SRI International Announces Karto™, New Mapping Technology for Robot Developers
MENLO PARK, Calif. -- April 25, 2007 -- SRI International, an independent nonprofit research and development organization, today announced the availability of Karto™ robot mapping technology, SRI’s advanced mapping and localization software for developers using various robotic platforms and development environments, including Microsoft Robotics Studio, an end-to-end, scalable and extensible robotics development platform that supports a wide variety of hardware.
The Karto™ Logger software is available as a complimentary download at: www.kartorobotics.com. Once the Karto Logger software is downloaded, developers can collect real or simulated data to create maps of new indoor environments for autonomous navigation. Karto provides maps in the following way:
Step 1: Developer downloads the Karto Logger program and installs it on their robotic platform or simulation environment.
Step 2: Developer drives a robot in real or simulated environment to collect data using the Karto Logger program.
Step 3: Developer logs in to the Karto web page and uploads a data file to SRI's mapping service.
Step 4: SRI’s mapping service creates a map and emails it to the developer for use in autonomous robotic solutions.
SRI is providing the Karto web mapping service on a complimentary basis initially through the end of 2007, as an invitation to the mobile robotics development community to experiment with and provide feedback on SRI’s mapping technology.
"SRI's Karto mapping service is the first in a series of releases SRI will be making in 2007 in the area of intelligent robotic navigation, and will feature support for users of Microsoft's Robotics Studio," said Regis Vincent, Ph.D., a senior research scientist at SRI International. "Karto allows developers to navigate robots in new and complex indoor environments with robust mapping, localization and navigation functionality."
"Advanced mapping and localization is an essential component in mobile robotics solutions," said Joseph Fernando, architect & program manager for the Microsoft Robotics Group. "SRI is a leader in the development of this technology and making this available through Microsoft Robotics Studio enables developers to easily integrate mapping and navigation intelligence into their mobile robotics designs. We are glad to have SRI as a contributor within the Microsoft Robotics Studio Partner Program."
SRI has been a leader in robotic software research and development since the founding of its Artificial Intelligence Center in 1966. Today, SRI continues its leadership in the field with a sophisticated suite of high-level robotic reasoning capabilities that have been deployed on a number of mobile robots.
About SRI International
Silicon Valley-based SRI International (www.sri.com) is one of the world’s leading independent research and technology development organizations. Founded as Stanford Research Institute in 1946, SRI has been meeting the strategic needs of clients for more 60 years. The nonprofit research institute performs client-sponsored research and development for government agencies, commercial businesses, and private foundations. In addition to conducting contract R&D, SRI licenses its technologies, forms strategic partnerships, and creates spin-off companies.
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SRI, SRI International, Karto and Karto Logger are either trademarks or registered trademarks of SRI International. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
