestic settings for service robots complex tasks have to be accomplished. Those tasks benefit from deliberation, from robust action execution and from flexible methods for human–robot interaction that account for qualitative notions used in natural language as well as human fallibility. Our robot CAESAR deploys AI techniques on several levels of its system architecture. On the low-level side, system modules for localization or navigation make, for instance, use of path-planning methods, heuristic search, and Bayesian filters. For face recognition and human–machine interaction, random trees and well-known methods from natural language processing are deployed. For deliberation, we use the robot programming and plan language READYLOG, which was developed for the high-level control of agents and robots; it allows combining programming the behaviour using planning to find a course of action. READYLOG is a variant of the robot programming language Golog. We extended READYLOG to be able to cope with qualitative notions of space frequently used by humans, such as “near” and “far”. This facilitates human–robot interaction by bridging the gap between human natural language and the numerical values needed by the robot. Further, we use READYLOG to increase the flexible interpretation of human commands with decision-theoretic planning. We give an overview of the different methods deployed in CAESAR and show the applicability of a system equipped with these AI techniques in domestic service robotics
Y1  - 2012
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1007/s11370-012-0118-y
SN  - 1861-2776
N1  - Special Issue on Artificial Intelligence Techniques for Robotics: Sensing, Representation and Action, Part I
VL  - 5
IS  - 4
SP  - 259
EP  - 276
PB  - Springer
CY  - Berlin
ER  - 
TY  - CHAP
A1  - Priede, Gareth
A1  - Ferrein, Alexander
T1  - Towards passive walking for the fully-actuated biped robot Nao
T2  - Emerging trends in computing, informatics, systems sciences, and engineering. (Lecture notes in electrical engineering : vol. 151)
N2  - Many biped robots deploy a form of gait that follows the zero moment point (ZMP) approach, that is, the robot is in a stable position at any point in time. This requires the robot to be fully actuated. While very stable, the draw-backs of this approach are a fairly slow gait and high energy consumption. An alternative approach is the so-called passive-dynamic walking, where the gait makes use of the inertia and dynamic stability of the robot. In this paper we describe our ongoing work of combining the principles of passive-dynamic walking on the fully-actuated biped robot Nao, which is also deployed for robotic soccer applications. We present a simple controller that allows the robot to stably rock sidewards, showing a closed limit-cycle. We discuss first results of superimposing a forward motion on the sidewards motion. Based on this we expect to endow the Nao with a fast, robust, and stable passive-dynamic walk on the fully-actuated Nao in the future.
Y1  - 2013
SN  - 978-1-4614-3557-0 ; 978-1-4614-3558-7
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-3558-7_18
SP  - 225
EP  - 236
PB  - Springer
CY  - New York, NY
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Ferrein, Alexander
A1  - Schiffer, Stefan
A1  - Lakemeyer, Gerhard
T1  - Embedding fuzzy controllers in golog  / Ferrein, Alexander ; Schiffer, Stefan ; Lakemeyer, Gerhard
JF  - IEEE International Conference on Fuzzy Systems, 2009. FUZZ-IEEE 2009
Y1  - 2009
SN  - 978-1-4244-3596-8
SP  - 894
EP  - 899
PB  - IEEE
CY  - New York
ER  - 
TY  - CHAP
A1  - Neumann, Tobias
A1  - Dülberg, Enno
A1  - Schiffer, Stefan
A1  - Ferrein, Alexander
T1  - A rotating platform for swift acquisition of dense 3D point clouds
T2  - Intelligent Robotics and Applications: 9th International Conference, ICIRA 2016, Tokyo, Japan, August 22-24, 2016, Proceedings, Part I
Y1  - 2016
SN  - 978-3-319-43505-3 (Print)
SN  - 978-3-319-43506-0 (Online)
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-43506-0_22
N1  - Series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science (including subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics)
VL  - 9834
SP  - 257
EP  - 268
PB  - Springer
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Ferrein, Alexander
A1  - Fritz, Christian
A1  - Lakemeyer, Gerhard
T1  - On-Line Decision-Theoretic Golog for Unpredictable Domains / Ferrein, Alexander ; Fritz, Christian ; Lakemeyer, Gerhard
JF  - KI 2004: Advances in Artificial Intelligence : 27th Annual German Conference on AI, KI 2004, Ulm, Germany, September 20-24, 2004. Proceedings
Y1  - 2004
N1  - Lecture Notes in Computer Science ; 3238
SP  - 322
EP  - 336
PB  - Springer
CY  - Berlin
ER  - 
TY  - CHAP
A1  - Alhwarin, Faraj
A1  - Ferrein, Alexander
A1  - Scholl, Ingrid
T1  - IR stereo kinect: improving depth images by combining structured light with IR stereo
T2  - PRICAI 2014: Trends in artificial intelligence : 13th Pacific Rim International Conference on Artificial Intelligence : Gold Coast, QLD, Australia, December 1-5, 2014 : proceedings. (Lecture notes in computer science ; vol. 8862)
N2  - RGB-D sensors such as the Microsoft Kinect or the Asus Xtion are inexpensive 3D sensors. A depth image is computed by calculating the distortion of a known infrared light (IR) pattern which is projected into the scene. While these sensors are great devices they have some limitations. The distance they can measure is limited and they suffer from reflection problems on transparent, shiny, or very matte and absorbing objects. If more than one RGB-D camera is used the IR patterns interfere with each other. This results in a massive loss of depth information. In this paper, we present a simple and powerful method to overcome these problems. We propose a stereo RGB-D camera system which uses the pros of RGB-D cameras and combine them with the pros of stereo camera systems. The idea is to utilize the IR images of each two sensors as a stereo pair to generate a depth map. The IR patterns emitted by IR projectors are exploited here to enhance the dense stereo matching even if the observed objects or surfaces are texture-less or transparent. The resulting disparity map is then fused with the depth map offered by the RGB-D sensor to fill the regions and the holes that appear because of interference, or due to transparent or reflective objects. Our results show that the density of depth information is increased especially for transparent, shiny or matte objects.
Y1  - 2014
SN  - 978-3-319-13559-5 (Print) ; 978-3-319-13560-1 (E-Book)
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-13560-1_33
SP  - 409
EP  - 421
PB  - Springer
CY  - München
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Ferrein, Alexander
A1  - Jacobs, Stefan
A1  - Lakemeyer, Gerhard
T1  - Unreal Golog Bots / Jacobs, Stefan ; Ferrein, Alexander ; Lakemeyer, Gerhard
JF  - IJCAI-05 Workshop on Reasoning, Representation, and Learning in Computer Games
Y1  - 2005
SP  - 31
EP  - 36
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Ferrein, Alexander
A1  - Böhnstedt, Lutz
A1  - Lakemeyer, Gerhard
T1  - Options in readylog reloaded -- generating decision-theoretic plan libraries in golog / Böhnstedt, Lutz ; Ferrein, Alexander ; Lakemeyer, Gerhard
JF  - KI 2007: advances in artificial intelligence : 30th Annual German Conference on AI, KI 2007, Osnabrück, Germany, September 10 - 13, 2007 ; proceedings
Y1  - 2007
SN  - 978-3-540-74564-8
N1  - Lecture Notes in Computer Science ; 4667
SP  - 352
EP  - 366
PB  - Springer
CY  - Berlin
ER  - 
TY  - CHAP
A1  - Neumann, Tobias
A1  - Ferrein, Alexander
A1  - Kallweit, Stephan
A1  - Scholl, Ingrid
T1  - Towards a mobile mapping robot for underground mines
T2  - 7th Conference of Robotics and Mechatronics : RobMech 2014 : 27th and 28th Nov. 2014, Cape Town
Y1  - 2014
SP  - 1
EP  - 6
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Ferrein, Alexander
A1  - Meyer, Thomas
T1  - A Brief Overview of Artificial Intelligence in South Africa
JF  - AI Magazine
N2  - South Africa in recent years is the establishment of a number of research hubs involved in AI activities ranging from mobile robotics and computational intelligence, to knowledge representation and reasoning, and human language technologies. In this survey we take the reader through a quick tour of the research being conducted at these hubs, and touch on an initiative to maintain and extend the current level of interest in AI research in the country.
Y1  - 2012
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1609/aimag.v33i1.2357
SN  - 0738-4602
VL  - 33
IS  - 1
SP  - 99
EP  - 101
PB  - AAAI
CY  - Menlo Park
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Schulte-Tigges, Joschua
A1  - Förster, Marco
A1  - Nikolovski, Gjorgji
A1  - Reke, Michael
A1  - Ferrein, Alexander
A1  - Kaszner, Daniel
A1  - Matheis, Dominik
A1  - Walter, Thomas
T1  - Benchmarking of various LiDAR sensors for use in self-driving vehicles in real-world environments
JF  - Sensors
N2  - Abstract
In this paper, we report on our benchmark results of the LiDAR sensors Livox Horizon, Robosense M1, Blickfeld Cube, Blickfeld Cube Range, Velodyne Velarray H800, and Innoviz Pro. The idea was to test the sensors in different typical scenarios that were defined with real-world use cases in mind, in order to find a sensor that meet the requirements of self-driving vehicles. For this, we defined static and dynamic benchmark scenarios. In the static scenarios, both LiDAR and the detection target do not move during the measurement. In dynamic scenarios, the LiDAR sensor was mounted on the vehicle which was driving toward the detection target. We tested all mentioned LiDAR sensors in both scenarios, show the results regarding the detection accuracy of the targets, and discuss their usefulness for deployment in self-driving cars.
KW  - Lidar
KW  - Benchmark
KW  - Self-driving
Y1  - 2022
U6  - https://doi.org/10.3390/s22197146
SN  - 1424-8220
N1  - This article belongs to the Special Issue "Sensor Fusion for Vehicles Navigation and Robotic Systems"
VL  - 22
IS  - 19
PB  - MDPI
CY  - Basel
ER  - 
TY  - CHAP
A1  - Eltester, Niklas Sebastian
A1  - Ferrein, Alexander
A1  - Schiffer, Stefan
T1  - A smart factory setup based on the RoboCup logistics league
T2  - 2020 IEEE Conference on Industrial Cyberphysical Systems (ICPS)
N2  - In this paper we present SMART-FACTORY, a setup for a research and teaching facility in industrial robotics that is based on the RoboCup Logistics League. It is driven by the need for developing and applying solutions for digital production. Digitization receives constantly increasing attention in many areas, especially in industry. The common theme is to make things smart by using intelligent computer technology. Especially in the last decade there have been many attempts to improve existing processes in factories, for example, in production logistics, also with deploying cyber-physical systems. An initiative that explores challenges and opportunities for robots in such a setting is the RoboCup Logistics League. Since its foundation in 2012 it is an international effort for research and education in an intra-warehouse logistics scenario. During seven years of competition a lot of knowledge and experience regarding autonomous robots was gained. This knowledge and experience shall provide the basis for further research in challenges of future production. The focus of our SMART-FACTORY is to create a stimulating environment for research on logistics robotics, for teaching activities in computer science and electrical engineering programmes as well as for industrial users to study and explore the feasibility of future technologies. Building on a very successful history in the RoboCup Logistics League we aim to provide stakeholders with a dedicated facility oriented at their individual needs.
Y1  - 2020
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1109/ICPS48405.2020.9274766
N1  - 2020 IEEE Conference on Industrial Cyberphysical Systems (ICPS), 10-12 June 2020, Tampere, Finland.
SP  - 297
EP  - 302
PB  - IEEE
CY  - New York, NY
ER  - 
TY  - CHAP
A1  - Ferrein, Alexander
A1  - Potgieter, Anet
A1  - Steinbauer, Gerald
T1  - Self-aware robots - What do we need from learning, deliberation, and reactive control?
T2  - HYCAS 2009 : International Workshop on Hybrid Control of Autonomous Systems : Integrating Learning, Deliberation and Reactive Control : Pasadena, Calif., 13 July 2009
Y1  - 2009
SP  - 1
EP  - 5
PB  - AAAI Pr.
ER  - 
TY  - BOOK
A1  - Ferrein, Alexander
A1  - Pauli, J.
A1  - Siebel, N. T.
A1  - Steinbauer, Gerald
T1  - Hybrid control for autonomous systems : [... 1st Workshop on Hybrid Control of Autonomous Systems - Integrating Learning, Deliberation and Reactive Control with the 21st International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence (IJCAI-09), held in Pasadena, CA, in July 2009] / ed. by Alexander Ferrein ...
Y1  - 2009
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Niemüller, Tim
A1  - Ferrein, Alexander
A1  - Eckel, Gerhard
A1  - Pirro, David
A1  - Podbregar, Patrick
A1  - Kellner, Tobias
A1  - Rath, Christoph
A1  - Steinbauer, Gerald
T1  - Providing Ground-truth Data for the Nao Robot Platform
JF  - RoboCup 2010: Robot Soccer World Cup XIV
Y1  - 2011
SN  - 978-3-642-20217-9
N1  - Lecture Notes in Computer Science ; 6556
SP  - 133
EP  - 144
PB  - Springer
CY  - Berlin
ER  - 
TY  - CHAP
A1  - Steinbauer, Gerald
A1  - Ferrein, Alexander
T1  - CogRob 2018 : 
Cognitive Robotics Workshop.
Proceedings of the 11th Cognitive Robotics Workshop 2018
co-located with 16th International Conference on Principles of Knowledge Representation and Reasoning (KR 2018).
Tempe, AZ, USA, October 27th, 2018.
T2  - CEUR workshop proceedings
Y1  - 2019
SN  - 1613-0073
N1  - edited by Gerald Steinbauer, Alexander Ferrein
IS  - Vol-2325
ER  - 
TY  - CHAP
A1  - Donner, Ralf
A1  - Rabel, Matthias
A1  - Scholl, Ingrid
A1  - Ferrein, Alexander
A1  - Donner, Marc
A1  - Geier, Andreas
A1  - John, André
A1  - Köhler, Christian
A1  - Varga, Sebastian
T1  - Die Extraktion bergbaulich relevanter Merkmale aus 3D-Punktwolken eines untertagetauglichen mobilen Multisensorsystems
T2  - Tagungsband Geomonitoring
Y1  - 2019
U6  - https://doi.org/10.15488/4515
SP  - 91
EP  - 110
ER  - 
TY  - CHAP
A1  - Ferrein, Alexander
A1  - Bharatheesha, Mukunda
A1  - Schiffer, Stefan
A1  - Corbato, Carlos Hernandez
T1  - TRROS 2018 :  Teaching Robotics with ROS Workshop at ERF 2018;  Proceedings of the Workshop on Teaching Robotics with ROS (held at ERF 2018), co-located with European Robotics Forum 2018 (ERF 2018), Tampere, Finland, March 15th, 2018
T2  - CEUR Workshop Proceedings
Y1  - 2019
SN  - 1613-0073
IS  - Vol-2329
ER  - 
TY  - CHAP
A1  - Ferrein, Alexander
A1  - Scholl, Ingrid
A1  - Neumann, Tobias
A1  - Krückel, Kai
A1  - Schiffer, Stefan
T1  - A system for continuous underground site mapping and exploration
Y1  - 2019
U6  - https://doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.85859
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Claer, Mario
A1  - Ferrein, Alexander
A1  - Schiffer, Stefan
T1  - Calibration of a Rotating or Revolving Platform with a LiDAR Sensor
JF  - Applied Sciences
Y1  - 2019
U6  - https://doi.org/10.3390/app9112238
SN  - 2076-3417
VL  - Volume 9
IS  - issue 11, 2238
PB  - MDPI
CY  - Basel
ER  - 
TY  - CHAP
A1  - Marco, Heather G.
A1  - Ferrein, Alexander
T1  - AGNES: The African-German Network of Excellence in Science
T2  - Proceedings of the 2nd Developing World Robotics Forum, Workshop at IEEE AFRICON 2017
Y1  - 2017
SP  - 1
EP  - 2
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Schiffer, Stefan
A1  - Ferrein, Alexander
A1  - Lakemeyer, Gerhard
T1  - Proceedings of the Fourth International Conference on Intelligent Robotics and Applications (ICIRA 2011)
JF  - Proceedings of the Fourth International Conference on Intelligent Robotics and Applications (ICIRA 2011)
Y1  - 2010
SP  - 1
EP  - 10
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Ferrein, Alexander
T1  - Planwirtschaft
JF  - Linux Magazin (2004)
Y1  - 2004
SN  - 1432-640X
SP  - 50
EP  - 53
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Steinbauer, Gerald
A1  - Ferrein, Alexander
T1  - 20 Years of RoboCup
JF  - KI - Künstliche Intelligenz
Y1  - 2016
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1007/s13218-016-0442-z
SN  - 1610-1987
VL  - 30
IS  - 3-4
SP  - 221
EP  - 224
PB  - Springer
CY  - Berlin
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Ferrein, Alexander
A1  - Fritz, Christian
A1  - Lakemeyer, Gerhard
T1  - Extending DTGOLOG with Options / Ferrein, Alexander ; Fritz, Christian ; Lakemeyer, Gerhard
JF  - IJCAI-03, Proceedings of the Eighteenth International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence, Acapulco, Mexico, August 9-15, 2003
Y1  - 2003
SP  - 1391
EP  - 1393
ER  - 
TY  - CHAP
A1  - Ferrein, Alexander
A1  - Kallweit, Stephan
A1  - Lautermann, Mark
T1  - Towards an autonomous pilot system for a tunnel boring machine
T2  - 5th Robotics and Mechatronics Conference of South Africa (ROBMECH) : 26 - 27 November 2012 ; CSIR International Conference Centre Gauteng South Africa
Y1  - 2012
SN  - 978-1-4673-5183-6
N1  - Robotics and Mechatronics Conference of South Africa <5, 2012, Johannesburg> ; ROBOMECH <5, 2012, Johannesburg>
PB  - IEEE
CY  - Piscataway, NJ
ER  -