A Segmentation System for Soccer Robot Based on Neural Networks

An innovative technique for segmentation of color images is proposed. The technique implements an approach based on thresholding of the hue histogram and a feed-forward neural network that learns to recognize the hue ranges of meaningful objects. A new function for detecting valleys of the histogram has been devised and tested. A novel blurring algorithm for noise reduction that works effectively when used over hue image has been employed. The reported experimental results show that the technique is reliable and robust even in presence of changing environmental conditions. Extended experimentation has been carried on the framework of the Robot Soccer World Cup Initiative (RoboCup).