Sensor data fusion through a distributed blackboard

Abstract

Sensor data fusion takes many forms and has diverse purposes. Sensor data fusion can improve a complex robot's picture of the world and increase its confidence in the truth of that picture. A computing architecture which supports many different schemes for fusing sensor data is necessary to support the activities of complex robots. One such architecture is the distributed blackboard mechanism implemented onboard the USMC Ground Surveillance Robot (GSR) [1]. The distributed blackboard has proven to be a very useful and flexible mechanism through which to accomplish effective sensor data fusion.