Laser Range Imaging using Mobile Robots: From Pose Estimation to 3D-Models

Abstract

This paper addresses the question of generating large-scale 3d models from a set of 2d laser scans. We investigate two configurations: a rotating laser scanner and a setup of two orthogonally mounted laser range finders. Both systems are used to combine data from several viewpoints into a map using global registration. A feature-based and a raw-data based method for pose estimation and global registration are presented. These approaches are applied to data from indoor and outdoor scenes. For data acquisition the Biba-robot and a Smart-car were used. With additional information from a panoramic camera a textured 3d model of a part of EPFL campus was created. The precision of the resulting 3d model is evaluated by comparing it to an orthophoto of the environment. 1