Elastic correction of dead-reckoning errors in map building

A major problem in map building is due to the imprecision of sensor measures. In this paper we propose a technique, called elastic correction, for correcting the dead-reckoning errors made during the exploration of an unknown environment by a robot capable of identifying landmarks. Knowledge of the environment being acquired is modelled by a relational graph whose vertices and arcs represent, respectively, landmarks and inter-landmark routes. Elastic correction is based on an analogy between this graph and a mechanical structure: the map is regarded as a truss where each route is an elastic bar and each landmark a node. Errors are corrected as a result of the deformations induced from the forces arising within the structure as inconsistent measures are taken. The uncertainty on odometry is modelled by the elasticity parameters characterizing the structure.