Autonomous reconnaissance and surveillance in urban structures - Eurathlon 2013

In this paper we propose an integrated hard- and software system for autonomous exploration and mapping of dilapidated buildings. The system is based on well understood approaches towards SLAM and exploration. Because of the real world nature of the application, a fragile wireless connection and difficult obstacles like staircases were taken into account during system design. Additionally, a drop-off system for Wi-Fi relays was introduced in order to increase the communication range. Further, a homing function is added to safely explore beyond radio coverage. Negative obstacles are handled using a tilted laserscanner. A semi-automatic stair climbing mechanism allows to travel between floors. The system is interconnected with a control station, giving an operator a fine grained control over the mission without disturbing the exploration and mapping task. The system was successfully tested at the Eurathlon 2013 robotics competition under real world conditions.