RR:MACNet: Mobile Ad-hoc Camera Networks

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This project, developing an experimental testbed to work on different aspects of control and sensing for mobile networks of cameras and microphones, envisions a system of cameras, MACNet, moving in three dimensions enabling a Mobile Ad Hoc Camera Network. The development of this testbed provides the experimental infrastructure for the following interdisciplinary projects: Monitoring, Evaluation, and Assessment for Geriatric Health Care, Assistive Technology for People with Disabilities, Digital Anthropology, and Visual Servoing for Coordinating Aerial and Ground Robots.MACNet cameras will be used to track patients and salient dynamic features for the 1st project. MACNet will simulate intelligent homes and museums with active cameras providing feedback to smart wheelchairs and providing information about target areas in the 2nd Project. MACNet will allow datasets of video to be acquired and analyzed for three-dimensional reconstruction and archiving in the 3rdProject; and for the last project, MACNet will provide dynamic platforms with cameras which will simulate aerial vehicles to track, localize, and coordinate with existing ground based autonomous vehicles with applications to surveillance and monitoring for homeland security. Finally, MACNet will be used as a testbed for research on distributed active vision, a theme that will bring together all researchers.Broader Impact: The results will be directly applicable to a large class of problems in which communication, control, and sensing are coupled, with applications in smart homes, communities for assistive living, and surveillance and monitoring of homeland security. This cross-fertilization will contribute to train students with broader perspectives and potential new approaches to problem solving. The lab will be used by students and the institutions will leverage existing outreach programs in which both faculty and students participate, such as Robotics for Girls and PRIME.