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Recently started playing with and built a 3D LIDAR using an Arduino, 2 servos and a Garmin Lite 3 LIDAR. Stationary mapping works great, but now I would like to move into interior mapping with a handheld unit. With an exterior unit I would of course rely on GPS, but what is the best approach for obtaining a decent interior point cloud?

I could of course rely on additional sensors to "map" the movement of the unit—but I would assume that the result would not be that great—or, and this solution I personally would have a harder time implementing, plot points based off of the the change of existing plot (i.e. the unit identifies that it is moving away from a corner of the room).

Any tips, example, etc. would be appreciated. Cheers!

halfer
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Geppelt
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1 Answers1

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Indoor mobile mapping is often done with Simultaneous Localization And Mapping (SLAM). SLAM algorithms and their implementations is an area of active research; one project to check out is OpenSLAM. They provide source code that could be used to build your own SLAM solution, and their paper (pdf) includes more background and the results of some real-world tests.

In terms of additional hardware you will need, an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) provides information about the attitude and acceleration of your system. These are more-or-less a requirement for all mobile systems, whether in a GNSS-denied environment or not.

Good luck!

Pete Gadomski
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