In a future mission to a planet, a robot may need to find its way around without the benefit of prior knowledge of the surface. Robots in these situations will need to use a process called SLAM or Simultaneous Localisation and Mapping. For the last three decades perfecting the process of SLAM has become the gold standard of robotics research. This article from PhysOrg.com explains how this process is being studied for applications to future robots. In the article, Matteo Matteucci, a roboticist at the Politecnico di Milano University in Italy, states “SLAM is an essential building block of autonomous robots because robots, such as planetary rovers and undersea research craft, cannot be provided with an accurate map beforehand. In such situations, the only solution is for them to create a representation of the environment as they go and determine their location in it by themselves.”
Check out the story in the links below. Also, take a look at The Rawseeds Project for additional background on this topic.
Slam dunk for future smart robots
PhysOrg.com
Work by European researchers will help future robot generations provide smarter answers. The process by which robots use vision, laser and/or sonar sensors …
Slam dunk for future smart robots – PhysOrg.com
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Mon, 14 Dec 2009 21:50:18 GMT