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// challenge brief · hack a ton 2026

Mental Map

From a single RGB camera, with no LiDAR and no depth sensor, build a map of a space the robot explored, then plan a route across it.

// Proposed by
Monsson
// Industry
Computer vision / robotics (Unitree Go2 Edu)
// Difficulty
🔴 Advanced

★ Own jury, own €1,000 prize. Pick any one of the three to compete.

// the problem

Most robots map the world with expensive depth sensors. Doing it from a single ordinary camera is far harder, but if you can, the robot becomes much cheaper and simpler. This is the high-ceiling challenge: ambitious, and the one most likely to wow judges if it converges.

// your mission

From a single RGB stream, build a representation of the explored space (a 2D/2.5D occupancy map or topological graph) and plan trajectories between arbitrary points on it.

// how it works

  1. 1Reconstruct: build a map from an exploration video.
  2. 2Plan: find a path from point A to point B on that map.
  3. 3Act: output a command sequence (walk X m, rotate Y°).
  4. 4Bonus: recover metric scale and detect loop closures.

// what we provide

  • 3–4 indoor exploration clips (office, hallway, room with obstacles).
  • Ground-truth trajectories for evaluation.

// suggested approach

  • Monocular visual odometry / SLAM (e.g. ORB-SLAM-style pipelines) or a learning-based depth+pose approach.
  • Path planning over the resulting map is the easy half (A*, RRT) once the map exists.
  • Floor version: a topological graph of places and a planned path between two of them. Perfect metric scale is a stretch, not a requirement. Get something navigable first.

// how you'll be judged

  • Planned-route error vs. ground truth.
  • Robustness to rotations and repeated passes through the same area.
  • Visual quality of the produced map.
  • Metric-scale accuracy (if attempted).

// stretch goals

  • Metric scale from camera intrinsics and motion.
  • Loop-closure detection to correct drift.

// deliverables

  • Git repo: code + README + run instructions.
  • Demo: notebook or script on the provided clips.
  • 5-minute pitch: architecture, decisions, trade-offs.