An Embedded System for Tracking Human Motion and Humanoid Interfaces

The aim of this research is using embedded CPU to develop a human motion tracking system and construct a motion replication interface for a humanoid robot. In the motion tracking system, we use a CPLD (Complex Programmable Logic Device) which is built in a central control unit (CCU) to generate synchronous signals for all the periphery devices and control the data flow from CCD boards to a PC via a USB chip. An embedded DSP on the CCD board is adopted to control the CCD exposure and conduct image processing. The peak position of exposure was computed by the on-board DSP within sub-pixel accuracy. In the construction of a motion replication interface, the same CCU is used to generate the PWM signals to drive the motors of the humanoid robot. All of the respective firmware coding methods are discussed in this article.