Title: Person Following by Autonomous Robots: A Categorical Overview,
Abstract: A wide range of human-robot collaborative applications in industry, search
and rescue operations, healthcare, and social interactions require an
autonomous robot to follow its human companion. Different operating mediums and
applications pose diverse challenges by adding constraints on the choice of
sensors, the degree of autonomy, and dynamics of the person following robot.
Researchers have addressed these challenges in many ways and contributed to the
development of a large body of literature. This paper provides a comprehensive
overview of the literature by categorizing different aspects of
person-following by autonomous robots. Also, the corresponding operational
challenges are identified based on various design choices for ground,
underwater, and aerial scenarios. In addition, state-of-the-art methods for
perception, planning, control, and interaction are elaborately discussed, and
their feasibilities are evaluated in terms of standard operational and
performance metrics. Furthermore, several prospective application areas are
identified, and open problems are highlighted for future research.