Authors:
Rachael N. Darmanin
and
Marvin Bugeja
Affiliation:
University of Malta, Malta
Keyword(s):
Wheeled Mobile Robots, ROS, Autonomous Exploration, SLAM.
Related
Ontology
Subjects/Areas/Topics:
Informatics in Control, Automation and Robotics
;
Mobile Robots and Autonomous Systems
;
Robotics and Automation
Abstract:
This paper proposes a practical solution to the autonomous exploration and mapping problem using a single
mobile robot. Moreover, the authors implement the proposed scheme within the Robot Operating System
(ROS), and validate it experimentally using PowerBot, a real wheeled mobile robot equipped with a 2D laser
scanner. In essence, the proposed scheme integrates an efficient particle-filter-based SLAM algorithm, two
different exploration strategies, and a path-planning and navigation module. The modular nature of the proposed
scheme is intentional and advantageous. It allows the authors to compare the two exploration strategies
under investigation objectively and with ease. Finally, hypotheses testing is also used to strengthen the results
of the comparative analysis.