11. Going Above and Beyond - Other RTAB-Map Features

RTAB-Map Features

We have only touched on the main features of RTAB-Map, but let's take a few minutes to highlight some other fantastic features that one may like to incorporate into their robotics project!

Visual Odometry

In situations where odometry data may not be available (ex. there are no wheel encoders), you can use visual odometry instead to gather the same information with less resolution. This might be more applicable to a drone with just an RGB-D camera.

More information can be found here.

Obstacle Detection

This is a handy nodelet that extracts obstacles and the ground from your point cloud. With this information in hand, you can avoid these obstacles when executing a desired path.

More information can be found here.

WiFi Signal Strength Mapping

This feature allows you to visualize the strength of your robot’s WiFi connection. This can be important in order to determine where your robot may lose its signal, therefore dictating it to avoid certain areas. You could also try to find ways to remedy the situation with larger antennas.

More information can be found here.

Finding Objects both in 2D and 3D

Object detection is a great addition to your robotic stack if you are searching for an object and would like to find it and its position when surveying the area.

More information can be found here.

Multisession Mapping

Multisession Mapping is a great way to map specific areas and then come back to do more mapping beyond your first mapped area and have it be added onto you previous mapping session.

More information can be found here.

For any other information you can find it at the following links:

rtabmap Documentation

rtabmap_ros Documentation