A 3-D Localization Algorithm for Robot Swarms under the Presence of Failures

Abstract

In many applications, localization systems are important to enable unmanned vehicles (UV) operate autonomously. An example of such applications is the exploration of unknown terrains, such as the zone of an earthquake or a similar disaster. In any such scenarios errors in the UV's sensors or systems used for localization may be present. Due to the harsh environment, errors can not be avoided. Thus, a localization technique that can operate effectively even in the presence of errors is highly desirable. In this paper, a technique used for 3D localization is presented. The technique operates with heterogeneous swarm of autonomous robotic systems, is scalable and robust enough to attain a position estimate even in the presence of errors in the available sensor information.