Events Calendar

PhD Thesis Proposal - Elizabeth Boroson

Title: Robust Loop Closures for Multi-Robot SLAM in Unstructured Environments

Date/Time: Thursday, January 14, 2021, 3:00 pm
Location: Zoom: https://usc.zoom.us/j/99527680452
Committee: Nora Ayanian (Chair), Gaurav Sukhatme, Heather Culbertson, Stefanos Nikolaidis, Ketan Savla

Abstract: When multiple robots work together to map an environment, each robot builds a local map based on its own observations. To merge these local maps into a global map, they must identify loop closures, or places where their maps overlap. Tasks in unstructured environments, such as planetary exploration, are not well-suited to traditional visual loop closure methods like scene or object detection. These tasks may involve robots with unusual sensors, the robots may not observe the same areas, and the environment may not allow for identification of these types of features, which all make it challenging to identify loop closures. In this thesis proposal, I discuss approaches that provide robust loop closures in spite of these limitations, including methods using heterogeneous sensors, methods with ranging sensors for scenarios where robots' trajectories do not overlap, and methods for robots that view the world from different perspectives. I also discuss how these approaches could be combined into a unified multi-robot SLAM system that is robust to unstructured environments.

WebCast Link: https://usc.zoom.us/j/99527680452

Audiences: Everyone Is Invited

Contact: Lizsl De Leon