Engineers at the University of California, San Diego have developed low-cost, low-energy technology.
The technology consists of sensors thatuse Wi-Fi signals so the robot can understand where it is moving. This is a new approach to robot navigation indoors. Most systems rely on optical light sensors such as cameras and lidars. In this case, so-called Wi-Fi sensors use radio frequency signals rather than light or visual cues. Therefore, they can work in difficult conditions - in low or changing lighting, as well as in rooms with "repetitive" parameters - in long corridors and in warehouses.
The researchers noted that the use of Wi-Fi makes this technology a cost-effective alternative to expensive and power-hungry lidars.
Credit: UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering
Researchers tested the technology on the flooroffice building with long corridors and dark warehouses. They placed multiple access points in the space and equipped the robot with Wi-Fi sensors, as well as a camera and LiDAR to take measurements for comparison. The experiment showed that the localization and mapping accuracy provided by the Wi-Fi sensors was on par with commercial cameras and LiDAR sensors. As a result, the system helped robots navigate in the dark. Even if it is an unfamiliar place, without familiar landmarks.
A team of researchers from the Wireless groupThe Communication Sensing and Networking Group, led by UC San Diego Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering Dinesh Bharadia, will present its work at the 2022 International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA) to be held May 23-27 in Philadelphia.
Read more
Voyager 1 is sending strange data. NASA doesn't understand what's going on
The “fifth force” creates invisible “walls” in the universe. The main thing about the new theory of physicists
How dark matter "communicates" with the one we are made of. Key points about the new study