Outdoor scene analysis using range data

This paper describes techniques for outdoor scene analysis using range data. The purpose of these techniques is to build a 3-D representation of the environment of an mobile robot equipped with a range sensor. Algorithms are presented for scene segmentation, object detection, map building, and object recognition. We present results obtained in an outdoor navigation environment in which a laser range finder is mounted on a vehicle. These results have been successfully applied to the problem of path planning through obstacles.