Robust robot localization in a complex oil and gas industrial environment

In this paper, we propose a LiDAR-based robot localization method in a complex oil and gas environment. Localization is achieved in six degrees of freedom (DoF) thanks to a particle filter framework. A new time-efficient likelihood function, based on a precalculated three-dimensional likelihood field, is introduced. Experiments are carried out in real environments and their digitized point clouds. Six DoF real-time localization is achieved with spatial and angular errors of less than 2.5 cm and 1 degrees, respectively, in a real environment of 350 m(3).The proposed approach focuses on real-time performance on embedded platforms. It enabled the Vikings team to win the first two ARGOS Challenge contests.