Abstract-Localization and modeling of stairways by mobile robots can enable multi-floor exploration for those platforms capable of stair traversal. Existing approaches focus on either stairway detection or traversal, but do not address these problems in the context of path planning for the autonomous exploration of multi-floor buildings. We propose a system for detecting and modeling ascending stairways while per forming simultaneous localization and mapping, such that the traversability of each stairway can be assessed by estimating its physical properties. The long-term objective of our approach is to enable exploration of multiple floors of a building by allowing stairways to be considered during path planning as traversable portals to new frontiers. We design a generative model of a stairway as a single object. We localize these models with respect to the map, and estimate the dimensions of the stairway as a whole, as well as its steps. With these estimates, a robot can determine if the stairway is traversable based on its climbing capabilities. Our system consists of two parts: a computationally efficient detector that leverages geometric cues from dense depth imagery to detect sets of ascending stairs, and a stairway modeler that uses multiple detections to infer the location and parameters of a stairway that is discovered during exploration. We demonstrate the performance of this system when deployed on several mobile platforms using a Microsoft Kinect sensor. Autonomous ground robots have traditionally been re stricted to single floors of a building or outdoor areas free of abrupt elevation changes such as stairs. Although autonomous traversal of stairways is an active research area for some humanoid and ground robots, the focus within the vision and sensor community has been on providing sensor feedback for control of the mechanical aspects of stair traversal, and on stair detection as a trigger for the initiation of autonomous climbing, rather than on stair traversability. The restriction to a single floor presents a significant limitation to real-world applications such as mapping of multi-floor buildings and rescue scenarios. Our work seeks a solution to this problem and is motivated by the rich potential of an autonomous ground robot that can climb stairs while exploring a multi-floor building. A comprehensive indoor exploration system could be capable of autonomously exploring an environment that con tains stairways, locating them and assessing their traversabil ity, and then engaging a platform-specific climbing routine in order to traverse any climbable stairways to explore other floors. The physical properties of a stairway may limit the J. Delmerico. J. R y de. and J. Corso are with SUNY Buffalo
Delmerico et al. in REF proposed an ascending stairway localization and modelling with the goal of checking for traversability and enable autonomous multi-floor exploration.
Ascending stairway modeling from dense depth imagery for traversability analysis
2013 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation
2013 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation
Engineering Computer Science