Topological mapping using spectral clustering and classification

In this work we present an online method for generating topological maps from raw sensor information. We first describe an algorithm to automatically decompose a map into submap segments using a graph partitioning technique known as spectral clustering. We then describe how to train a classifier to recognize graph submaps from laser signatures using the AdaBoost machine learning algorithm. We demonstrate that the we can perform topological mapping by incrementally segmenting the world as the robot moves through its environment, and we can close the loop when the learned classifier recognizes that the robot has returned to a previously visited location.