Integration of Autonomous Robotics, Indoor Localization Technologies, and IoT Sensing for Real-Time Cloud-Based Indoor Air Quality Monitoring and Visualization

摘要

Real-time monitoring of indoor air quality (IAQ) is significant for ensuring occupants’ health and comfort. While smart sensing technologies were used for IAQ monitoring, there is still a gap of quantitatively assessing IAQ and visualizing its interactions with the surrounding physical world. Therefore, this study proposes a novel real-time IAQ monitoring and visualization system. This system specifically integrates an unmanned ground vehicle (UGV), an indoor localization system, and the Internet of Things (IoT). First, an IoT sensing unit was developed to dynamically measure the concentration of different indoor air pollutants. Second, a UGV was configured with the capability of full autonomy for providing mobility to the sensing unit. Third, an indoor localization system was developed using ultra-wideband technology to track the sensing unit. Fourth, a cloud-based web server was created to establish communication for data transmission. Fifth, a 2D visualization interface was generated to visualize the indoor air condition and its interactions with the physical world. The proposed system was validated in a real-world application at the authors’ institution to test its applicability and performance. The proposed system achieved promising performance regarding (1) full navigation autonomy to sense the indoor environment, (2) reliably monitoring and quantifying the indoor air condition, (3) accurately localizing the sensing unit, and (4) intuitively visualizing the IAQ with consideration of both temporal and spatial characteristics of indoor air condition. This study contributes to the body of knowledge by enhancing existing practices of IAQ monitoring using a cost-effective and mobile robotic system and indoor localization technology.