Simultaneous Localization And Mapping (SLAM) is a process in which sensor data is used to construct a map of the environment and for estimation of the current location in this environment. Many SLAM-implementations are developed for different platforms and applications. Often reusability is limited due to platform, algorithm and sensor-specific dependencies and optimisations.
Real-Time Appearance-Based mapping (RTAB-Map) and ORB-SLAM2 are existing open-source SLAM algorithms that can perform appearance-based mapping and localisation under real-time constraints.
This research investigates the factors that affect modularity and reusability for these systems and aims to develop a framework in which SLAM systems can be developed in a way that improves reusability for different projects. Such a modular framework can also be leveraged to use SLAM systems with different sensors and to support mechanisms such as map sharing and distributed SLAM.