Global localization of a mobile robot with a laser range scanner in the outdoor environment

Localization of a mobile robot is a crucial issue for its use in the real world. In this paper, we consider the case when the local sensor attached to the mobile robot is only a laser range scanner. The unknown variables to be estimated are the 2-D position and the orientation. This problem can be reduced to a global optimization problem by using appropriate likelihood function. In this paper, we incorporate the uncertain model where the translucent objects such as glasses of the buildings or tree leaves can be treated. The usefulness of the proposed method is demonstrated through experiments.