# A Front-End for Dense Monocular SLAM using a Learned Outlier Mask Prior

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2104.00562 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2104.00562/

## Key facts

- Cited by 1 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 24 of its 36 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 1 Apr 2021.

## Builds on (most cited first, 24 of 24)

- [The Cityscapes Dataset for Semantic Urban Scene Understanding](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1604.01685/) (2016)
- [Auto-Encoding Variational Bayes](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1312.6114/) (2013)
- [ScanNet: Richly-annotated 3D Reconstructions of Indoor Scenes](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1702.04405/) (2017)
- [What Uncertainties Do We Need in Bayesian Deep Learning for Computer Vision?](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1703.04977/) (2017)
- [Depth Map Prediction from a Single Image using a Multi-Scale Deep Network](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1406.2283/) (2014)
- [A Large Dataset to Train Convolutional Networks for Disparity, Optical Flow, and Scene Flow Estimation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1512.02134/) (2015)
- [Unsupervised Monocular Depth Estimation with Left-Right Consistency](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1609.03677/) (2016)
- [ORB-SLAM2: an Open-Source SLAM System for Monocular, Stereo and RGB-D Cameras](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1610.06475/) (2016)
- [Unsupervised Learning of Depth and Ego-Motion from Video](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1704.07813/) (2017)
- [Direct Sparse Odometry](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1607.02565/) (2016)
- [Past, Present, and Future of Simultaneous Localization And Mapping: Towards the Robust-Perception Age](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1606.05830/) (2016)
- [Deeper Depth Prediction with Fully Convolutional Residual Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1606.00373/) (2016)
- [Unsupervised Scale-consistent Depth and Ego-motion Learning from Monocular Video](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1908.10553/) (2019)
- [D3VO: Deep Depth, Deep Pose and Deep Uncertainty for Monocular Visual Odometry](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2003.01060/) (2020)
- [Unsupervised Learning of Depth and Ego-Motion from Monocular Video Using 3D Geometric Constraints](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1802.05522/) (2018)
- [CNN-SLAM: Real-time dense monocular SLAM with learned depth prediction](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1704.03489/) (2017)
- [CodeSLAM - Learning a Compact, Optimisable Representation for Dense Visual SLAM](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1804.00874/) (2018)
- [SemanticFusion: Dense 3D Semantic Mapping with Convolutional Neural Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1609.05130/) (2016)
- [DynaSLAM: Tracking, Mapping and Inpainting in Dynamic Scenes](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1806.05620/) (2018)
- [DeepFactors: Real-Time Probabilistic Dense Monocular SLAM](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2001.05049/) (2020)
- [Deep Virtual Stereo Odometry: Leveraging Deep Depth Prediction for Monocular Direct Sparse Odometry](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1807.02570/) (2018)
- [SceneCode: Monocular Dense Semantic Reconstruction using Learned Encoded Scene Representations](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1903.06482/) (2019)
- [CNN-SVO: Improving the Mapping in Semi-Direct Visual Odometry Using Single-Image Depth Prediction](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1810.01011/) (2018)
- [Bootstrapped Self-Supervised Training with Monocular Video for Semantic Segmentation and Depth Estimation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2103.11031/) (2021)

## Built on by (most cited first, 1 of 1)

- [Self-Improving SLAM in Dynamic Environments: Learning When to Mask](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2210.08350/) (2022)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Recent achievements in depth prediction from a single RGB image have powered the new research area of combining convolutional neural networks (CNNs) with classical simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) algorithms. The depth prediction from a CNN provides a reasonable initial point in the optimization process in the traditional SLAM algorithms, while the SLAM algorithms further improve the CNN prediction online. However, most of the current CNN-SLAM approaches have only taken advantage of the depth prediction but not yet other products from a CNN. In this work, we explore the use of the outlier mask, a by-product from unsupervised learning of depth from video, as a prior in a classical probability model for depth estimate fusion to step up the outlier-resistant tracking performance of a SLAM front-end. On the other hand, some of the previous CNN-SLAM work builds on feature-based sparse SLAM methods, wasting the per-pixel dense prediction from a CNN. In contrast to these sparse methods, we devise a dense CNN-assisted SLAM front-end that is implementable with TensorFlow and evaluate it on both indoor and outdoor datasets.