Indoor Positioning and Path Planning Platform for iRobot Create 2 Sweeping Robot

Abstract

Many robots have been proposed for smart applications in recent years However, while these robots have good ability to move between fixed points separated by short distances, they perform less well when required to navigate complex interior spaces with an irregular layout and multiple obstacles due to their relatively crude positioning and path control capabilities. Accordingly, the present study proposes an integrated system consisting of a Raspberry Pi development platform, various sensor devices and iBeacon technology to facilitate the path control, indoor positioning, and obstacle avoidance of a programmable iRobot Create 2 sweeping robot. The capabilities of the proposed system and its various components are investigated by means of practical experiments and numerical simulations. In general, the results confirm that the proposed integrated system provides a viable platform for the future development of sophisticated indoor robots for smart indoor applications.