Multi-robot SLAM using M-Space feature representation

This paper presents a SLAM algorithm for a team of mobile robots exploring an indoor environment, described by adopting the M-Space representation of linear features. Each robot solves the SLAM problem independently. When the robots meet, the local maps are fused together using robot-to-robot relative range and bearing measurements. A map fusion technique, tailored to the specific feature representation adopted, is proposed. Moreover, the uncertainty affecting the resulting merged map is explicitly derived from the single-robot SLAM maps and the robot-to-robot measurement accuracy. Simulation experiments are presented showing a team composed of two robots performing SLAM in a real-world scenario.

[1]  Hans P. Moravec,et al.  High resolution maps from wide angle sonar , 1985, Proceedings. 1985 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation.

[2]  Lynne E. Parker,et al.  Guest editorial advances in multirobot systems , 2002, IEEE Trans. Robotics Autom..

[3]  Juan D. Tardós Representing partial and uncertain sensorial information using the theory of symmetries , 1992, Proceedings 1992 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation.

[4]  Sebastian Thrun,et al.  Multi-robot SLAM with Sparse Extended Information Filers , 2003, ISRR.

[5]  Liqiang Feng,et al.  Navigating Mobile Robots: Systems and Techniques , 1996 .

[6]  Hugh F. Durrant-Whyte,et al.  Simultaneous Mapping and Localization with Sparse Extended Information Filters: Theory and Initial Results , 2004, WAFR.

[7]  Lynne E. Parker,et al.  Current State of the Art in Distributed Autonomous Mobile Robotics , 2000 .

[8]  Andrew Howard,et al.  Multi-robot Simultaneous Localization and Mapping using Particle Filters , 2005, Robotics: Science and Systems.

[9]  Daniele Nardi,et al.  Special Issue on Multirobot Systems , 2006 .

[10]  John J. Leonard,et al.  Explore and return: experimental validation of real-time concurrent mapping and localization , 2002, Proceedings 2002 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (Cat. No.02CH37292).

[11]  Stefan B. Williams,et al.  Towards multi-vehicle simultaneous localisation and mapping , 2002, Proceedings 2002 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (Cat. No.02CH37292).

[12]  Stergios I. Roumeliotis,et al.  Weighted line fitting algorithms for mobile robot map building and efficient data representation , 2003, 2003 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (Cat. No.03CH37422).

[13]  Henrik I. Christensen,et al.  The M-Space Feature Representation for SLAM , 2007, IEEE Transactions on Robotics.

[14]  Andrew Howard,et al.  Multi-robot Simultaneous Localization and Mapping using Particle Filters , 2005, Int. J. Robotics Res..

[15]  Sebastian Thrun,et al.  Robotic mapping: a survey , 2003 .

[16]  Hugh F. Durrant-Whyte,et al.  Simultaneous map building and localization for an autonomous mobile robot , 1991, Proceedings IROS '91:IEEE/RSJ International Workshop on Intelligent Robots and Systems '91.

[17]  Patric Jensfelt,et al.  Active global localization for a mobile robot using multiple hypothesis tracking , 2001, IEEE Trans. Robotics Autom..

[18]  W. Burgard,et al.  Markov Localization for Mobile Robots in Dynamic Environments , 1999, J. Artif. Intell. Res..

[19]  Y. Bar-Shalom Tracking and data association , 1988 .

[20]  José A. Castellanos,et al.  Mobile Robot Localization and Map Building: A Multisensor Fusion Approach , 2000 .

[21]  Henrik I. Christensen,et al.  Vision SLAM in the Measurement Subspace , 2005, Proceedings of the 2005 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation.

[22]  Wolfram Burgard,et al.  Probabilistic Robotics (Intelligent Robotics and Autonomous Agents) , 2005 .

[23]  Andrea Garulli,et al.  Simultaneous localization and map building for a team of cooperating robots: a set membership approach , 2003, IEEE Trans. Robotics Autom..

[24]  Wolfram Burgard,et al.  Robust Monte Carlo localization for mobile robots , 2001, Artif. Intell..

[25]  Stergios I. Roumeliotis,et al.  Multi-robot SLAM with Unknown Initial Correspondence: The Robot Rendezvous Case , 2006, 2006 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems.

[26]  A. Vicino,et al.  Mobile robot SLAM for line-based environment representation , 2005, Proceedings of the 44th IEEE Conference on Decision and Control.

[27]  José A. Castellanos,et al.  Mobile Robot Localization and Map Building , 1999 .

[28]  John J. Leonard,et al.  Cooperative concurrent mapping and localization , 2002, Proceedings 2002 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (Cat. No.02CH37292).

[29]  Wolfram Burgard,et al.  Monte Carlo localization for mobile robots , 1999, Proceedings 1999 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (Cat. No.99CH36288C).

[30]  Andrea Garulli,et al.  Set membership localization of mobile robots via angle measurements , 2001, IEEE Trans. Robotics Autom..

[31]  Alberto Elfes,et al.  Sonar-based real-world mapping and navigation , 1987, IEEE J. Robotics Autom..

[32]  Andrew Howard,et al.  Multi-robot mapping using manifold representations , 2004, IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, 2004. Proceedings. ICRA '04. 2004.

[33]  Hugh F. Durrant-Whyte,et al.  A solution to the simultaneous localization and map building (SLAM) problem , 2001, IEEE Trans. Robotics Autom..

[34]  Frank Wolter,et al.  Exploring Artificial Intelligence in the New Millenium , 2002 .