Adaptive automata for mapping unknown environments by mobile robots

Abstract

Robotic mapping is one of the most important requirements for a truly autonomous mobile robot. Mobile robots should be able to building abstract representation of the physical environment, in order to navigate and work in such environment. This paper presents an adaptive way to make such representation. The proposed system allows the robot to explore all the environment and acquire the information incoming from the sensors (presence or absence of obstacles) while it travels. The robot may start the mapping process at any point of the space to be mapped. Due to the adaptability of the chosen method, the process has the capability of dynamically increase the memory requirements according to the already mapped area, even without any a priori knowledge of the environment. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2004.