I've currently built a quadrotor with standard PID controllers for attitude, angular rates, and position control. I now want to implement obstacle avoidance and path planning using A*. I have a stereo sensor that outputs depth maps, however I am not sure how to use depth maps to translate into the path planner.
Do I have to first use SLAM techniques to create a local map from the depth maps, and then use A* on that local map? Any relevant material is appreciated.