A 3D-laser scanner for autonomous mobile robots

An efficient and reliable onboard perception system is critical for a mobile robot to increase its degree of autonomy toward the accomplishment of the assigned task. In this regard, laser range sensors represent a feasible and promising solution that is rapidly gaining interest in the robotics community. This paper describes recent work of the authors in hardware and algorithm development of a 3-D laser scanner for mobile robot applications, which features low-cost, lightweight, compactness, and low power consumption. The sensor allows a vehicle to autonomously scan its environment and to generate an internal hazard representation of the world in the form of digital elevation maps. This suggests a general approach to terrain analysis in structured and unstructured environments for a safe and collision-free path planning. The proposed sensor system along with the algorithms for mapping and planning is validated in indoor laboratory experiments as well as in tests on natural terrain using an allterrain rover.