SwisTrack: A Tracking Tool for Multi-Unit Robotic and Biological Systems

— Tracking of miniature robotic platforms involves major challenges in image recognition and data association. We present our 3-year effort into developing the platform-independent, easy-to-use, and robust tracking software SwisTrack, which is tailored to research in swarm robotics and behavioral biology. We demonstrate the software and algorithms abilities using two case studies, tracking of a swarm of cockroaches, and a swarm-robotic inspection task, while outlining hard problems in tracking and data-association of marker-less objects. Tracking accuracy of a moving robot with respect to camera noise and the calibration model are calculated experimentally. Its open, platform-independent architecture, and easy-to-use interfaces (MatlabTM , JavaTM , and C++), allowing for (distributed) post-processing of trajectory data online, make the software highly adaptive to particular research projects without changes to the source code. SwisTrack is publicly available on Sourceforge.net under ...

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2006
• Where: IROS
• Authors: Nikolaus Correll, Grégory Sempo, Yuri López de Meneses, José Halloy, J.-L. Denebourg, Alcherio Martinoli
• Keywords: IROS 2006, Miniature Robotic Platforms, OSI Adaptive License, Robotics, Robust Tracking Software