This book presents an introduction to the fundamentals of mobile robotics, spanning the
mechanical, motor, sensory, perceptual, and cognitive layers that comprise our field of
study.
This second edition largely extends the content of the first edition. In particular, chapters
2, 4, 5, and 6 have been notably expanded and updated to the most recent, state-of-the-art
acquisitions in both computer vision and robotics. In particular, we have added in chapter
2 the most recent and popular examples of mobile, legged, and micro aerial robots. In chapter
4, we have added the description of new sensors &ndash such as 3D laser rangefinders, timeof-
flight cameras, IMUs, and omnidirectional cameras &ndash and tools &ndas hsuch as image filtering,
camera calibration, structure-from-stereo, structure-from-motion, visual odometry, the
most popular feature detectors for camera (Harris, FAST, SURF, SIFT) and laser images,
and finally bag-of-feature approaches for place recognition and image retrieval. In chapter
5, we have added an introduction to probability theory, and improved and expanded the
description of Markov and Kalman filter localization using a better formalism and more
examples. Furthermore, we have also added the description of the Simultaneous Localization
and Mapping (SLAM) problem along with a description of the most popular
approaches to solve it such as extended-Kalman-filter SLAM, graph-based SLAM, particle
filter SLAM, and the most recent monocular visual SLAM. Finally, in chapter 6 we have
added the description of graph-search algorithms for path planning such as breadth-first,
depth first, Dijkstra, A*, D*, and rapidly exploring random trees. Besides these many new
additions, we have also provided state-of-the-art references and links to online resources
and downloadable software.
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