A multi-hypothesis topological SLAM approach for loop closing on edge-ordered graphs

— We present a method for topological SLAM that specifically targets loop closing for edge-ordered graphs. Instead of using a heuristic approach to accept or reject loop closing, we propose a probabilistically grounded multi-hypothesis technique that relies on the incremental construction of a map/state hypothesis tree. Loop closing is introduced automatically within the tree expansion, and likely hypotheses are chosen based on their posterior probability after a sequence of sensor measurements. Careful pruning of the hypothesis tree keeps the growing number of hypotheses under control and a recursive formulation reduces storage and computational costs. Experiments are used to validate the approach.

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2009
• Where: IROS
• Authors: Stephen Tully, George Kantor, Howie Choset, Felix Werner
• Keywords: Hypothesis Tree, IROS 2009, Loop Closing, Map/state Hypothesis Tree, Robotics