Localization and navigation of a mobile robot using natural point landmarks extracted from sonar data
In this paper we present a new technique for on-line extraction of natural point landmarks in an indoor environment. The landmarks are filtered out from sonar data taken from a mobile platform. By storing point landmark positions in a reference map, we can achieve absolute robot localization by doing matching between recently collected landmarks and the reference map. The matching procedure also takes advantage of compass readings to increase computational speed and make the performance more robust. The technique is easily extended to also encompass local robot localization, which is used when the robot navigates autonomously. The position accuracy of the robot as well as its capability to navigate using natural landmarks is illustrated in a number of real world experiments.
localization mobile robot sonars natural landmarks autonomous navigation