# A Review on Visual-SLAM: Advancements from Geometric Modelling to Learning-based Semantic Scene Understanding

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2209.05222 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2209.05222/

## Key facts

- Cited by 8 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 37 of its 111 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 12 Sep 2022.

## Builds on (most cited first, 30 of 37)

- [PointNet: Deep Learning on Point Sets for 3D Classification and Segmentation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1612.00593/) (2016)
- [Fully Convolutional Networks for Semantic Segmentation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1411.4038/) (2014)
- [SegNet: A Deep Convolutional Encoder-Decoder Architecture for Image Segmentation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1511.00561/) (2015)
- [ORB-SLAM2: an Open-Source SLAM System for Monocular, Stereo and RGB-D Cameras](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1610.06475/) (2016)
- [Frustum PointNets for 3D Object Detection from RGB-D Data](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1711.08488/) (2017)
- [RandLA-Net: Efficient Semantic Segmentation of Large-Scale Point Clouds](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1911.11236/) (2019)
- [Direct Sparse Odometry](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1607.02565/) (2016)
- [VINS-Mono: A Robust and Versatile Monocular Visual-Inertial State Estimator](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1708.03852/) (2017)
- [3D Scene Graph: A Structure for Unified Semantics, 3D Space, and Camera](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1910.02527/) (2019)
- [Bayesian SegNet: Model Uncertainty in Deep Convolutional Encoder-Decoder Architectures for Scene Understanding](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1511.02680/) (2015)
- [Conditional Random Fields as Recurrent Neural Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1502.03240/) (2015)
- [Learning 3D Semantic Scene Graphs from 3D Indoor Reconstructions](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2004.03967/) (2020)
- [ParseNet: Looking Wider to See Better](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1506.04579/) (2015)
- [DeepVO: Towards End-to-End Visual Odometry with Deep Recurrent Convolutional Neural Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1709.08429/) (2017)
- [Tangent Convolutions for Dense Prediction in 3D](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1807.02443/) (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)
- [Kimera: from SLAM to Spatial Perception with 3D Dynamic Scene Graphs](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2101.06894/) (2021)
- [SemanticFusion: Dense 3D Semantic Mapping with Convolutional Neural Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1609.05130/) (2016)
- [SuMa++: Efficient LiDAR-based Semantic SLAM](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2105.11320/) (2021)
- [VINet: Visual-Inertial Odometry as a Sequence-to-Sequence Learning Problem](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1701.08376/) (2017)
- [SE3-Nets: Learning Rigid Body Motion using Deep Neural Networks](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1606.02378/) (2016)
- [Stereo DSO: Large-Scale Direct Sparse Visual Odometry with Stereo Cameras](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1708.07878/) (2017)
- [DOPS: Learning to Detect 3D Objects and Predict their 3D Shapes](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2004.01170/) (2020)
- [Direct Sparse Mapping](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1904.06577/) (2019)
- [SO-SLAM: Semantic Object SLAM with Scale Proportional and Symmetrical Texture Constraints](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2109.04884/) (2021)
- [Pop-up SLAM: Semantic Monocular Plane SLAM for Low-texture Environments](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1703.07334/) (2017)
- [From SLAM to Situational Awareness: Challenges and Survey](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2110.00273/) (2021)
- [CamVox: A Low-cost and Accurate Lidar-assisted Visual SLAM System](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2011.11357/) (2020)
- [A Real-Time Approach for Chance-Constrained Motion Planning with Dynamic Obstacles](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2001.08012/) (2020)

## Built on by (most cited first, 8 of 8)

- [Psy-LLM: Scaling up Global Mental Health Psychological Services with AI-based Large Language Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2307.11991/) (2023)
- [LiDAR-Guided Cross-Attention Fusion for Hyperspectral Band Selection and Image Classification](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2404.03883/) (2024)
- [Real-time Aerial Detection and Reasoning on Embedded-UAVs](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2305.12414/) (2023)
- [An Overview about Emerging Technologies of Autonomous Driving](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2306.13302/) (2023)
- [VEOcc: Voxel-Centric Online Semantic Occupancy Prediction For Embodied Scene Understanding](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2605.25059/) (2026)
- [Spatial Reasoner: A 3D Inference Pipeline for XR Applications](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2504.18380/) (2025)
- [Deep Learning Perspective of Scene Understanding in Autonomous Robots](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2512.14020/) (2025)
- [A Review Of Robotic World Models For Dynamic Environments Based On Factor And Scene Graphs](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2610.08800/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Simultaneous Localisation and Mapping (SLAM) is one of the fundamental problems in autonomous mobile robots where a robot needs to reconstruct a previously unseen environment while simultaneously localising itself with respect to the map. In particular, Visual-SLAM uses various sensors from the mobile robot for collecting and sensing a representation of the map. Traditionally, geometric model-based techniques were used to tackle the SLAM problem, which tends to be error-prone under challenging environments. Recent advancements in computer vision, such as deep learning techniques, have provided a data-driven approach to tackle the Visual-SLAM problem. This review summarises recent advancements in the Visual-SLAM domain using various learning-based methods. We begin by providing a concise overview of the geometric model-based approaches, followed by technical reviews on the current paradigms in SLAM. Then, we present the various learning-based approaches to collecting sensory inputs from mobile robots and performing scene understanding. The current paradigms in deep-learning-based semantic understanding are discussed and placed under the context of Visual-SLAM. Finally, we discuss challenges and further opportunities in the direction of learning-based approaches in Visual-SLAM.