Key Engineering Takeaways
- •SLAM Toolbox is the official default SLAM system in ROS 2 Nav2, featuring built-in lifelong mapping and map merging.
- •Cartographer excels at multi-sensor fusion (2D LiDAR + IMU + Odometry) using continuous-time 2D submaps.
- •Save final maps using `ros2 run nav2_map_server map_saver_cli -f my_warehouse_map`.
Prerequisites
- • ROS 2 Humble
- • LaserScan topic
SLAM Toolbox vs Google Cartographer Comparison
| Feature | SLAM Toolbox (Karto-based) | Google Cartographer |
|---|---|---|
| ROS 2 Integration | Native First-Class (Steve Macenski) | Ported from ROS 1 |
| Lifelong / Continuous Mapping | Yes (Add / remove map features dynamically) | Experimental |
| Multi-Session Map Merging | Built-in via RViz plugin | Requires manual pbstream merging |
| Submap Scan Matching | Karto Scan-to-Scan Matcher | Ceres Non-Linear Optimizer |
Tags:#SLAM Toolbox#Cartographer#2D SLAM#LiDAR#Occupancy Grid#ROS 2