Autonomous feature-based exploration using a low-cost mobile robot

This article is concerned with the solution of the SLAM (Simultaneous Localization And Mapping) problem in a medium scale indoor environment using a low-cost mobile robot that autonomously explores the environment. The low-cost robot was built with a distance measurement subsystem composed of three types of sensors: a wireless webcam with a laser pointer (a visual sensor), two infrared sensors and an ultrasonic sensor. SLAM experiments were performed in small and medium scale environments where the robot operated autonomously. This article shows the results of a SLAM experiment in 55 m long by 2.8 m wide corridor where several artificial walls were used to simulate a more complex environment. The acquired map closely matches the real environment and is also used to navigate the robot.