An enhanced CSLAM for multi-robot based on unscented kalman filter

This paper proposes an unscented Kalman filter (UKF) based coordinative, simultaneous localization and mapping (CSLAM) system, in which robots share common mapping information. The SLAM information obtained by a master robot is shared with slave robots, which estimate only their own localizations using comparatively simple sensors. The behavior of the slave robots depends on the reconstructed CSLAM using information transmitted by the master robot. The proposed process reduces the processing burden of the slave robots, which results in a reduction of the calculation time and the complexity of their hardware system. By comparing the proposed algorithm with some conventional methods in terms of system stability, the efficiency of the proposed method is verified.     

基于栈式卷积自编码的视觉SLAM闭环检测

同时定位与构图(SLAM)主要用于解决移动机器人在未知环境中进行地图构建和导航的问题,是移动机器人实现自主移动的基础.闭环检测是视觉SLAM的关键步骤,对构建一致性地图和减少位姿累积误差具有重要作用.当前的闭环检测方法通常采用传统的SIFT、SURF等特征,很容易受到环境影响,为了提高闭环检测的准确性和鲁棒性,提出基于无监督栈式卷积自编码(CAEs)模型的特征提取方法,运用训练好的CAEs卷积神经网络对输入图像进行学习,将输出的特征应用于闭环检测.实验结果表明:与传统的BoW方法及其他基于深度学习模型的方法相比,所提出的算法能够有效降低图像特征的维数并改善特征描述的效果,可以在机器人SLAM闭环检测环节获得更好的精确性和鲁棒性.     

Appearance-based mapping and localization for mobile robots using a feature stability histogram

The strength of appearance-based mapping models for mobile robots lies in their ability to represent the environment through high-level image features and to provide human-readable information. However, developing a mapping and a localization method using these kinds of models is very challenging, especially if robots must deal with long-term mapping, localization, navigation, occlusions, and dynamic environments. In other words, the mobile robot has to deal with environmental appearance change, which modifies its representation of the environment. This paper proposes an indoor appearance-based mapping and a localization method for mobile robots based on the human memory model, which was used to build a Feature Stability Histogram (FSH) at each node in the robot topological map. This FSH registers local feature stability over time through a voting scheme, and the most stable features were considered for mapping, for Bayesian localization and for incrementally updating the current appearance reference view in the topological map. The experimental results are presented using an omnidirectional images dataset acquired over the long-term and considering: illumination changes (time of day, different seasons), occlusions, random removal of features, and perceptual aliasing. The results include a comparison with the approach proposed by Dayoub and Duckett (2008) [19] and the popular Bag-of-Words (Bazeille and Filliat, 2010) [35] approach. The obtained results confirm the viability of our method and indicate that it can adapt the internal map representation over time to localize the robot both globally and locally.     

Appearance-based mapping using minimalistic sensor models

This paper addresses the problem of localization and map construction by a mobile robot in an indoor environment. Instead of trying to build high-fidelity geometric maps, we focus on constructing topological maps as they are less sensitive to poor odometry estimates and position errors. We propose a modification to the standard SLAM algorithm in which the assumption that the robots can obtain metric distance/bearing information to landmarks is relaxed. Instead, the robot registers a distinctive sensor “signature”, based on its current location, which is used to match robot positions. In our formulation of this non-linear estimation problem, we infer implicit position measurements from an image recognition algorithm. We propose a method for incrementally building topological maps for a robot which uses a panoramic camera to obtain images at various locations along its path and uses the features it tracks in the images to update the topological map. The method is very general and does not require the environment to have uniquely distinctive features. Two algorithms are implemented to address this problem. The Iterated form of the Extended Kalman Filter (IEKF) and a batch-processed linearized ML estimator are compared under various odometric noise models.

基于激光雷达与双目视觉的移动机器人SLAM研究

为解决移动机器人在环境未知条件下,利用单一传感器自主导航时不能及时定位、构建地图不精确的问题,提出采用一种改进RBPF算法,在计算提议分布时将移动机器人的观测数据(视觉信息与激光雷达信息)和里程计信息融合;针对一般视觉图像特征点提取算法较慢的问题,采用基于ORB算法对视觉图像进行处理以加快视觉图像处理速度的方法;最后通过在安装有开源机器人操作系统(ROS)的履带式移动机器人进行实验,验证了采用该方法可构建可靠性更高、更精确的2D栅格图,提高了移动机器人SLAM的鲁棒性.     

基于协助校正方法的多机器人主动同时定位与建图

协作策略是多机器人主动同时定位与建图(SLAM)的关键。文中提出一种多机器人相互校正的协作策略, 称为协助校正。 该方法通过优化机器人对陆标的观测来提高定位与建图的精度, 共包括弱协助校正和强协助校正两种模式。 前者是一种间接的协助模式, 可应用于所有机器人自身定位均不准确的情形。 后者是一种直接的协助模式, 由自身定位精度较高的机器人主动校正其它机器人及相应陆标。 文中将这两种协助校正模式利用状态机统一到多机器人主动SLAM应用中。在仿真实验中将协助校正与其它多机器人主动SLAM方法进行对比以验证其精度优势, 并与单机器人主动SLAM对比以验证其导航代价极低的优势。最后在两台Poineer3-DX移动机器人上进行真实环境实验,实验结果证实协助校正方法可在实际应用中有效提高多机器人主动SLAM的探索效率和精度。     

基于局部熵的SLAM视觉里程计优化算法

针对移动机器人视觉同步定位与地图创建中由于相机大角度转动造成的帧间匹配失败以及跟踪丢失等问题, 提出了一种基于局部图像熵的细节增强视觉里程计优化算法. 建立图像金字塔, 划分图像块进行均匀化特征提取, 根据图像块的信息熵判断其信息量大小, 将对比度低以及梯度变化小的图像块进行删除, 减小图像特征点计算量. 对保留的图像块进行亮度自适应调整, 增强局部图像细节, 尽可能多地提取能够表征图像信息的局部特征点作为相邻帧匹配以及关键帧匹配的关联依据. 结合姿态图优化方法对位姿累计误差进行局部和全局优化, 进一步提高移动机器人系统性能. 采用TUM数据集测试验证, 由于提取了更能反映物体纹理以及形状的特征属性, 本文算法的运动跟踪成功率最高可提升至60 % 以上, 并且测量的轨迹误差、平移误差以及转动误差都有所降低. 与目前ORB-SLAM2系统相比, 本文提出的算法不但提高了移动机器人视觉定位精度, 而且满足实时SLAM的应用需要.     

Topological map-based approach for localization and mapping memory optimization

Robotics in agriculture faces several challenges, such as the unstructured characteristics of the environments, variability of luminosity conditions for perception systems, and vast field extensions. To implement autonomous navigation systems in these conditions, robots should be able to operate during large periods and travel long trajectories. For this reason, it is essential that simultaneous localization and mapping algorithms can perform in large-scale and long-term operating conditions. One of the main challenges for these methods is maintaining low memory resources while mapping extensive environments. This work tackles this issue, proposing a localization and mapping approach called VineSLAM that uses a topological mapping architecture to manage the memory resources required by the algorithm. This topological map is a graph-based structure where each node is agnostic to the type of data stored, enabling the creation of a multilayer mapping procedure. Also, a localization algorithm is implemented, which interacts with the topological map to perform access and search operations. Results show that our approach is aligned with the state-of-the-art regarding localization precision, being able to compute the robot pose in long and challenging trajectories in agriculture. In addition, we prove that the topological approach innovates the state-of-the-art memory management. The proposed algorithm requires less memory than the other benchmarked algorithms, and can maintain a constant memory allocation during the entire operation. This consists of a significant innovation, since our approach opens the possibility for the deployment of complex 3D SLAM algorithms in real-world applications without scale restrictions.     

基于主动环形闭合约束的移动机器人分层同时定位和地图创建

基于Rao-Blackwellized粒子滤波器提出了一种基于主动闭环策略的移动机器人分层同时定位和地图创建(simultaneous localization and mapping,SLAM)方法,基于信息熵的主动闭环策略同时考虑机器人位姿和地图的不确定性;局部几何特征地图之间的相对关系通过一致性算法估计,并通过环形闭合约束的最小化过程回溯修正.在仅有单目视觉和里程计的基础上,建立了鲁棒的感知模型;通过有效的尺度不变特征变换(scale invariant feature transform,SIFT)方法提取环境特征,基于KD-Tree的最近邻搜索算法实现特征匹配.实际实验表明该方法为实现SLAM提供了一种有效可靠的途径.     

Concurrent localization of multiple robots

A concurrent localization method for multiple robots using ultrasonic beacons is proposed. This method provides a high-accuracy solution using only low-price sensors. To measure the distance of a mobile robot from a beacon at a known position, the mobile robot alerts one beacon to send out an ultrasonic signal to measure the traveling time from the beacon to the mobile robot. When multiple robots requiring localization are moving in the same block, it is necessary to have a schedule to choose the measuring sequence in order to overcome constant ultrasonic signal interference among robots. However, the increased time delay needed to estimate the positions of multiple robots degrades the localization accuracy. To solve this problem, we propose an efficient localization algorithm for multiple robots, where the robots are in groups of one master robot and several slave robots. In this method, when a master robot calls a beacon, all the group robots simultaneously receive an identical ultrasonic signal to estimate their positions. The effectiveness of the proposed algorithm has been verified through experiments.     

Simultaneous Localization and Mapping Using Rao-Blackwellized Particle Filters in Multi Robot Systems

In this paper we investigate the problem of Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) for a multi robot system. Relaxing some assumptions that characterize related work we propose an application of Rao-Blackwellized Particle Filters (RBPF) for the purpose of cooperatively estimating SLAM posterior. We consider a realistic setup in which the robots start from unknown initial poses (relative locations are unknown too), and travel in the environment in order to build a shared representation of the latter. The robots are required to exchange a small amount of information only when a rendezvous event occurs and to measure relative poses during the meeting. As a consequence the approach also applies when using an unreliable wireless channel or short range communication technologies (bluetooth, RFId, etc.). Moreover it allows to take into account the uncertainty in relative pose measurements. The proposed technique, which constitutes a distributed solution to the multi robot SLAM problem, is further validated through simulations and experimental tests.     

Vision-Based Kidnap Recovery with SLAM for Home Cleaning Robots

Emerged as salient in the recent home appliance consumer market is a new generation of home cleaning robot featuring the capability of Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM). SLAM allows a cleaning robot not only to self-optimize its work paths for efficiency but also to self-recover from kidnappings for user convenience. By kidnapping, we mean that a robot is displaced, in the middle of cleaning, without its SLAM aware of where it moves to. This paper presents a vision-based kidnap recovery with SLAM for home cleaning robots, the first of its kind, using a wheel drop switch and an upward-looking camera for low-cost applications. In particular, a camera with a wide-angle lens is adopted for a kidnapped robot to be able to recover its pose on a global map with only a single image. First, the kidnapping situation is effectively detected based on a wheel drop switch. Then, for an efficient kidnap recovery, a coarse-to-fine approach to matching the image features detected with those associated with a large number of robot poses or nodes, built as a map in graph representation, is adopted. The pose ambiguity, e.g., due to symmetry is taken care of, if any. The final robot pose is obtained with high accuracy from the fine level of the coarse-to-fine hierarchy by fusing poses estimated from a chosen set of matching nodes. The proposed method was implemented as an embedded system with an ARM11 processor on a real commercial home cleaning robot and tested extensively. Experimental results show that the proposed method works well even in the situation in which the cleaning robot is suddenly kidnapped during the map building process.     

Master-followed Multiple Robots Cooperation SLAM Adapted to Search and Rescue Environment

The master-followed multiple robots interactive cooperation simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) schemes were designed in this paper, which adapts to search and rescue (SAR) cluttered environments. In our multi-robots SLAM, the proposed algorithm estimates each of multiple robots’ current local sub-map, in this occasion, a particle represents each of moving multi-robots, and simultaneously, also represents the pose of a motion robot. The trajectory of the robot’s movement generated a local sub-map; the sub-maps can be looked on as the particles. Each robot efficiently forms a local sub-map; the global map integrates over these local sub-maps; identifying SAR objects of interest, in which, each of multi-robots acts as local-level features collector. Once the object of interest (OOI) is detected, the location in the global map could be determined by the SLAM. The designed multi-robot SLAM architecture consists of PC remote control center, a master robot, and multi-followed robots. Through mobileRobot platform, the master robot controls multi-robots team, the multiple robots exchange information with each other, and then performs SLAM tasks; the PC remote control center can monitor multi-robot SLAM process and provide directly control for multi-robots, which guarantee robots conducting safety in harsh SAR environments. This SLAM method has significantly improved the objects identification, area coverage rate and loop-closure, and the corresponding simulations and experiments validate the significant effects.     

Real-time hierarchical stereo Visual SLAM in large-scale environments

In this paper we present a new real-time hierarchical (topological/metric) Visual SLAM system focusing on the localization of a vehicle in large-scale outdoor urban environments. It is exclusively based on the visual information provided by a cheap wide-angle stereo camera. Our approach divides the whole map into local sub-maps identified by the so-called fingerprints (vehicle poses). At the sub-map level (low level SLAM), 3D sequential mapping of natural landmarks and the robot location/orientation are obtained using a top-down Bayesian method to model the dynamic behavior. A higher topological level (high level SLAM) based on fingerprints has been added to reduce the global accumulated drift, keeping real-time constraints. Using this hierarchical strategy, we keep the local consistency of the metric sub-maps, by mean of the EKF, and global consistency by using the topological map and the MultiLevel Relaxation (MLR) algorithm. Some experimental results for different large-scale outdoor environments are presented, showing an almost constant processing time.     

Generalized measuring-worm algorithm: high-accuracy mapping and movement via cooperating swarm robots

Recently, many extensive studies have been conducted on robot control via self-positioning estimation techniques. In the simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) method, which is one approach to self-positioning estimation, robots generally use both autonomous position information from internal sensors and observed information on external landmarks. SLAM can yield higher accuracy positioning estimations depending on the number of landmarks; however, this technique involves a degree of uncertainty and has a high computational cost, because it utilizes image processing to detect and recognize landmarks. To overcome this problem, we propose a state-of-the-art method called a generalized measuring-worm (GMW) algorithm for map creation and position estimation, which uses multiple cooperating robots that serve as moving landmarks for each other. This approach allows problems of uncertainty and computational cost to be overcome, because a robot must find only a simple two-dimensional marker rather than feature-point landmarks. In the GMW method, the robots are given a two-dimensional marker of known shape and size and use a front-positioned camera to determine the marker distance and direction. The robots use this information to estimate each other’s positions and to calibrate their movement. To evaluate the proposed method experimentally, we fabricated two real robots and observed their behavior in an indoor environment. The experimental results revealed that the distance measurement and control error could be reduced to less than 3 %.     

Into the dirt: Datasets of sewer networks with aerial and ground platforms

This paper presents an unprecedented set of data in a challenging underground environment: the visitable sewers of Barcelona. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first data set involving ground and aerial robots in such scenario: the sewer inspection autonomous robot (SIAR) ground robot and the autonomous robot for sewer inspection aerial platform. These platforms captured data from a great variety of sensors, including sequences of red green blue‐depth (RGB‐D) images with their onboard cameras. The set consists of 14 logs of experiments that were obtained in more than 10 different days and in four different locations. The complete length of the experiments in the data set exceeds 5 km. In addition, we provide the users with a partial ground‐truth and baselines of the localization of the platforms, which can be used for testing their localization and simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) algorithms. We also provide details on the setup and execution of each mission and a partial labeling of the elements found in the sewers. All the data were recorded by using the rosbag tool from robot operating system framework. Our goal is to make the data available to the scientific community as a benchmark to test localization, SLAM and classification algorithms in underground environments. The data set are available at https://robotics.upo.es/datasets/echord .     

一种改进的多机器人协作实时FastSLAM算法

针对FastSLAM1.0中机器人缺乏自身定位测量修正引起的累积误差和FastSLAM2.0引入测量修正引起算法复杂度增加的问题,提出一种改进的基于辅助测量的多机器人协作实时FastSLAM算法,使用双机器人协同工作,领头机器人负责完成同时定位与地图构建任务,辅助机器人通过静态相对位置测量为领头机器人提供实时定位测量修正.该辅助测量方法不仅为SLAM任务执行机器人提供较准确的定位测量值,同时也避免了FastSLAM2.0算法中额外的算法复杂度问题.实验结果表明算法既可以获得较高的精度,而且方便可行,具有较高实用价值.     

Autonomous Salient Feature Detection through Salient Cues in an HSV Color Space for Visual Indoor Simultaneous Localization and Mapping

For successful simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM), perception of the environment is important. This paper proposes a scheme to autonomously detect visual features that can be used as natural landmarks for indoor SLAM. First, features are roughly selected from the camera image through entropy maps that measure the level of randomness of pixel information. Then, the saliency of each pixel is computed by measuring the level of similarity between the selected features and the given image. In the saliency map, it is possible to distinguish the salient features from the background. The robot estimates its pose by using the detected features and builds a grid map of the unknown environment by using a range sensor. The feature positions are stored in the grid map. Experimental results show that the feature detection method proposed in this paper can autonomously detect features in unknown environments reasonably well.