Hector Open Source Modules for Autonomous Mapping and Navigation with Rescue Robots

Key abilities for robots deployed in urban search and rescue tasks include autonomous exploration of disaster sites and recognition of victims and other objects of interest. In this paper, we present related open source software modules for the development of such complex capabilities which include hector_slam for self-localization and mapping in a degraded urban environment. All modules have been successfully applied and tested originally in the RoboCup Rescue competition. Up to now they have already been re-used and adopted by numerous international research groups for a wide variety of tasks. Recently, they have also become part of the basis of a broader initiative for key open source software modules for urban search and rescue robots.

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