Automatic mapping and localization of a tour guide robot by fusing active RFID and ranging laser scanner

Abstract

This paper presents a mapping and global pose localization method for a tour guide robot in indoor environments by fusing measurements from an active radio-frequency-identification-device (RFID), one odometric device and a ranging laser scanner. RFID is adopted to quickly initialize the robot's global configuration by recognizing tags in the environment. Mapping is accomplished automatically by using a laser scanner and active RFID which is adopted to initialize tour guide robot's initial posture in real time. Numerous experimental results are provided to show the effectiveness and merits of the proposed mapping and localization systems.