Control and monocular visual SLAM of nonholonomic mobile robots

Achieving autonomy in mobile robotics necessitates fundamental capabilities such as trajectory tracking, self-localization, and environmental perception. GPS is the conventional choice for establishing the position of a mobile robot in outdoor and open settings; however, it lacks reliability in diverse environments, such as cluttered indoor spaces. In this paper, we propose a nonlinear kinematic control scheme for trajectory tracking, alongside a Monocular Visual SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) method for nonholonomic wheeled mobile robots operating in GPS-denied environments. The proposed SLAM system incorporates heading and range measurements. We conduct a nonlinear observability analysis to demonstrate that the system’s observability is enhanced by integrating these measurements. The kinematic controller is formulated using the Lyapunov direct method, and the stability of the control law is verified through Lyapunov theory. Extensive computer simulations demonstrate that the proposed systems achieve good performance.