AUTONOMOUS MAPPING BY A MOBILE ROBOT

An autonomous mapping system defines the exploration behavior of a mobile robot in a physical environment, according to a multi-objective optimization. With multi-objective optimization, the exploration behavior of the robot depends on joint consideration of two or more exploration objectives, such as speed, coverage, and consistency. In at least one embodiment, the autonomous mapping system is user customizable via a user interface that, among other things, allows a user to prioritize and/or select the exploration objectives considered in the multi-objective optimization. The autonomous mapping system in one or more embodiments incorporates advantageous formulations such as loop closure prediction for consistent mapping, kinodynamic prioritization for smooth trajectory generation, local refinement to improve map coverage, a time-based blacklisting table to manage exploration goals, a 2D attraction layer and recovery behaviors for efficient path planning, and a recommendation system enabling an operator/user to refine subsequent exploration runs, especially for remapping.