CSAIL Event Calendar: Previous Series

Simultaneous Localisation and Mapping and Dense Stereoscopic Seafloor Reconstruction using an AUV

Speaker: Stefan Williams , The University of Sydney
Date: April 22 2009
Time: 4:00PM to 5:00PM
Location: 32-D463 (Stata Center - Star conference room)
Host: John Leonard, MIT CSAIL

This talk will review current work being undertaken at the University of Sydney's Australian Centre for Field Robotics on efficient, stereo based Simultaneous Localisation and Mapping and dense scene reconstruction suitable for creating detailed maps of seafloor survey sites using an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV). Techniques for three dimensional scene reconstruction, visualisation, novelty detection and classification are also discussed. A suite of tools have been developed for creating and visualising 3D, texture mapped models of the seafloor, thereby providing marine scientists with a method for assessing the spatial distribution of various organisms of interest. The AUV Sirius has been operated on a number of cruises in 2007 and 2008 as part of the establishment of an AUV Facility associated with Australia's Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS). Preliminary outcomes of these cruises are described, illustrating how advances in SLAM techniques are facilitating the construction of very large scale seafloor maps and the extraction of scientifically useful data.

Dr. Stefan B. Williams is a Senior Lecturer in the University of Sydney's School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering. He is a member of the Australian Centre for Field Robotics where he leads the Marine Robotics group. He is also the head of Australia's Integrated Marine Observing System AUV Facility. His research interests are focused on Simultaneous Localisation and Mapping in unstructured underwater environments, with a particular emphasis on fielding systems in support of marine science applications. He received his PhD from the University of Sydney in 2002 and completed a Bachelor of Applied Science with first class honours in 1997 at the University of Waterloo, Canada.

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