An efficient algorithm for topological map construction in a planar environment explored using proximity sensors

Robotic navigation in unknown environments has been of tremendous interest during the last decade. This paper is on a hardware-based solution for rapid construction of an environment map of an unknown 2D environment explored using proximity sensors. In particular, the paper proposes a new algorithm for generating landmarks and connecting the landmarks based on sensor information. An architecture to map the algorithm is also proposed. Preliminary results of implementation targeted to Xilinx FPGAs suggest that the proposed design is area-time efficient.