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A robust loop-closure method for visual SLAM in unstructured seafloor environments

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Abstract

This paper addresses the problem of visual simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) in an unstructured seabed environment that can be applied to an unmanned underwater vehicle equipped with a single monocular camera as the main measurement sensor. Monocular vision is regarded as an efficient sensing option in the context of SLAM, however it poses a variety of challenges when the relative motion is determined by matching a pair of images in the case of in-water visual SLAM. Among the various challenges, this research focuses on the problem of loop-closure which is one of the most important issues in SLAM. This study proposes a robust loop-closure algorithm in order to improve operational performance in terms of both navigation and mapping by efficiently reconstructing image matching constraints. To demonstrate and evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed loop-closure method, experimental datasets obtained in underwater environments are used, and the validity of the algorithm is confirmed by a series of comparative results.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Dr. Armagan Elibol in Yildiz Technical University for his initial work and research contributions that helped to develop this work. This research was a part of the project titled ‘Development of an autonomous ship-hull inspection system’, funded by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, Korea. This research was supported by KI Project through KAIST Institute of Design of Complex Systems.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Robotics Program, KAIST, Daejeon, Korea

    Seonghun Hong & Jinwhan Kim

  2. Department of Creative IT Engineering, POSTECH, Pohang, Korea

    Juhyun Pyo & Son-Cheol Yu

  3. Department of Mechanical Engineering, KAIST, Daejeon, Korea

    Jinwhan Kim

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  1. Seonghun Hong
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  2. Jinwhan Kim
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  3. Juhyun Pyo
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  4. Son-Cheol Yu
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Correspondence to Jinwhan Kim.

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Hong, S., Kim, J., Pyo, J. et al. A robust loop-closure method for visual SLAM in unstructured seafloor environments. Auton Robot 40, 1095–1109 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10514-015-9512-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10514-015-9512-6

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