Navigation and localization for service mobile robots based on active beacons

In this paper, we discuss the problem related to a reference scenario in which Service Mobile Robots must be able to operate within human populated environments for carrying out different tasks, focusing in particular on navigation and localization issues. We present an approach that relies on a beacon-based positioning system and ultrasonic sensors in order to carry out safe localization and navigation throughout different areas of large and complex buildings. The localization system uses active beacons (i.e., active transponders distributed throughout the building) as reference points; the estimate of the position of the robot and of its uncertainty, both retrieved by correcting the estimate provided by odometry through an Extended Kalman Filter, are fed to navigation system in order to help the robot to plan and execute target-oriented navigation tasks while showing a reactive behaviour to handle the unpredictability of the environment.