Sonar Mapping for Mobile Robots

We address the problem of building environment maps from ultrasonic range data obtained from multiple viewpoints. We present a novel environment modelling technique called the `response grid' that allows us to build occupancy maps in highly specular environments. We present three di erent approaches that utilise this technique: a Bayesian probabilisitic approach, a Dempster-Shafer evidential reasoning approach and a winner-take-all heuristic approach. All three approaches can be implemented in real-time with modest computational resources, and as such are suitable for use in mobile robot navigation tasks. We present and compare the experimental results obtained by these three methods in a highly specular indoor environment.