Long-Term Indoor Localization in Floor Plans using Semantic Cues

You are cordially invited to attend the PhD Dissertation Defence of Nicky Zimmerman on Tuesday 24 September 2024 at 15:00 in room D0.02.

Abstract:
Localization in a given map is an essential capability of most autonomous robots, and robust long-term localization is crucial in the case of service robots. This is a challenging task, especially in a dynamic, human-occupied environment, and it motivates the use of sparse map representations containing structural elements that remain constant over time. Floor plans, in particular, are a sparse map representation that is often readily-available without the additional cost and effort of sensor-based mapping. We present different strategies for achieving robust long-term localization in floor plans, by taking inspiration from the way humans navigate in indoor environments. We start with a classical range sensor-based particle filter framework and augment it by integrating textual information. We then improve localization by considering a variety of semantic cues and propose a 3D metric-semantic map representation that enriches floor plans with semantic information. We address the challenge of localization on resource-constrained platforms and verify that our semantic localization approach is suitable for a variety of robotic platforms. Finally, we explore the benefits of collaborative localization, where robots in a team assist each other in improving the pose estimation.

Dissertation Committee:
- Prof. Kai Hormann, Università della Svizzera italiana, Switzerland (Research Advisor)
- Prof. Alessandro Giusti, Università della Svizzera italiana, Switzerland (Research co-Advisor)
- Prof. Luca Benini, External Affiliation, Country (Research co-Advisor)
- Prof. Piotr Krzysztof Didyk, Università della Svizzera italiana, Switzerland (Internal Member)
- Prof. Luca Maria Gambardella, Università della Svizzera italiana, Switzerland (Internal Member)
- Prof. Andrea Acquaviva, Università di Bologna, Italy (External Member)
- Prof. Domenico Sorrenti, Università di Milano Bicocca, Italy (External Member)