3D Indoor Environment Modeling by a Mobile Robot with Omnidirectional Stereo and Laser Range Finder

This paper deals with generation of 3D environment models. The model is expected to be used for location recognition by robots and users. For such a use, very precise models are not necessary. We therefore develop a method of generating 3D environment models relatively simply and fast. We use an omnidirectional stereo as a primary sensor and additionally use a laser range finder. The model is composed of layered contours of free spaces, with textures extracted from images. Results of modeling and application of the model to robot localization are presented