SLAM as a Stochastic Control Problem with Partial Information: Optimal Solutions and Rigorous Approximations

• URL: http://arxiv.org/abs/2604.21693v1
• Date: Thu, 23 Apr 2026 13:59:19 GMT
• Title: SLAM as a Stochastic Control Problem with Partial Information: Optimal Solutions and Rigorous Approximations
• Abstract summary: Simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) is a foundational state estimation problem in robotics.<n>We study the active SLAM problem through the lens of optimal control, thereby recasting it as a decision-making problem under partial information.
• Score: 9.8515164744711
• License: http://arxiv.org/licenses/nonexclusive-distrib/1.0/
• Abstract: Simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) is a foundational state estimation problem in robotics in which a robot accurately constructs a map of its environment while also localizing itself within this construction. We study the active SLAM problem through the lens of optimal stochastic control, thereby recasting it as a decision-making problem under partial information. After reviewing several commonly studied models, we present a general stochastic control formulation of active SLAM together with a rigorous treatment of motion, sensing, and map representation. We introduce a new exploration stage cost that encodes the geometry of the state when evaluating information-gathering actions. This formulation, constructed as a nonstandard partially observable Markov decision process (POMDP), is then analyzed to derive rigorously justified approximate solutions that are near-optimal. To enable this analysis, the associated regularity conditions are studied under general assumptions that apply to a wide range of robotics applications. For a particular case, we conduct an extensive numerical study in which standard learning algorithms are used to learn near-optimal policies.

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