The Robot Report

  • Home
  • News
  • Technologies
    • Batteries / Power Supplies
    • Cameras / Imaging / Vision
    • Controllers
    • End Effectors
    • Microprocessors / SoCs
    • Motion Control
    • Sensors
    • Soft Robotics
    • Software / Simulation
  • Development
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Human Robot Interaction / Haptics
    • Mobility / Navigation
    • Research
  • Robots
    • AGVs
    • AMRs
    • Consumer
    • Collaborative Robots
    • Drones
    • Humanoids
    • Industrial
    • Self-Driving Vehicles
    • Unmanned Maritime Systems
  • Business
    • Financial
      • Investments
      • Mergers & Acquisitions
      • Earnings
    • Markets
      • Agriculture
      • Healthcare
      • Logistics
      • Manufacturing
      • Mining
      • Security
    • RBR50
      • RBR50 Winners 2025
      • RBR50 Winners 2024
      • RBR50 Winners 2023
      • RBR50 Winners 2022
      • RBR50 Winners 2021
  • Resources
    • Automated Warehouse Research Reports
    • Digital Issues
    • eBooks
    • Publications
      • Automated Warehouse
      • Collaborative Robotics Trends
    • Search Robotics Database
    • Videos
    • Webinars / Digital Events
  • Events
    • RoboBusiness
    • Robotics Summit & Expo
    • DeviceTalks
    • R&D 100
    • Robotics Weeks
  • Podcast
    • Episodes
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe

SLAMcore adds dense 2.5D mapping in latest software update

By Steve Crowe | February 25, 2021

SLAMcore added dense 2.5D mapping capabilities to its latest software release. Robots require maps of their surroundings and the objects within it to navigate effectively – these maps can include point clouds, 2D flat maps, 2.5D dense maps (with heights), 3D maps and semantic maps that identify objects.

One of the main challenges of robot mapping is that it requires significant compute power, processing time and memory to create maps – especially 2.5D and 3D.

SLAMcore’s software uses stereo cameras and inertial sensors to build 2.5D height maps in real-time. The occupied space is represented as a series of columns of different heights that show what space is filled. Using these rich 2.5D maps, robots and autonomous devices know where objects are and can safely plot routes through real-world environments.

SLAMcore software is designed to run fast prototypes out-of-the box with Intel RealSense depth cameras (D435i or D455) and is optimized for x86 and NVIDIA Jetson processors. The software can be further customized for production systems to run on a wide range of cost-effective hardware from Raspberry Pi to GPU-based systems. SLAMcore software fuses visual, inertial (IMU) and depth sensor feeds for high levels of accuracy, speed and efficiency.

“Sparse maps are essential to position and locate robots, but provide little additional information,” said SLAMcore founder and CEO Owen Nicholson. “Using visual inertial SLAM to create richer 2.5D maps lets software developers build much better navigation systems without investing huge amounts of time and resource on creating custom sensor and SLAM code. Our software, tuned to work perfectly with the leading sensors and processors, immediately delivers SLAM capabilities for a vast range of robot designs and consumer products – letting developers focus on the main function of their robot solutions.”

According to SLAMcore’s website, it’ll soon be releasing SLAMcore Map 3D, which offers real-time 3D dense reconstruction.

SLAMcore’s newest software also features expanded integration with the Robot Operating System (ROS). Among the new features is the ability to fuse data from wheel odometry sensors into the SLAMcore algorithms via ROS. Support for ROS-compliant wheel odometry sensors not only increases the reliability and accuracy of mapping and location, but opens the door to a wide range of sensor inputs via ROS interfaces.

About The Author

Steve Crowe

Steve Crowe is Executive Editor, Robotics, WTWH Media, and chair of the Robotics Summit & Expo and RoboBusiness. He is also co-host of The Robot Report Podcast, the top-rated podcast for the robotics industry. He joined WTWH Media in January 2018 after spending four-plus years as Managing Editor of Robotics Trends Media. He can be reached at scrowe@wtwhmedia.com

Tell Us What You Think! Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Related Articles Read More >

A fleet of Coco autonomous delivery robots.
Coco Robotics raises $80M to scale sidewalk delivery robots
The Tready mobile robot shown here uses HEBI Robotics' modular approach to actuation.
HEBI Robotics gets SBIR grant to develop hardware for hazardous environments
The saildrone surveyor in the ocean.
Saildrone, Meta complete robotic deep-water cable route survey
Vanderlande and Hai Robotics have collaborated on bringing these high-lift mobile robots to North America.
Webinar to discuss advances in mobile robots for warehouses

RBR50 Innovation Awards

“rr
EXPAND YOUR KNOWLEDGE AND STAY CONNECTED
Get the latest info on technologies, tools and strategies for Robotics Professionals.
The Robot Report Listing Database

Latest Episode of The Robot Report Podcast

Automated Warehouse Research Reports

Sponsored Content

  • Sager Electronics and its partners, logos shown here, will exhibit at the 2025 Robotics Summit & Expo. Sager Electronics to exhibit at the Robotics Summit & Expo
  • The Shift in Robotics: How Visual Perception is Separating Winners from the Pack
  • An AutoStore automated storage and retrieval grid. Webinar to provide automated storage and retrieval adoption advice
  • Smaller, tougher devices for evolving demands
  • Modular motors and gearboxes make product development simple
The Robot Report
  • Automated Warehouse
  • RoboBusiness Event
  • Robotics Summit & Expo
  • About The Robot Report
  • Subscribe
  • Contact Us

Copyright © 2025 WTWH Media LLC. All Rights Reserved. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of WTWH Media
Privacy Policy | Advertising | About Us

Search The Robot Report

  • Home
  • News
  • Technologies
    • Batteries / Power Supplies
    • Cameras / Imaging / Vision
    • Controllers
    • End Effectors
    • Microprocessors / SoCs
    • Motion Control
    • Sensors
    • Soft Robotics
    • Software / Simulation
  • Development
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Human Robot Interaction / Haptics
    • Mobility / Navigation
    • Research
  • Robots
    • AGVs
    • AMRs
    • Consumer
    • Collaborative Robots
    • Drones
    • Humanoids
    • Industrial
    • Self-Driving Vehicles
    • Unmanned Maritime Systems
  • Business
    • Financial
      • Investments
      • Mergers & Acquisitions
      • Earnings
    • Markets
      • Agriculture
      • Healthcare
      • Logistics
      • Manufacturing
      • Mining
      • Security
    • RBR50
      • RBR50 Winners 2025
      • RBR50 Winners 2024
      • RBR50 Winners 2023
      • RBR50 Winners 2022
      • RBR50 Winners 2021
  • Resources
    • Automated Warehouse Research Reports
    • Digital Issues
    • eBooks
    • Publications
      • Automated Warehouse
      • Collaborative Robotics Trends
    • Search Robotics Database
    • Videos
    • Webinars / Digital Events
  • Events
    • RoboBusiness
    • Robotics Summit & Expo
    • DeviceTalks
    • R&D 100
    • Robotics Weeks
  • Podcast
    • Episodes
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe