Efficient off-road localization using visually corrected odometry

Abstract

We describe an efficient, low-cost, low-overhead system for robot localization in complex visual environments. Our system augments wheel odometry with visual orientation tracking to yield localization accuracy comparable with ldquopurerdquo visual odometry at a fraction of the cost. Such a system is well-suited to consumer-level robots, small form-factor robots, extraterrestrial rovers, and other platforms with limited computational resources. Our system also benefits high-end multiprocessor robots by leaving ample processor time on all camera-computer pairs to perform other critical visual tasks, such as obstacle detection. Experimental results are shown for outdoor, off-road loops on the order of 200 meters. Comparisons are made with corresponding results from a state-of-the-art pure visual odometer.