Sensor based navigation is fundamental to any mobile robot. Conventional statistical approaches to the navigation problem maintain an exact global description of environment geometry. However, in practise, the behaviour of real physical sensors and the observations they make of the environment make such central geometric representations extremely fragile. To overcome such problems, this paper p...

We present a complete characterization of shortest paths to a goal position for a vehicle with unicycle kinematics and a limited range sensor, constantly keeping a given landmark in sight. Previous work on this subject studied the optimal paths in case of a frontal, symmetrically limited Field–Of–View (FOV). In this paper we provide a generalization to the case of arbitrary FOVs, including the ...

In an inertial sensor-based pedestrian navigation system, the position is estimated by double integrating external acceleration. A new algorithm is proposed to reduce z axis position (height) error. When a foot is on the ground, a foot angle is estimated using accelerometer output. Using a foot angle, the inclination angle of a road is estimated. Using this road inclination angle, height differ...

Two challenges for taxonomists are proper identification of specimens to known species and extracting information from specimens to diagnose new species. Both tasks are complicated by the very large numbers of known and unknown species and the dwindling numbers of qualified taxonomists to identify/diagnose them all. Automated species identification is a tool that can assist taxonomists facing t...

We present a new, continuously defined three-dimensional medial shape representation based on subdivision surfaces. The shape is modeled via its medial axis, and the associated boundary is computed directly from this axis at every point. Our model is parameterized over a fixed domain, so comparison among different shapes is possible. It is the first such model to support branch curves, which al...

A three-dimensional, medial-axis-based mesh generator is described. First the medial axis of the geometry to be meshed is constructed, then quad-dominant meshes on the medial surface are generated and extruded to the boundary at both sides of the medial surface. The resulting single cell layer is subdivided in direction normal to the boundary, yielding columns of hexahedral and three-sided pris...

This paper focuses on multi-sensor fusion for navigation in difficult environments where none of the existing navigation technologies can satisfy requirements for accurate and reliable navigation if used in a stand-alone mode. A generic multi-sensor fusion approach is presented. This approach builds the navigation mechanization around a self-contained inertial navigator, which is used as a core...