Pilot Study of Low-Light Enhanced Terrain Mapping for Robotic Exploration in Lunar PSRs

The recent discovery of water ice in the lunar polar shadowed regions (PSRs) has driven interest in robotic exploration, due to its potential utilization to generate water, oxygen, and hydrogen that would enable sustainable human exploration in the future. However, the absence of direct sunlight in the PSRs poses a significant challenge for the robotic operation to obtain clear images, consequently impacting crucial tasks such as obstacle avoidance, pathfinding, and scientific investigation. In this regard, this study proposes a visual simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM)-based robotic mapping approach that combines dense mapping and low-light image enhancement (LLIE) methods. The proposed approach was experimentally examined and validated in an environment that simulated the lighting conditions of the PSRs. The mapping results show that the LLIE method leverages scattered low light to enhance the quality and clarity of terrain images, resulting in an overall improvement of the rover’s perception and mapping capabilities in low-light environments.