SignLoc: Robust Localization Using Navigation Signs and Public Maps

Nicky Zimmerman, Joel Loo, Ayush Agrawal, David Hsu

Abstract: Navigation signs and maps, such as floor plans and street maps, are widely available and serve as ubiquitous aids for way-finding in human environments. Yet, they are rarely used by robot systems. This letter presents SignLoc, a global localization method that leverages navigation signs to localize the robot on publicly available maps—specifically floor plans and OpenStreetMap (OSM) graphs–without prior sensor-based mapping. SignLoc first extracts a navigation graph from the input map. It then employs a probabilistic observation model to match directional and locational cues from the detected signs to the graph, enabling robust topo-semantic localization within a Monte Carlo framework. We evaluated SignLoc in diverse large-scale environments: part of a university campus, a shopping mall, and a hospital complex. Experimental results show that SignLoc reliably localizes the robot after observing only one to two signs.

External IDs:dblp:journals/ral/ZimmermanLAH26