Evaluation of visual SLAM algorithms in unstructured planetary-like and agricultural environments

Abstract

Given the significant advance in visual SLAM (VSLAM), it might be assumed that the location and mapping problem has been solved. Nevertheless, VSLAM algorithms may exhibit poor performance in unstructured environments. This paper addresses the problem of VSLAM in unstructured planetary-like and agricultural environments. A performance study of state-of-the-art algorithms in these environments was conducted to evaluate their robustness. Quantitative and qualitative results of the study are reported, which exposes that the impressive performance of most state-of-the-art VSLAM algorithms is not generally reflected in unstructured planetary-like and agricultural environments. Statistical scene analysis was performed on datasets from well-known structured environments as well as planetary-like and agricultural datasets to identify visual differences between structured and unstructured environments, which cause VSLAM algorithms to fail. In addition, strategies to overcome the VSLAM algorithm limitations in unstructured planetary-like and agricultural environments are suggested to guide future research on VSLAM in these environments.