Sensor Comparison for a Real-Time SLAM Application

Abstract

Different types of sensors are used for Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) applicati ons. These sensors have their own advantages and disadvantages. Although high accuracy rates, laser sensors have some disadvantages such as price, power requirements, and weight. As an alternatively, it is possible to use of inexpensive sensors such as Kinect which gives image and depth data in SLAM systems. There have been many studies that benefit from such sensors with good results and many of them are carried out in a simulation environment. However, there are few studies on whether similar outcomes will be valid for real-time applications. With this thought, a real-time application has been performed for comparison of both sensors in SLAM systems. In the light of obtained findings, this type of sensors is not a good alternative to laser sensors in terms of both map accuracy and time consumption.