Ensuring security in shopping malls, particularly during the night, demands constant and effective surveillance. However, security teams often face resource limitations, making it challenging to cover large areas and detect suspicious activities such as movements, noises, and the presence of smoke. Additionally, maintaining the accuracy and reliability of security patrols is a significant challenge.
The robot's operation is simple; the first stage is configuration. When it is turned on for the first time, the user must install the application on his cell phone, and to connect to the robot, the QR-Code code embedded in it are read. The user and the robot need to be connected to a Wi-Fi, not necessarily to the same though.
After logging in, the user can see the robot's battery status and access its camera; the user can also set up a route. Before starting the mapping, the user must go to the marker generation tab, download and print the files with the codes, position them at the height of the robot's camera (approximately 50cm), using the correct marking sequence. For best efficiency, the ArUco Markers must be positioned a maximum of 10 meters away from each other.
When starting the route configuration, the user will control the robot via the app. It will have the options of moving around and making a complete turn with the camera, both of which are triggered by buttons on the device's screen. When you select the full camera scan option, an ArUco Marker will be marked on the map at that position and the number of the marker will be saved. If this distance is exceeded, the application will issue an alert notifying the user of a possible mapping problem. To finish the route, the robot must be in the same place where the mapping started. Without the ArUco Markers in the correct positions and sequence, the robot's surveillance mode will not work.
The recorded route consists of a sequence of ArUco Markers and actions; encoders in the motors will ensure that the robot always travels approximately the distance it was traveling at the time of recording. A compass module will also be used to help the robot steer itself, so that it is always on the right path and in the right direction.
Once the recording is complete, the user can put the robot into surveillance mode by going to the "Configured Routes" section in the app, selecting the desired route, positioning the robot on one of the ArUco Markers on the route, and pressing the "Start" button in the app. At this point the robot will start repeating the route, in a circular pattern, detecting movement, smoke and noises. If anything unusual is detected, the robot's audible alarm will activate and an alert will be sent to the cell phone to which the robot is linked.
The route cycle works in such a way that you can select the amount of time the robot will spend taking the route, always bearing in mind that the robot has the autonomy to work for 8 hours before needing to be recharged.
If the robot loses communication with the application due to lack of internet connection, low battery, or a system failure, the last ArUco Marker scanned by the robot will be saved in the application. If the response time between scans is much longer than stipulated during routing, a notification will be sent to the application alerting about potential obstacles.
During the mapping stage, if the user presses the camera rotation button and the robot doesn't find the marker, the user will be alerted by the application. The user must then try to reposition the robot, using the app's controls, so that it can read the ArUco Marker.
During the mapping stage, the user must not physically move the robot, as this will affect the mapping control parameters, making it impossible to follow the route.
To ensure the necessary precision, each time the robot encounters an ArUco Marker it will position itself at a fixed distance from the marker that will be calculated using the size of the marker read and processed by the camera. This will happen every time an ArUco Marker is read in both the configuration and surveillance phases.
An ArUco tag is a type of 2D barcode used in computer vision and robotics. It consists of a unique pattern of white squares within a black border, which can be detected and recognized by cameras to track an object's position and orientation in the real world. It's commonly used for tasks like robot localization and augmented reality applications.