19 accepted papers
We propose a graph SLAM algorithm for sparse range sensing that incorporates a soft Manhattan world utilizing landmark-landmark constraints. Sparse range sensing is necessary for tiny robots that do not have the luxury of using heavy and expensive sensors. Existing SLAM methods dealing with sparse r…
We present a novel calibration method between single-point LiDAR and camera sensors utilizing an easy-to-build customized calibration board satisfying the Manhattan world (MW). Previous methods for LiDAR-camera (LC) calibration focus on line and plane correspondences. However, they require dense 3D
We propose the San Francisco world (SFW) model, a novel structural model inspired by San Francisco's hilly terrain, enabling 3D inter-floor navigation in urban areas rather than being limited to 2D intra-floor navigation of various robotics platforms. Our SFW consists of a single vertical dominant d
We propose a novel graph SLAM algorithm for sparse range sensing that incorporates a soft Manhattan world utilizing landmark-landmark constraints. Sparse range sensing is necessary for tiny robots that do not have the luxury of using heavy and expensive sensors. Existing SLAM methods dealing with sp
We present the first annotated benchmark datasets for evaluating free-flyer visual-inertial localization and mapping algorithms in a zero-g spacecraft interior. The Astrobee free-flying robots that operate inside the International Space Station (ISS) collected the datasets. Space intra-vehicular fre
We present a new SLAM algorithm that utilizes an inexpensive four-point LiDAR to supplement the limitations of the short-range and viewing angles of RGB-D cameras. Herein, the four-point LiDAR can detect distances up to 40 m, and it senses only four distance measurements per scan. In open spaces, RG
We present a drift-free visual compass for estimating the three degrees of freedom (DoF) rotational motion of a camera by recognizing structural regularities in a Manhattan world (MW), which posits that the major structures conform to three orthogonal principal directions. Existing Manhattan frame e
This paper proposes a novel motion estimation algorithm using WiFi networks and IMU sensor data in large uncontrolled environments, dubbed “WiFi Structure-from-Motion” (WiFi SfM). Given smartphone sensor data through day-to-day activities from a single user over a month, our WiFi SfM algorithm estim…
The paper proposes a multi-modal sensor fusion algorithm that fuses WiFi, IMU, and floorplan information to infer an accurate and dense location history in indoor environments. The algorithm uses 1) an inertial navigation algorithm to estimate a relative motion trajectory from IMU sensor data; 2) a…
Existing vanishing point (VP) estimation methods rely on pre-extracted image lines and/or prior knowledge of the number of VPs. However, in practice, this information may be insufficient or unavailable. To solve this problem, we propose a network that treats a perspective image as input and predicts…
Given a set of putative 2D-2D line correspondences, we aim to identify correct matches. Existing methods exploit the geometric constraints. They are only applicable to structured scenes with orthogonality, parallelism and coplanarity. In contrast, we propose the first approach suitable for both stru…
Atlanta world holds for the scenes composed of a vertical dominant direction and several horizontal dominant directions. Vanishing point (VP) is the intersection of the image lines projected from parallel 3D lines. In Atlanta world, given a set of image lines, we aim to cluster them by the unknown-b…
Detection of moving objects is an essential capability in dealing with dynamic environments. Most moving object detection algorithms have been designed for color images without depth. For robotic navigation where real-time RGBD data is often readily available, utilization of the depth information wo…
This paper proposes an edge-based robust RGB-D visual odometry (VO) using 2-D edge divergence minimization. Our approach focuses on enabling the VO to operate in more general environments subject to low texture and changing brightness, by employing image edge regions and their image gradient vectors…
We propose a novel approach to estimate the three degrees of freedom (DoF) drift-free rotational motion of an RGB-D camera from only a single line and plane in the Manhattan world (MW). Previous approaches exploit the surface normal vectors and vanishing points to achieve accurate 3-DoF rotation est…
We propose a new formulation for including orthogonal planar features as a global model into a linear SLAM approach based on sequential Bayesian filtering. Previous planar SLAM algorithms estimate the camera poses and multiple landmark planes in a pose graph optimization. However, since it is formul…
We present a low-drift visual odometry algorithm that separately estimates rotational and translational motion from lines, planes, and points found in RGB-D images. Previous methods estimate drift-free rotational motion from structural regularities to reduce drift in the rotation estimate, which is…
We present an illumination-robust visual localization algorithm for Astrobee, a free-flying robot designed to autonomously navigate on the International Space Station (ISS). Astrobee localizes with a monocular camera and a pre-built sparse map composed of natural visual features. Astrobee must perfo…
Sensitivity to illumination conditions poses a challenge when utilizing visual odometry (VO) in various applications. To make VO robust with respect to illumination conditions, they need to be considered explicitly. In this paper, we propose a direct visual odometry method which can handle illuminat…