Indoor radar SLAM A radar application for vision and GPS denied environments

Indoor navigation especially in unknown areas is a real challenge. Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) technology provides a solution. However SLAM as currently based on optical sensors, is unsuitable in vision denied areas, which are for example encountered by first responders. Radar can be used to overcome this drawback, however no fully suitable solutions are reported yet. This paper presents radar SLAM technology for indoor use and shows its operational applicability. Modern electronically scanning antenna technology is used to obtain a portable radar front-end that in combination with FMCW processing provides a high resolution 2D radar image. The radar image is fed to a mapping and localization algorithm. An iterative closest point algorithm is used to determine the radar location and movement, whereas a particle filter optimizes measurement performance. The SLAM radar is evaluated under test conditions to reveal its mapping capabilities and under operational conditions in the EU-DITSEF project, to reveal its added value for human operators. The radar provides a reliable map and location functionality.