Monocular Simultaneous Localization and Mapping using Ground Textures

Kyle M. Hart, Brendan Englot, Ryan P. O'Shea, John D. Kelly, David Martinez

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

Abstract

Recent work has shown impressive localization performance using only images of ground textures taken with a downward facing monocular camera. This provides a reliable navigation method that is robust to feature sparse environments and challenging lighting conditions. However, these localization methods require an existing map for comparison. Our work aims to relax the need for a map by introducing a full simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) system. By not requiring an existing map, setup times are minimized and the system is more robust to changing environments. This SLAM system uses a combination of several techniques to accomplish this. Image keypoints are identified and projected into the ground plane. These keypoints, visual bags of words, and several threshold parameters are then used to identify overlapping images and revisited areas. The system then uses robust Mestimators to estimate the transform between robot poses with overlapping images and revisited areas. These optimized estimates make up the map used for navigation. We show, through experimental data, that this system performs reliably on many ground textures, but not all.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationProceedings - ICRA 2023
Subtitle of host publicationIEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation
Pages2032-2038
Number of pages7
ISBN (Electronic)9798350323658
DOIs
StatePublished - 2023
Event2023 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, ICRA 2023 - London, United Kingdom
Duration: 29 May 20232 Jun 2023

Publication series

NameProceedings - IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation
Volume2023-May
ISSN (Print)1050-4729

Conference

Conference2023 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, ICRA 2023
Country/TerritoryUnited Kingdom
CityLondon
Period29/05/232/06/23

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