In this paper we present results of the application of a Simultaneous Localisation and Map building (SLAM) algorithm to estimate the motion of a submersible vehicle. Scans obtained from an on-board sonar are processed to extract stable point features in the environment. These point features are then used to build up a map of the environment while simultaneously providing estimates of the vehicl...

We propose a novel holistic approach for safe autonomous exploration and map building based on constrained Bayesian optimisation. This method finds optimal continuous paths instead of discrete sensing locations that inherently satisfy motion and safety constraints. Evaluating both the objective and constraints functions requires forward simulation of expected observations. As such evaluations a...

This paper presents a framework for exploration and incremental mapping of unknown environments. The framework allows for evaluation and comparison of different acquisition strategies. During exploration a visibility graph is constructed which holds correct topology information about the environment and provides a means for immediate planning in the partially known map. The framework has been i...

We develop a control scheme for a group of mobile sensors to map radiation over a given planar polygonal region. The advantage of this methodology is that it provides quick situational awareness regarding radiation levels, which is being updated and refined in real-time as more measurements become available. The control algorithm is based on the concept of information surfing, where navigation ...

We describe a system that builds a high dynamic-range and wide-angle image of the night sky by combining a large set of input images. The method makes use of pixelrank information in the individual input images to improve a “consensus” pixel rank in the combined image. Because it only makes use of ranks and the complexity of the algorithm is linear in the number of images, the method is useful ...

Vision is useful for the autonomous navigation of vehicles. In this paper the case of a vehicle equipped with multiple cameras with non-overlapping views is considered. The geometry and algebra of such a moving platform of cameras are considered. In particular we formulate and solve structure and motion problems for a few novel cases of such moving platforms. For the case of two-dimensional ret...

In this paper we introduce a novel self-localization and map building approach. The new part is that we do not assume to have a correct motion model of the mobile robot. Our approach will improve the incorrect motion model online. We tested our approach in a simulation experiment.

Occupancy grids are a probabilistic method for fusing multiple sensor readings into surface maps of the environment. Although the underlying theory has been understood for many years, the intricacies of applying it to realtime sensor interpretation have been neglected. This paper analyzes how refined sensor models (including specularity models) and assumptions about independence are crucial iss...

The goal of our study was to develop an automatic change detection method based on laser scanner, aerial image and map data to be used in updating of building maps. The method was tested in a study area of 2.2 km near Helsinki. Buildings were first detected by segmenting a digital surface model (DSM) derived from laser scanner data and classifying the segments as buildings, trees and ground sur...