Spatial Mapping and Autonomous Navigation of

Drones
Amritha P, Anoop R Krishnan, Goutham Krishna B S
Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering
College of Engineering, Trivandrum

Abstract

Mapping the environment of a vehicle and localizing a vehicle

within that unknown environment are complex issues.The growing
interest regarding self-driving cars has given new directions to
localization and mapping techniques.SLAM is a solution to the
problem of autonomously navigating an unknown environment.
SLAM is concerned with using a mobile robot to map an uncharted
area while at the same time using said map for navigation and
localization purposes. In this report we proposes a robust and
efficient autonomous indoor SLAM solution for a UAV integrated
with low-cost Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR). Considering
the advantage of the typical geometric structure of indoor
environments, the planar position of UAVs can be efficiently
calculated from a point-to-point scan matching algorithm using
measurements from a horizontally scanning primary LiDAR.
Computations are carried out on an external laptop that Figure 2. Control Loop
communicates over wifi with the drone using Robot Operating
System (ROS). UAV System

.Introduction UAV-based Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) is a

method using a flying robot that maps its environment,
Autonomous mobile robot which is an intelligent agent must be simultaneously approximating its own position on that map. The
able to explores and navigates through any kind of environment mass of proposed SLAM system is estimated to be 1.5-2 kg and
either it is known or unknown without any human interference in so the minimum thrust is estimated to be 4 kg. The specifications
order to achieve its desired goals. SLAM comprises the of the various components in the proposed drone system seems
simultaneous estimation of the state of a robot equipped with to satisfy the condition. The UAV system is designed in such a
on-board sensors and the construction of a model (the map) of way that the LiDAR unit is mounted on top of the drone.
the environment that the sensors are perceiving. In simple
instances, the robot state is described by its pose (position and
orientation), although other quantities may be included in the
state, such as robot velocity, sensor biases, and calibration
parameters. The map, on the other hand,is a representation of
aspects of interest (e.g., position of landmarks, obstacles)
describing the environment in which the robot operates.

Hector SLAM
Figure 3. UAV Functional Block Diagram
Hector SLAM is a ROS node that offers SLAM capabilities. It is a
solution that avoids having to use odometry data. Not using Results
odometry can be useful in situations where accurate information
A quadcopter system carrying the SLAM system
is difficult to generate, particularly in the operation of UAVs.
is implemented. Path planning for point to point
Hector slam is visualized on Rviz platform. Rqt_graph provides a
navigation is also implemented.
GUI plugin for visualizing the ROS computation graph.

Acknowledgments
Fig 1. Hector SLAM rqt_graph We express my sincere gratitude to Prof Kiran R for his guidance and
support. We thank all those supported us during this endeavor.