NDT (Normal Distributions Transform)

The Normal Distributions Transform (NDT) is a method used in robotics and computer vision to match 3D point clouds, such as from a LiDAR sensor. It works by dividing the environment into small regions and modeling the points in each region as a probability distribution, typically a normal (bell-shaped) distribution. When aligning two scans, NDT adjusts one to best fit the other by comparing these distributions, effectively finding the position where the two point clouds match most accurately. This makes it a powerful tool for navigation and mapping, providing precise alignment even in complex environments.