SLAMIt A Sub-Map Based SLAM System : On-line creation of multi-leveled map

Abstract: In many situations after a big catastrophe such as the one in Fukushima, the disaster area is highly dangerous for humans to enter. It is in such environments that a semi-autonomous robot could limit the risks to humans by exploring and mapping the area on its own. This thesis intends to design and implement a software based SLAM system which has potential to run in real-time using a Kinect 2 sensor as input. The focus of the thesis has been to create a system which allows for efficient storage and representation of the map, in order to be able to explore large environments. This is done by separating the map in different abstraction levels corresponding to local maps connected by a global map. During the implementation, this structure has been kept in mind in order to allow modularity. This makes it possible for each sub-component in the system to be exchanged if needed. The thesis is broad in the sense that it uses techniques from distinct areas to solve the sub-problems that exist. Some examples being, object detection and classification, point-cloud registration and efficient 3D-based occupancy trees.