Field Navigation Using Fuzzy Elevation Maps Built with Local 3D Laser Scans

The paper describes the case study of the mobile robot Andabata navigating on natural terrain at low speeds with fuzzy elevation maps (FEMs). To this end, leveled three-dimensional (3D) point clouds of the surroundings are obtained by synchronizing ranges obtained from a 360 ∘ field of view...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Jorge L. Martínez, Mariano Morán, Jesús Morales, Antonio J. Reina, Manuel Zafra
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2018-03-01
Series:Applied Sciences
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/8/3/397
Description
Summary:The paper describes the case study of the mobile robot Andabata navigating on natural terrain at low speeds with fuzzy elevation maps (FEMs). To this end, leveled three-dimensional (3D) point clouds of the surroundings are obtained by synchronizing ranges obtained from a 360 ∘ field of view 3D laser scanner with odometric and inertial measurements of the vehicle. Then, filtered point clouds are employed to produce FEMs and their corresponding fuzzy reliability masks (FRMs). Finally, each local FEM and its FRM are processed to choose the best motion direction to reach distant goal points through traversable areas. All these tasks have been implemented using ROS (Robot Operating System) nodes distributed among the cores of the onboard processor. Experimental results of Andabata during non-stop navigation on an urban park are presented.
ISSN:2076-3417