Autonomous agent navigation based on textural analysis

Abstract

First and foremost I would like to thank Katherine Meiszer, my fiance, for her support, encouragement, and love. I would also like to thank my parents for their advice and guidance throughout my life. Special thanks go to Dr. A. Antonio Arroyo for introducing me to the field of robotics and inspiring me to continue with my graduate education. Thanks go to Michael C. Nechyba for sharing his knowledge and time. Thanks go to Dr. Eric M. Schwartz for the use of his yard for the collection of lawn image data. Thanks also go to Dr. Carl D. Crane III for providing me with a research assistantship, thus allowing this research to reach fruition. Thanks also go to Donald MacArthur and Erica Zawodny for their assistance with the Eliminator mobile robot platform. Finally, thanks go to all the members of the Machine Intelligence Laboratory for all their friendship and support.