Monte Carlo Localization in Hand-Drawn Maps

Robot localization is a one of the most important problems in robotics. Most of the existing approaches assume that the map of the environment is available beforehand and focus on accurate metrical localization. In this paper, we address the localization problem when the map of the environment is not present beforehand, and the robot relies on a hand-drawn map from a non-expert user. We addressed this problem by expressing the robot pose in the pixel coordinate and simultaneously estimate a local deformation of the hand-drawn map. Experiments show that we are able to localize the robot in the correct room with a robustness up to 80

Adaptive and intelligent navigation of autonomous planetary rovers - A survey

The application of robotics and autonomous systems in space has increased dramatically. The ongoing Mars rover mission involving the Curiosity rover, along with the success of its predecessors, is a key milestone that showcases the existing capabilities of robotic technology. Nevertheless, there has still been a heavy reliance on human tele-operators to drive these systems. Reducing the reliance on human experts for navigational tasks on Mars remains a major challenge due to the harsh and complex nature of the Martian terrains. The development of a truly autonomous rover system with the capability to be effectively navigated in such environments requires intelligent and adaptive methods fitting for a system with limited resources. This paper surveys a representative selection of work applicable to autonomous planetary rover navigation, discussing some ongoing challenges and promising future research directions from the perspectives of the authors

Robot Localization with Weak Maps

In this work, we present an approach for indoor localization for a mobile robot based on a weakly-defined prior map. The aim is to estimate the robot's pose where even an incomplete knowledge of the environment is available, and furthermore, improving the information in the prior map according to measurements. We discuss two different approaches to describe the prior map. In the first approach, a complete map of the environment is given to the robot, but the scale of the map is unknown. The map is represented by occupancy grid mapping. We present a method based on Monte Carlo localization that successfully estimates the robot's pose and the scale of the map. In the second approach, the prior map is a 2D sketched map provided by a user, and it does not hold exact metric information of the building. Moreover, some obstacles and features are not fully presented. The aim is to estimate the scale of the map and to modify and correct the prior map knowing the robot's exact pose. The map is represented in the polygonal format in the homogeneous coordinates, and is capable of analyzing the uncertainty of features. We propose two methods to update prior information in the map. One uses a Kalman filter, and the other is based on Geometrical Constraints. Both methods can partially improve the estimate of the dimensions of rooms and locations and the orientation of walls, but they slightly suffer from data association

Computational intelligence approaches to robotics, automation, and control [Volume guest editors]

No abstract available

Computational intelligence approaches to robotics, automation, and control [Volume guest editors]

No abstract available

Internationales Kolloquium über Anwendungen der Informatik und Mathematik in Architektur und Bauwesen : 20. bis 22.7. 2015, Bauhaus-Universität Weimar

The 20th International Conference on the Applications of Computer Science and Mathematics in Architecture and Civil Engineering will be held at the Bauhaus University Weimar from 20th till 22nd July 2015. Architects, computer scientists, mathematicians, and engineers from all over the world will meet in Weimar for an interdisciplinary exchange of experiences, to report on their results in research, development and practice and to discuss. The conference covers a broad range of research areas: numerical analysis, function theoretic methods, partial differential equations, continuum mechanics, engineering applications, coupled problems, computer sciences, and related topics. Several plenary lectures in aforementioned areas will take place during the conference. We invite architects, engineers, designers, computer scientists, mathematicians, planners, project managers, and software developers from business, science and research to participate in the conference

公共空間における移動サービスの実現に向けた知能化移動プラットフォームの開発

本研究は，自律移動パーソナルヴィークルによる多様な移動サービス研究を行うための移動プラットフォーム開発に関するものである．現在，多くの研究機関で自律移動システムの研究が行われているが，それが送迎サービス等の実用的な移動サービスアプリケーションの研究開発まで至った例は多くない．これは，それらの研究で利用されている市販の移動プラットフォームや研究用プラットフォームでは，移動サービスアプリケーションの研究開発が容易でないことが要因の一つとなっている．また個々のパーソナルヴィークルのロボット化技術やナビゲーション機能の研究成果が共有できていない面が有り，移動サービス研究に耐えうる移動プラットフォームが構築できていないことも一つの要因であると考えられる．本研究では，上記の問題を解決するため，様々な移動サービスアプリケーション開発が行え，様々な移動サービスに関する研究成果を利用することが可能な仕組みを持ち，さらに基本的なナビゲーション機能を備える「知能化移動プラットフォーム」のシステム構成を文献調査や事例研究により明らかにした．またそれに基づき実際に知能化移動プラットフォームを構築し，その有用性を実証するとともにその構築方法についても明示した．第二章では，知能化移動プラットフォームに求められるシステム要件を設定し，関連研究・文献調査(829件)・「つくばチャレンジ」などの実証実験の事例観察からシステム要件を満たす知能化移動プラットフォームのシステム構成を明らかにした．第三章では，提案したシステム構成について，背景で述べた問題点を解決する評価指標を設定し，関連する研究事例や市販の移動プラットフォームと比較することで優位性を示した．第四章では，提案したシステム構成に基づき，使用場面に応じた二つの知能化移動プラットフォームを開発した．一つ目として屋外での移動サービスを想定し，所属研究室でこれまで開発されてきた走行性能が高い電動カートをベースとしたプラットフォーム開発を行った．基本ナビゲーション機能には当研究室での共同研究成果を搭載した．動作検証を学内及びつくばロボット特区で行い約1㎞以上の自律走行能力を有していることを確認し，提案したシステム構成が有効であることを確認した．二つ目として屋内外でシームレスな移動サービスを想定して，屋内における移動性能を重視した車椅子ベースの知能化移動プラットフォームを開発した．上記と同様のコンセプトで開発し学内において同様の動作検証を行いその自律走行能力を確認した．第五章では，開発した知能化移動プラットフォームを用いた移動サービスに関する研究成果（文献11件）に関して，設定したシステム要件を満たす実装がどのようにそれらの研究実績に繋がった考察を行い，設定したシステム要件と提案したシステム構成が有効であることを確認した．本研究の成果は，様々な移動サービス研究に用いることのできる移動プラットフォームのシステム要件を明らかにし，その構築に有効なシステム構成を示したこと，および実際に移動プラットフォームを開発し，その有用性を実際に示したことである．またその開発過程で述べたハードウェア及びソフトウェアのそれぞれに関する実装そのものも有効な知見として述べた．上記の成果は，多くの研究機関が移動サービス研究に従事するにあたり移動プラットフォーム開発の指針とすることができ，今後，移動サービス実現に向けて該当分野の研究がより推進されることが期待できる．電気通信大学201

Internationales Kolloquium über Anwendungen der Informatik und Mathematik in Architektur und Bauwesen : 20. bis 22.7. 2015, Bauhaus-Universität Weimar

The 20th International Conference on the Applications of Computer Science and Mathematics in Architecture and Civil Engineering will be held at the Bauhaus University Weimar from 20th till 22nd July 2015. Architects, computer scientists, mathematicians, and engineers from all over the world will meet in Weimar for an interdisciplinary exchange of experiences, to report on their results in research, development and practice and to discuss. The conference covers a broad range of research areas: numerical analysis, function theoretic methods, partial differential equations, continuum mechanics, engineering applications, coupled problems, computer sciences, and related topics. Several plenary lectures in aforementioned areas will take place during the conference. We invite architects, engineers, designers, computer scientists, mathematicians, planners, project managers, and software developers from business, science and research to participate in the conference

Advances and Applications of DSmT for Information Fusion. Collected Works, Volume 5

This fifth volume on Advances and Applications of DSmT for Information Fusion collects theoretical and applied contributions of researchers working in different fields of applications and in mathematics, and is available in open-access. The collected contributions of this volume have either been published or presented after disseminating the fourth volume in 2015 in international conferences, seminars, workshops and journals, or they are new. The contributions of each part of this volume are chronologically ordered. First Part of this book presents some theoretical advances on DSmT, dealing mainly with modified Proportional Conflict Redistribution Rules (PCR) of combination with degree of intersection, coarsening techniques, interval calculus for PCR thanks to set inversion via interval analysis (SIVIA), rough set classifiers, canonical decomposition of dichotomous belief functions, fast PCR fusion, fast inter-criteria analysis with PCR, and improved PCR5 and PCR6 rules preserving the (quasi-)neutrality of (quasi-)vacuous belief assignment in the fusion of sources of evidence with their Matlab codes. Because more applications of DSmT have emerged in the past years since the apparition of the fourth book of DSmT in 2015, the second part of this volume is about selected applications of DSmT mainly in building change detection, object recognition, quality of data association in tracking, perception in robotics, risk assessment for torrent protection and multi-criteria decision-making, multi-modal image fusion, coarsening techniques, recommender system, levee characterization and assessment, human heading perception, trust assessment, robotics, biometrics, failure detection, GPS systems, inter-criteria analysis, group decision, human activity recognition, storm prediction, data association for autonomous vehicles, identification of maritime vessels, fusion of support vector machines (SVM), Silx-Furtif RUST code library for information fusion including PCR rules, and network for ship classification. Finally, the third part presents interesting contributions related to belief functions in general published or presented along the years since 2015. These contributions are related with decision-making under uncertainty, belief approximations, probability transformations, new distances between belief functions, non-classical multi-criteria decision-making problems with belief functions, generalization of Bayes theorem, image processing, data association, entropy and cross-entropy measures, fuzzy evidence numbers, negator of belief mass, human activity recognition, information fusion for breast cancer therapy, imbalanced data classification, and hybrid techniques mixing deep learning with belief functions as well