Simulation Framework for Mobile Robots in Planetary-Like Environments

TL;DR

This paper introduces a ROS Gazebo-based simulation framework for testing navigation and localization algorithms on planetary-like environments, enabling rapid prototyping with various sensors and evaluation of SLAM methods.

Contribution

It presents a versatile simulation platform tailored for planetary exploration robots, allowing comprehensive testing of perception and navigation algorithms in simulated Martian conditions.

Findings

Evaluated multiple open-source SLAM algorithms in simulation

Captured datasets with sensor outputs and ground truth for performance analysis

Demonstrated the framework's capability for rapid prototyping and testing

Abstract

In this paper we present a simulation framework for the evaluation of the navigation and localization metrological performances of a robotic platform. The simulator, based on ROS (Robot Operating System) Gazebo, is targeted to a planetary-like research vehicle which allows to test various perception and navigation approaches for specific environment conditions. The possibility of simulating arbitrary sensor setups comprising cameras, LiDARs (Light Detection and Ranging) and IMUs makes Gazebo an excellent resource for rapid prototyping. In this work we evaluate a variety of open-source visual and LiDAR SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) algorithms in a simulated Martian environment. Datasets are captured by driving the rover and recording sensors outputs as well as the ground truth for a precise performance evaluation.