Autonomous Indoor Navigation for Mobile Robots

Abstract

An autonomous navigation system for a robot is key for it to be self-reliant in any given environment. Precise navigation and localization of robots will minimize the need for guided work areas specifically designed for the utilization of robots. The existing solution for autonomous navigation is very expensive restricting its implementation to satisfy a wide variety of applications for robots. This project aims to develop a low-cost methodology for complete autonomous navigation and localization of the robot. For localization, the robot is equipped with an image sensor that captures reference points in its field of view. When the robot moves, the change in robot position is estimated by calculating the shift in the location of the initially captured reference point. Using the onboard proximity sensors, the robot generates a map of all the accessible areas in its domain which is then used for generating a path to the desired location. The robot uses the generated path to navigate while simultaneously avoiding any obstacles in its path to arrive at the desired location.