Landmarks for absolute localization

Abstract

For certain experiments in mobile robotics, it is convenient to eliminate positional estimation error in the interest of analyzing other parts of the experiment. We designed and implemented a simple, accurate scheme for encoding and recovering absolute position information. The encoding is a two-dimensional image printed on the plane of the floor, and the absolute position information is recovered using a downward-looking video camera mounted on a mobile robot. 1 Introduction In any scientific undertaking, it is important to hold control variables constant so that one can examine the experimental variables carefully. In our experiments with mobile robotics, we had certain experiments that would have been facilitated if the variable of positional or odometry error could have been eliminated. This inspired us to design a laboratory tool that could do just that: provide simple, inexpensive, and accurate position information over the plane of the floor, eliminating positional uncertainty...