Real-time WiFi localization of heterogeneous robot teams using an online random forest

In this paper we present a WiFi-based solution to the localization and mapping problem for teams of heterogeneous robots operating in unknown environments. By exploiting wireless signal strengths broadcast from access points, a robot with a large sensor payload creates a WiFi signal map that can then be shared and utilized for localization by sensor-deprived robots. In our approach, WiFi localization is cast as a classification problem. An online clustering algorithm processes incoming WiFi signals that are then incorporated into an online random forest (ORF). The algorithm’s robustness is increased by a Monte Carlo localization algorithm whose sensor model exploits the results of the ORF classification. The proposed algorithm is shown to run in real-time, allowing the robots to operate in completely unknown environments, where a priori information such as a blue-print or the access points’ location is unavailable. A comprehensive set of experiments not only compares our approach with other algorithms, but also validates the results across different scenarios covering both indoor and outdoor environments.