Appearance-based loop detection from 3D laser data using the normal distributions transform

— We propose a new approach to appearance based loop detection from metric 3D maps, exploiting the NDT surface representation. Locations are described with feature histograms based on surface orientation and smoothness, and loop closure can be detected by matching feature histograms. We also present a quantitative performance evaluation using two realworld data sets, showing that the proposed method works well in different environments.

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2009
• Where: ICRA
• Authors: Martin Magnusson 0002, Henrik Andreasson, Andreas Nüchter, Achim J. Lilienthal
• Keywords: Feature Histograms, ICRA 2009, Metric 3D Maps, NDT Surface Representation, Robotics