Visual robot localization and mapping based on attentional landmarks

Abstract

In this paper, we present a system for simultaneous localization and map building of a mobile robot, based on an attentional landmark detector. A biologically motivated attention system finds regions of interest which serve as visual landmarks for the robot. The regions are tracked and matched over consecutive frames to build stable landmarks and to estimate the 3D position of the landmarks in the environment. Furthermore, matching of current landmarks to database entries enables loop closing and global localization. Additionally, the system is equipped with an active camera control, which supports the system with a tracking, a re-detection, and an exploration behaviour. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2007.