Mobile robotics in a random finite set framework

Abstract

This paper describes the Random Finite Set approach to Bayesian mobile robotics, which is based on a natural multi-object filtering framework, making it well suited to both single and swarm-based mobile robotic applications. By modeling the measurements and feature map as random finite sets (RFSs), joint estimates the number and location of the objects (features) in the map can be generated. In addition, it is shown how the path of each robot can be estimated if required. The framework differs dramatically from existing approaches since both data association and feature management routines are integrated into a single recursion. This makes the framework well suited to multi-robot scenarios due to the ease of fusing multiple map estimates from swarm members, as well as mapping robustness in the presence of other mobile robots which may induce false map measurements. An overview of developments thus far is presented, with implementations demonstrating the merits of the framework on simulated and experimental datasets. © 2011 Springer-Verlag.