Information Based Adaptive
Robotic Exploration
Presented by Morten Rufus Blas
Author: Morten Rufus Blas,
April 2004
Overview / Agenda / Outline
? Motivation
? Introduction
? Related work
? Defining problem and model
? Solution:
? Minimizing localization error
? Maximize gain in explored map
? Combined Information Utilities
? Integrated Adaptive Information-based Exploration Algorithm
? Results
? Conclusion
? Novelty
? Problems
? Extensions
Author: Morten Rufus Blas,
April 2004
Overview / Agenda / Outline
? Motivation
? Introduction
? Related work
? Defining problem and model
? Solution:
? Minimizing localization error
? Maximize gain in explored map
? Combined Information Utilities
? Integrated Adaptive Information-based Exploration Algorithm
? Results
? Conclusion
? Novelty
? Problems
? Extensions
Author: Morten Rufus Blas,
April 2004
Motivation
? SLAM:
? “There is little value in a robot exploring
and mapping new areas when it has no
idea of how accurately it knows its own
location.”
? Come up with an algorithm to adapt
controls to do better exploration.
Author: Morten Rufus Blas,
April 2004
Overview / Agenda / Outline
? Motivation
? Introduction
? Related work
? Defining problem and model
? Solution:
? Minimizing localization error
? Maximize gain in explored map
? Combined Information Utilities
? Integrated Adaptive Information-based Exploration Algorithm
? Results
? Conclusion
? Novelty
? Problems
? Extensions
Author: Morten Rufus Blas,
April 2004
Introduction
? They attempt to maximize the
accuracy and speed of their map
building process.
? How well does the robot know its pose?
? How well have different areas been
explored?
? In this paper:
F. Bourgault, A. Makarenko, S.B. Williams, B. Grocholsky,
H.F. Durrant-Whyte, “Information Based Adaptive
Robotic Exploration”, presented at IEEE/RSJ Intl.
Workshop on Intelligent Robots and Systems, 2002
Author: Morten Rufus Blas,
April 2004
Overview / Agenda / Outline
? Motivation
? Introduction
? Related work
? Defining problem and model
? Solution:
? Minimizing localization error
? Maximize gain in explored map
? Combined Information Utilities
? Integrated Adaptive Information-based Exploration Algorithm
? Results
? Conclusion
? Novelty
? Problems
? Extensions
Author: Morten Rufus Blas,
April 2004
Related work
? H.J.S. Feder, J.J. Leonard, and C.M.
Smith. Adaptive mobile robot
navigation and mapping. Int. Journal
of Robotics Research, 18(7):650–
668, 1999.
? T.M. Cover and J.A. Thomas.
Elements of information theory. Wiley
series in telecommunications. Wiley,
New York, 1991.
Author: Morten Rufus Blas,
April 2004
Overview / Agenda / Outline
? Motivation
? Introduction
? Related work
? Defining problem and model
? Solution:
? Minimizing localization error
? Maximize gain in explored map
? Combined Information Utilities
? Integrated Adaptive Information-based Exploration Algorithm
? Results
? Conclusion
? Novelty
? Problems
? Extensions
Author: Morten Rufus Blas,
April 2004
Defining problem and model
? Problem:
? Optimize control step in order to:
? Minimize localization error.
? Maximize gain in explored map.
? Model:
? Solve problem by maximizing
information gain.
Author: Morten Rufus Blas,
April 2004
Defining problem and model
? We will be using:
? EKF to model localization (Extended
Kalman Filter).
? OG to represent map (Occupation Grid).
? Entropy map (more about this later).
Author: Morten Rufus Blas,
April 2004
State
estimate
Info. in state
estimate
Info. gain in
map
Composite
Utility
Select most informative action
Defining problem and model
A set of possible actions
Author: Morten Rufus Blas,
April 2004
Overview / Agenda / Outline
? Motivation
? Introduction
? Related work
? Defining problem and model
? Solution:
? Minimizing localization error
? Maximize gain in explored map
? Combined Information Utilities
? Integrated Adaptive Information-based Exploration Algorithm
? Results
? Conclusion
? Novelty
? Problems
? Extensions
Author: Morten Rufus Blas,
April 2004
Solution: Minimizing localization error
? Localization is linked to two
uncertainties:
? Measurement,
? And navigational uncertainty.
? Adaptively choose actions to
maximize information about:
? Robot position.
? Feature positions (the map).
Author: Morten Rufus Blas,
April 2004
Solution: Minimizing localization error
? This can be modeled using a cost function C(P):
? Maximizing information about a state estimate is equivalent to
minimizing the determinant of the corresponding covariance
matrix.
? C(P) represents the sum of the uncertainty ellipses of both
features and robot after the expected observation from the
predicted state.
Author: Morten Rufus Blas,
April 2004
Overview / Agenda / Outline
? Motivation
? Introduction
? Related work
? Defining problem and model
? Solution:
? Minimizing localization error
? Maximize gain in explored map
? Combined Information Utilities
? Integrated Adaptive Information-based Exploration Algorithm
? Results
? Conclusion
? Novelty
? Problems
? Extensions
Author: Morten Rufus Blas,
April 2004
Solution: Maximize gain in explored map
0.6930.6930.693
0.6930.6930.693
0.6930.00.0
0.50.50.5
0.50.50.5
0.5
0.0
(EMP)
1.0
(OCC)
Entropy map: Occupation Grid:
Author: Morten Rufus Blas,
April 2004
Solution: Maximize gain in explored map
? The a priori entropy at time t
k
for grid cell i:
? Given two possible states (OCC, EMP) for OG map this
becomes:
)(ln)()(ln)(
,
EMPPEMPPOCCPOCCPH
iiiiik
Author: Morten Rufus Blas,
April 2004
Solution: Maximize gain in explored map
? So for unexplored cell at time t
k
:
? For occupied explored cell at t
k
:
? Analogous for empty explored cell.
)(ln)()(ln)(
,
EMPPEMPPOCCPOCCPH
iiiiik
693.0
5.0ln5.05.0ln5.0
k
H
0
01ln1
k
H
Author: Morten Rufus Blas,
April 2004
Solution: Maximize gain in explored map
? Expected mutual information gain for cell i:
Information gain = current entropy – new predicted entropy
Author: Morten Rufus Blas,
April 2004
Solution: Maximize gain in explored map
? Mean conditional entropy over all possible
observations:
? It is the expectation of entropy left after an
observation.
Author: Morten Rufus Blas,
April 2004
Solution: Maximize gain in explored map
? Conditional entropy for cell i after observation z
k
at time
t
k
:
? Where Bayes rule says:
? Using our two states (OCC, EMP) the conditional entropy
can be rewritten as:
)|(ln)|()|(ln)|()(
, kikikikikik
zEMPPzEMPPzOCCPzOCCPzH
Author: Morten Rufus Blas,
April 2004
Solution: Maximize gain in explored map
0.6930.6930.693
0.6930.6930.693
0.6930.6930.693
0.50.50.5
0.50.50.5
0.50.50.5
Entropy map: Occupation Grid:
Author: Morten Rufus Blas,
April 2004
Solution: Maximize gain in explored map
0.00.6930.693
0.6930.6930.693
0.6930.6930.693
0.00.50.5
0.50.50.5
0.50.50.5
Entropy map: Occupation Grid:
Information gain going
up = 0.693 – 0.0
Going
left = 0.693 – 0.0
Author: Morten Rufus Blas,
April 2004
Solution: Maximize gain in explored map
0.00.6930.693
0.00.6930.693
0.6930.6930.693
0.00.50.5
0.00.50.5
0.50.50.5
Entropy map: Occupation Grid:
Information gain going
up = 0.693 – 0.0
Going
left = 0.693 – 0.0
Going
down = 0.0 – 0.0
Author: Morten Rufus Blas,
April 2004
Solution: Maximize gain in explored map
0.00.6930.693
0.00.6930.693
0.00.6930.693
0.00.50.5
0.00.50.5
0.00.50.5
Entropy map: Occupation Grid:
Author: Morten Rufus Blas,
April 2004
Solution: Maximize gain in explored map
? Total expected information gain from doing a
specific action:
? Where S
j
are the cells covered by scan.
? After you have done an action you update
entropy map with measurements.
= sum of information gain
for each explored cell
Author: Morten Rufus Blas,
April 2004
Overview / Agenda / Outline
? Motivation
? Introduction
? Related work
? Defining problem and model
? Solution:
? Minimizing localization error
? Maximize gain in explored map
? Combined Information Utilities
? Integrated Adaptive Information-based Exploration Algorithm
? Results
? Conclusion
? Novelty
? Problems
? Extensions
Author: Morten Rufus Blas,
April 2004
Combined Information Utilities
? Constructed by linear combination:
? SLAM
MAX
is an upper bound for the SLAM covariance
matrix given a number of landmarks.
? OG
MAX
is total information of a perfectly known OG
map.
? Increasing alpha increases accuracy of OG map.
Reducing it increases amount of exploration.
Author: Morten Rufus Blas,
April 2004
Overview / Agenda / Outline
? Motivation
? Introduction
? Related work
? Defining problem and model
? Solution:
? Minimizing localization error
? Maximize gain in explored map
? Combined Information Utilities
? Integrated Adaptive Information-based Exploration Algorithm
? Results
? Conclusion
? Novelty
? Problems
? Extensions
Author: Morten Rufus Blas,
April 2004
Integrated Adaptive Information-based
Exploration Algorithm
Author: Morten Rufus Blas,
April 2004
Overview / Agenda / Outline
? Motivation
? Introduction
? Related work
? Defining problem and model
? Solution:
? Minimizing localization error
? Maximize gain in explored map
? Combined Information Utilities
? Integrated Adaptive Information-based Exploration Algorithm
? Results
? Conclusion
? Novelty
? Problems
? Extensions
Author: Morten Rufus Blas,
April 2004
Overview / Agenda / Outline
? Motivation
? Introduction
? Related work
? Defining problem and model
? Solution:
? Minimizing localization error
? Maximize gain in explored map
? Combined Information Utilities
? Integrated Adaptive Information-based Exploration Algorithm
? Results
? Conclusion
? Novelty
? Problems
? Extensions
Author: Morten Rufus Blas,
April 2004
Conclusion: Novelty
? Present an information based
approach for exploration.
? Present a scheme for combining
different types of information.
? Outline the Integrated Adaptive
Information-based Exploration
Algorithm
? Tests on an actual robot indicate the
validity of these approaches.
Author: Morten Rufus Blas,
April 2004
Overview / Agenda / Outline
? Motivation
? Introduction
? Related work
? Defining problem and model
? Solution:
? Minimizing localization error
? Maximize gain in explored map
? Combined Information Utilities
? Integrated Adaptive Information-based Exploration Algorithm
? Results
? Conclusion
? Novelty
? Problems
? Extensions
Author: Morten Rufus Blas,
April 2004
Conclusion: Problems
?Local Minima:
? They claim it is robust, but is it?
?Global optimization:
? Can be used in multi-step solutions
such as path planning but:
?Computational costs grows very
rapidly with amount of look-ahead.
?No notion of “closing the loop”.
Author: Morten Rufus Blas,
April 2004
Overview / Agenda / Outline
? Motivation
? Introduction
? Related work
? Defining problem and model
? Solution:
? Minimizing localization error
? Maximize gain in explored map
? Combined Information Utilities
? Integrated Adaptive Information-based Exploration Algorithm
? Results
? Conclusion
? Novelty
? Problems
? Extensions
Author: Morten Rufus Blas,
April 2004
Conclusion: Extensions
? Can easily be extended with other
types of information metrics.
? It is certainly interesting to extend
this for multi-robot systems.
? Further reading/different approaches:
? R. Sim and N. Roy. “Active Exploration Planning for
SLAM using Extended Information Filters”. ‘04
Submitted to the Conference on Uncertainty in
Artificial Intelligence.