Real-Time Robot Joint Variable Extraction from a Laser Scanner

This paper describes a customized iterative closest point (ICP) algorithm for robot excavator bucket pose estimation and joint angle evaluation using a laser scanner. The proposed ICP variant handles noise, occlusion and partial- overlapping. The method has been tested on a Takeuchi mini-excavator and proved to be reliable with minimal workspace error. The angle estimations were found to be accurate. A comparison has been provided between the angle estimation results and the measurements from joint angle sensors.