On Visuo-Inertial Fusion for Robot Pose Estimation Using Hierarchical Fuzzy Systems

Abstract

This article presents a novel application of a three level fuzzy hierarchical system for the fusion of visual and inertial pose estimations. The goal is to provide accurate and robust pose measurements of an indoor volant robot, which operates in real working conditions, in order to facilitate its control. The first level corrects the error of the inertial measurement unit based on the acceleration measurements. The second level fuses the measurements from the visual sensor with the ones from the first level. Finally, the output of the fuzzy hierarchical system is available at the third level; the inputs of which are the previous system's state and the one of the second level. The achieved results are compared to ground truth pose estimations, which are used to analyze the behavior of the proposed fusion system against possible changes. The system provides accurate and precise measurements, while its straightforward design allows real-time implementation.