RSS-based relative localization and tethering for moving robots in unknown environments

The LANdroids project requires robots to autonomously localize, track, and follow (a task also known as tethering) other robots or humans in an unknown environment with limited sensing abilities. In this paper, we present a localization and tethering approach that relies solely on wireless signal strength and robot odometry without requiring any known reference points in the domain. We introduce a data-driven, probabilistic model that maps received signal strength (RSS) values to real-world distance distributions and embed this model in a grid-based localization algorithm that successfully performs the LANdroids tethering task. We furthermore show, that it is possible to improve localization through the addition of a compass sensor and inter-robot information sharing.

[1]  Ying Zhang,et al.  Proceedings of the first ACM international workshop on Mobile entity localization and tracking in GPS-less environments , 2008, MobiCom 2008.

[2]  Lee C. Potter,et al.  Sensor Network Localization via Received Signal Strength Measurements with Directional Antennas , 2004 .

[3]  Kristofer S. J. Pister,et al.  RF Time of Flight Ranging for Wireless Sensor Network Localization , 2006, 2006 International Workshop on Intelligent Solutions in Embedded Systems.

[4]  Sandeep K. S. Gupta,et al.  Optimal RSS threshold selection in connectivity-based localization schemes , 2008, MSWiM '08.

[5]  David Evans,et al.  Localization for mobile sensor networks , 2004, MobiCom '04.

[6]  Andreas Haeberlen,et al.  Practical robust localization over large-scale 802.11 wireless networks , 2004, MobiCom '04.

[7]  Vikram Manikonda,et al.  A Mixed Initiative Controller and Testbed for Human Robot Teams in Tactical Operations , 2007, AAAI Fall Symposium: Regarding the Intelligence in Distributed Intelligent Systems.

[8]  Andrey V. Savkin,et al.  Node Localization Using Mobile Robots in Delay-Tolerant Sensor Networks , 2005, IEEE Trans. Mob. Comput..

[9]  Sandeep K. S. Gupta,et al.  Localization using signal strength: to range or not to range? , 2008, MELT '08.

[10]  Manuela M. Veloso,et al.  WiFi localization and navigation for autonomous indoor mobile robots , 2010, 2010 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation.

[11]  V. Padmanabhan,et al.  Enhancements to the RADAR User Location and Tracking System , 2000 .

[12]  Paramvir Bahl,et al.  RADAR: an in-building RF-based user location and tracking system , 2000, Proceedings IEEE INFOCOM 2000. Conference on Computer Communications. Nineteenth Annual Joint Conference of the IEEE Computer and Communications Societies (Cat. No.00CH37064).

[13]  W. C. Jakes,et al.  Microwave Mobile Communications , 1974 .

[14]  Douglas W. Gage,et al.  The DARPA LANdroids program , 2009, Defense + Commercial Sensing.

[15]  R.L. Moses,et al.  Locating the nodes: cooperative localization in wireless sensor networks , 2005, IEEE Signal Processing Magazine.