The magic of the Kalman filter, in pictures
Report a link problem
The originally submitted URL now redirects to the address above. Updating the destination does not change the item’s HN history, Hall membership, or rank.
Submission timeline
2007–2026One slot for every year since HN launched. Height is that year's peak points; orange marks a 100+ point or 50+ comment breakout. Select a bar to open its strongest thread.
First comments on top threads
HN comment orderCouple of years ago I blogged about how it was developed for the Apollo program [1] and then I wrote an implementation of different variations of it in Go [2]. [1] https://cybernetist.com/2019/01/13/apollo-kalman-filter-and-... [2] https://github.com/milosgajdos/go-estimate
I'll be shameless and point you to my book on Kalman filtering which I wrote in IPython Notebook, which allows you to experiment within your browser. https://github.com/rlabbe/Kalman-and-Bayesian-Filters-in-Pyt...
Kalman filters are wonderful things and great for keeping track of where other things are in relation to yourself. But for localizing my robot I'd generally use a Particle Filter[1] instead to allow me to represent multiple hypothesis about where I am. For example if I see a doorway I know I'm going to be by one of the doorways on the corridor but I won't be able to tell which one without further observation. But if there's a source…
For anyone who read this blog post and thought "Wow that's interesting, but I don't understand half of this. I need a whole youtube series to explain this to me." Well we're in luck. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CaCcOwJPytQ. It's a great set of 55 video lectures on Kalman filtering. (I'm only on number 5 but so far they've been great)
The first top-level comment from each of the four biggest threads, in HN’s own order. Excerpts are shortened; open a comment for full context.
- Breakout years
- 5
- Total points
- 1788
- Total comments
- 224
100+ points or 50+ comments
reference only — not used in Hall rules or ranking
reference only — not used in Hall rules or ranking
Every submission
| Date | Title as submitted | By | Points | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-08-11 | The magic of the Kalman filter, in picturesFirst breakout | tbabb | 443 | 48 |
| 2016-10-05 | How a Kalman filter works, in pictures | JoshTriplett | 17 | 1 |
| 2017-01-21 | How a Kalman filter works, in pictures (2015) | panic | 213 | 32 |
| 2018-05-21 | How a Kalman filter works, in pictures (2015) | sytelus | 390 | 34 |
| 2020-01-30 | How a Kalman Filter Works in Pictures (2015)Hall induction | saeranv | 2 | 0 |
| 2020-07-24 | How a Kalman filter works, in pictures | gballan | 194 | 27 |
| 2021-12-07 | How a Kalman filter works, in picturesBest thread | jack_riminton | 481 | 78 |
| 2024-04-03 | How a Kalman filter works, in picturesLatest 20+ point return | wilsonjholmes | 48 | 4 |