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Articles | Volume XL-1/W2
https://doi.org/10.5194/isprsarchives-XL-1-W2-299-2013
https://doi.org/10.5194/isprsarchives-XL-1-W2-299-2013
16 Aug 2013
 | 16 Aug 2013

MARTIAN SWARM EXPLORATION AND MAPPING USING LASER SLAM

S. Nowak, T. Krüger, J. Matthaei, and U. Bestmann

Keywords: Extra-terrestrial, Aerial, Robotic, SLAM, Tracking, Fusion, Navigation

Abstract. In order to explore planet Mars in detail and search for extra-terrestrial life the observation from orbit is not sufficient. To realize complex exploration tasks the use of automatic operating robots with a robust fault-tolerant method of navigation, independent of any infrastructure is a possibility. This work includes a concept of rotary-wing Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs) for Martian exploration in a swarm. Besides the scenario of Martian surrounding, with a small number of distinctive landmarks, the challenge consists of a Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) concept using laser data of all swarm members.