Line-of-Sight Visual Target Tracking via Particle-Based Belief Propagation

This paper considers the problem of controlling a team of camera-equipped robots to ensure a mobile human target is observed by at least one robot at all times. We focus on determining team trajectories over a fixed time horizon such that the human target is in at least one robot's field of view even while the line of sight to the target can be obstructed by obstacles. Our approach to solving this problem lies in using a particle-based Belief Propagation method to estimate the most likely poses for each robot over time such that the visual tracking requirement is satisfied. Our approach is validated in simulation studies and an experimental trial where a human target must be tracked by a pair of miniature autonomous robot blimps.