LOBOT: Low-Cost, Self-Contained Localization of Small-Sized Ground Robotic Vehicles

It is often important to obtain the real-time location of a small-sized ground robotic vehicle when it performs autonomous tasks either indoors or outdoors. We propose and implement LOBOT, a low-cost, self-contained localization system for small-sized ground robotic vehicles. LOBOT provides accurate real-time, 3D positions in both indoor and outdoor environments. Unlike other localization schemes, LOBOT does not require external reference facilities, expensive hardware, careful tuning or strict calibration, and is capable of operating under various indoor and outdoor environments. LOBOT identifies the local relative movement through a set of integrated inexpensive sensors and well corrects the localization drift by infrequent GPS-augmentation. Our empirical experiments in various temporal and spatial scales show that LOBOT keeps the positioning error well under an accepted threshold.