Versatile mobile robotic device

A method for determining a movement path of a robotic device, comprising:

• capturing, with a camera of the robotic device, spatial data of surroundings of the robotic device;
• generating, with one or more processors of the robotic device, a spatial model of the surroundings based on at least the spatial data of the surroundings, wherein generating the spatial model of the surroundings comprises:
• obtaining, with the one or more processors of the robotic device, a first plurality of spatial data, wherein:
• the first plurality of spatial data are captured with the camera from different positions within the surroundings through which the robotic device moves;
• and
• each spatial data of the first plurality of spatial data corresponds to a respective field of view of the camera at the time the respective spatial data was captured;
• aligning, with the one or more processors of the robotic device, the first plurality of spatial data based on overlap between each spatial data of the first plurality of spatial data captured in different fields of view;
• and
• determining, with the one or more processors of the robotic device, the spatial model of the surroundings based on alignment of the first plurality of spatial data;
• generating, with the one or more processors of the robotic device, the movement path based on the spatial model of the surroundings, wherein generating the movement path comprises:
• capturing, with at least one sensor of the robotic device, at least one measurement relative to the surroundings of the robotic device;
• obtaining, with the one or more processors of the robotic device, a second plurality of spatial data, the second plurality of spatial data indicating distances from the robotic device to surfaces in at least a portion of the surroundings;
• obtaining, with the one or more processors of the robotic device, the at least one measurement, the at least one measurement indicating changes in position of the robotic device over time;
• determining in real-time, with the one or more processors of the robotic device, at least a portion of the movement path through the surroundings based on the second plurality of spatial data and the at least one measurement;
• and
• commanding, with the one or more processors of the robotic device, one or more motor drivers of a set of wheels of the robotic device to move the robotic device along at least the portion of the movement path;
• inferring, with the one or more processors of the robotic device, a location of the robotic device, wherein inferring the location of the robotic device comprises:
• capturing, with the at least one sensor of the robotic device, at least one measurement relative to the surroundings of the robotic device, wherein measurements are taken within successively increasing search radii until the one or more processors obtains a measurement that can be used to infer the location of the robotic device;
• obtaining, with the one or more processors of the robotic device, the at least one measurement;
• determining, with the one or more processors of the robotic device, a probability of the robotic device being located at different possible locations within the surroundings based on the at least one measurement;
• and
• inferring, with the one or more processors of the robotic device, the location of the robotic device based on the probability of the robotic device being located at different possible locations within the surroundings;
• and
• updating, with the one or more processors of the robotic device, the movement path to exclude locations of the movement path that the robotic device has previously been located.