MIMO-Based Indoor Localisation With Hybrid Neural Networks: Leveraging Synthetic Images From Tidy Data for Enhanced Deep Learning

Abstract

Indoor localization determines an object's position within enclosed spaces, with applications in navigation, asset tracking, robotics, and context-aware computing. Technologies range from WiFi and Bluetooth to advanced systems like Massive Multiple Input-Multiple Output (MIMO). MIMO, initially designed to enhance wireless communication, is now key in indoor positioning due to its spatial diversity and multipath propagation. This study integrates MIMO-based indoor localization with Hybrid Neural Networks (HyNN), converting structured datasets into synthetic images using TINTO. This research marks the first application of HyNNs using synthetic images for MIMO-based indoor localization. Our key contributions include: (i) adapting TINTO for regression problems; (ii) using synthetic images as input data for our model; (iii) designing a novel HyNN with a Convolutional Neural Network branch for synthetic images and an MultiLayer Percetron branch for tidy data; and (iv) demonstrating improved results and metrics compared to prior literature. These advancements highlight the potential of HyNNs in enhancing the accuracy and efficiency of indoor localization systems.