Preliminary Indoor Coefficient of Friction Estimation Using Wheeled Robot

Slips, Trips, and Falls (STFs) are a leading cause of injury, often resulting from inadequate walking surface friction. This paper presents a method for estimating the coefficient of friction (CoF) of indoor surfaces using a wheeled skid-steer mobile robot and explores how robotic CoF estimates can enhance environmental safety assessments. Relative differences in CoF are estimated using wheel slip and torque measurements across different surfaces through the force-slip relationship. The proposed method utilizes onboard motor current sensing, and robot velocity measurements to derive relative CoF estimates during braking maneuvers on indoor surfaces. Results demonstrate the viability of employing a robot in the home and retail spaces for STF mitigation through CoF estimation as an auxiliary task.