Automatic map acquisition for navigation in domestic environments

An autonomous robot navigating in its environment needs a map representing the large-scale structure of the setting. There are a variety of different types of maps used in mobile robotics: for example, grid maps, maps containing geometrical beacons, or topological maps. Each of those poses its own constraints on the problem of acquiring the map, where its complexity is a major issue. We present a system that is able to build a topological map of large-scale indoor environments in a semi-autonomous way. This means that a person shows the robot around, interacts with it via a basic interface, the platform is following autonomously, and simultaneously creating the map. The acquisition mechanisms are rather simple and computationally inexpensive, due to the low complexity of the topological map. However, experiments show that this map is sufficient to navigate between arbitrary positions in the environment.