Environmental Sensing using LiDAR Sensor with Simultaneous Localization and Mapping Method based on Robot Operating System

Abstract

This study proposes an environmental sensing system using the LiDAR method and Simultaneous Localization and Mapping based on a Robot Operating System using Raspberry Pi in real time for applications in an autonomous wheeled robot. Four types of experiments were conducted to test the proposed system. The sensor was proven to be able to measure the distance to surrounding objects with an average error percentage of 0.35%. The system can also create a two-dimensional scan map of a labyrinth-like test arena, with the highest and average errors percentage of 3.96% and 0.71%, respectively. The experiment also confirms that the surrounding material must be checked to ensure there are no reflective spherical objects such as mirrors or glass material as these objects cannot be detected accurately by LiDAR sensors. The proposed system demonstrates its ability to map the surrounding environment with high accuracy in real time. In addition, it is prospective to be implemented as autonomous robot navigation for certain environments.