[ros-users] Questions about VSLAM

[Kurt Konolige]

M.A. -

VSLAM currently works only with stereo cameras.  VSLAM with monocular 
cameras is much less robust, unless it is augmented with other sensors 
such as odometry or IMUs.

Using two webcams to make a stereo pair is difficult.  You have to:

1. Make sure they're rigidly mounted
2. Synchronize them

Synchronization is difficult for standard webcams.  At the moment I 
don't think there are any cheap off-the-shelf stereo cams.  Here's one 
reference for a do-it-yourself:

http://sszymczy.rootnode.net/index.php?menu=projects

It would be nice to do some kind of VSLAM on the Create using odometry 
to help, but that would take some work.

Cheers --Kurt

On 10/27/2010 9:46 PM, Anh Nguyen wrote:
> Hi everyone,
>
> I have a few questions about VSLAM. I am new to robotics and most of its
> terminologies so I would appreciate any references that may explain the
> background needed to understand your answer :)
>
> - Can I use ROS VLSAM stack using only one camera (a webcam on my
> netbook to be more specific).
> - If so how do I configure VSLAM to get this to work?
> - If not, can I add another external webcam and use them as a stereo
> video system or do I have to purchase some commercial stereo camera? If
> I have to purchase a commercial system, is there any  good one for <
> $400 range?
>
> Has anyone tried to get VSLAM to work with iRobot Create? I spent the
> last few weeks creating a reduced version of the PrairieDog stack that
> work without the laser range finder and the stargazer, and mapped my
> office using the robot's bumper sensor, only to realize that I cannot
> rely solely on the robot's encoders for accurate localization.
>
> Thanks a lot,
>
> -M.A
>
>
>
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