Abstract
Positioning is a key task in most field robotics applications but can be very challenging in GPS-denied or high-slip environments. A common tactic in such cases is to position visually, and we present a visual odometry implementation with the unusual reliance on optical mouse sensors to report vehicle velocity. Using multiple kilometers of data from a lunar rover prototype,we demonstrate that, in conjunction with a moderate-grade inertial measurement unit, such a sensor can provide an integrated pose stream that is at times more accurate than that achievable by wheel odometry and visibly more desirable for perception purposes than that provided by a high-end GPS-INS system. A discussion of the sensor’s limitations and several drift mitigating strategies attempted are presented.
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Dille, M., Grocholsky, B., Singh, S. (2010). Outdoor Downward-Facing Optical Flow Odometry with Commodity Sensors. In: Howard, A., Iagnemma, K., Kelly, A. (eds) Field and Service Robotics. Springer Tracts in Advanced Robotics, vol 62. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-13408-1_17
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-13408-1_17
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
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