Web-based mobile robot platform for real-time exercises Seref Sagiroglu a, , Nihat Yilmaz b a Department of Computer Engineering, Faculty of Engineering-Architecture, Gazi University, Maltepe, 06570 Ankara, Turkey b Department of Electrical-Electronics Engineering, Faculty of Engineering-Architecture, Selcuk University, Konya, Turkey Abstract This paper introduces a new vision-based and web-based mobile robot platform. The platform consists of control and communication centers, a mobile robot and real-time support libraries. All activities in the platform are achieved by only computer vision techniques. The platform provides monitoring, tele-controlling and programming for real-time educational exercises and helps to the users to achieve these exercises through a standard web browser without any need for additional support software. The results have shown that the pro- posed, designed and implemented platform provide amazing new facilities and features to the users (students and researchers) in applying their real-time exercises on web. Ó 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords: Web-based; Real-time; Exercises; Platform; Design 1. Introduction Recent developments in web technologies force tradi- tional approaches to be supported by new strategies, approaches and challenges in many applications (Guimar- aes et al., 2005; Halme, Leppanen, Suomela, Ylonen, & Kettunen, 2003; Hu, Yu, Tsui, & Zhou, 2001; Jacobsen et al., 2004; Marin, Sanz, & Del Pobil, 2003; Saucy & Mon- dada, 2000; Schilling, Roth, & Splica, 2005; Stein, 2000). In those, remote experiments have been mostly achieved. Remote and web-based laboratories are literally exploding new techniques and approaches increasingly adopted for education. First generation of web-based robot laborato- ries, named as tele-robot is mainly based on manipulators (robotic arms) or simple mobile robots that are directly controlled by human operators while second generation of web-based robot laboratories operates for uncertain environment and autonomic activities (Oboe, 2001; Robi- nette & Manseur, 2001; Rosch, Schilling, & Roth, 2002). The key features of second generation web based robotic laboratories are their adjustable or programmable struc- tures, which enable them to be used for educational and scientific purposes in the real-world environments (Kuc, Jackson, & Kuc, 2004; Patel, Sanyal, & Sobh, 2006; Pipe & Carse, 2007; Schilling et al., 2005; Simmons, Fernandez, Goodwin, Koenig, & O’Sullivan, 2000). The mobile robots used in second generation robot laboratories have been equipped with touch sensors, range meter sensors, proxim- ity sensors, contrast sensors, cameras, and sound synthe- sizer for realizing activities automatically. Thus, the information acquired from sensors can be used to monitor results or provides feedback for control or other purposes. The cameras are used for monitoring the robot actions. But, direct use of camera for robot motion control is sel- dom at web-based laboratories. The reasons are that vision-based web-robot applications require real-time con- trol, real-time image processing, high bandwidths to trans- fer raw or processed images to the user platform and a human operator; it might also cause delay in operation (Smith & Hashtrudi-Zaad, 2006; Trahanias et al., 2005), programs for robot vision can not be changed through web interface (Kwon, Rauniar, Chiou, & Sosa, 2006; Marin et al., 2003). 0957-4174/$ - see front matter Ó 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.eswa.2008.01.046 Corresponding author. Tel./fax: +90 312 2306503. E-mail addresses: ss@gazi.edu.tr (S. Sagiroglu), nyilmaz@selcuk.edu.tr (N. Yilmaz). www.elsevier.com/locate/eswa Available online at www.sciencedirect.com Expert Systems with Applications 36 (2009) 3153–3166 Expert Systems with Applications