RGB-D Sensors in Social Robotics

This article presents the results of a series of experiments carried out using a Kinect for Windows sensor coupled with dedicated software. The focus of this study is on the use of such devices in the field of social robotics. Two software packages are considered - Microsoft Kinect SDK and OpenNI coupled with NiTE library. Particular emphasis is placed on the parameters affecting the social competencies of a robot, such as the speed of detecting users, the accuracy of establishing position and orientation of a user or stability of the tracking process. Key characteris tics of the evaluated software packages are identified and differences regarding their usage outlined in view of interaction oriented algorithms.