Unknown, unexplored and abandoned subterranean voids threaten mining operations, surface developments and the environment. Hazards within these spaces preclude human access to create and verify extensive maps or to characterize and analyze the environment. To that end, we have developed a mobile robot capable of autonomously exploring and mapping abandoned mines. To operate without communications in a harsh environment with little chance of rescue, this robot must have a robust electro-mechanical platform, a reliable software system, and a dependable means of failure recovery. Presented are the mechanisms, algorithms, and analysis tools that enable autonomous mine exploration and mapping along with extensive experimental results from eight successful deployments into the abandoned Mathies coal mine near Pittsburgh, PA.

This paper describes two robotic systems developed for acquiring accurate volumetric maps of underground mines. One system is based on a cart instrumented by laser range finders, pushed through a mine by people. Another is a remotely controlled mobile robot equipped with laser range finders. To build consistent maps of large mines with many cycles, we describe an algorithm for estimating global correspondences and aligning robot paths. This algorithm enables us to recover consistent maps several hundreds of meters in diameter, without odometric information. We report results obtained in two mines, a research mine in Bruceton, PA, and an abandoned coal mine in Burgettstown, PA.

We present the software architecture of a robotic system for mapping abandoned mines. The software is capable of acquiring consistent 2D maps of large mines with many cycles, represented as Markov random £elds. 3D C-space maps are acquired from local 3D range scans, which are used to identify navigable paths using A* search. Our system has been deployed in three abandoned mines, two of which inaccessible to people, where it has acquired maps of unprecedented detail and accuracy.