Underwater 3D SLAM through entropy minimization

Abstract

The aquatic realm is ideal for testing autonomous robotic technology. The challenges presented in this environment are numerous due to the highly dynamic nature of the medium. Applications for underwater robotics include the autonomous inspection of coral reef, ships, pipelines, and other environmental assessment programs. In this paper we present current results in using 6DOF entropy minimization SLAM (simultaneous localization and mapping) for creating dense 3D visual maps of underwater environments that are suitable for such applications. The proposed SLAM algorithm exploits dense information coming from a stereo system, and performs robust egomotion estimation and global-rectification following an optimization approach