Development of Autonomous Mobile Robot “MML-05” Based on i-Cart Mini for Tsukuba Challenge 2015

[abstFig src='/00280004/04.jpg' width='300' text='Autonomous mobile robots entered in the Tsukuba Challenge 2015' ] This paper describes a self-localization method for autonomous mobile robots entered in the Tsukuba Challenge 2015. One of the important issues in autonomous mobile robots is accurately estimating self-localization. An occupancy grid map, created manually before self-localization has typically been utilized to estimate the self-localization of autonomous mobile robots. However, it is difficult to create an accurate map of complex courses. We created an occupancy grid map combining local grid maps built using a leaser range finder (LRF) and wheel odometry. In addition, the self-localization of a mobile robot was calculated by integrating self-localization estimated by a map and matching it to wheel odometry information. The experimental results in the final run of the Tsukuba Challenge 2015 showed that the mobile robot traveled autonomously until the 600 m point of the course, where the occupancy grid map ended.