The Robotics WEBook

An online textbook about robots and other mechatronic systems

2D/3D world models

For many “intelligent” robotic systems, being able to navigate in their environment is a major goal. As for humans, maps are a primary means to store, to evaluate and to accumalate the geometric information that the robot gets about its environment via its sensors. Maps are also a good means to decouple the major activities of robots, planning, sensing and control: each activity.

Different scales (temporal, spatial (2D and 3D), accuracy) and different goals. So, large variety in maps. Major categories: