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Summary: An Information-Based Exploration Strategy
for Environment Mapping
with Mobile Robots
Francesco Amigoni and Vincenzo Caglioti
Dipartimento di Elettronica e Informazione, Politecnico di Milano, Italy
Abstract
The availability of efficient mapping systems to produce accurate representations
of initially unknown environments is recognized as one of the main requirements
for autonomous mobile robots. In this paper we present an efficient mapping sys-
tem that has been implemented on a mobile robot equipped with a laser range
scanner. The system builds geometrical point-based maps of environments employ-
ing an information-based exploration strategy that determines the best observation
positions by taking into account both the distance travelled and the information
gathered. Our exploration strategy, being based on solid mathematical foundations,
differs from many ad hoc exploration strategies proposed in literature. We present:
(a) the theoretical aspects of the criterion for determining the best observation posi-
tions for a robot building a map, (b) the implementation of a mapping system that
uses the proposed criterion, and (c) the experimental validation of our approach.
Key words:
exploration strategy, mapping, relative entropy
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