Navigation system for indoor mobile robots based on RFID tags

A new navigation method is described for an indoor mobile robot. The robot system is composed of a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag sensor and a commercial three-wheel mobile platform with ultrasonic rangefinders. The RFID tags are used as landmarks for navigation and the topological relation map which shows the connection of scattered tags through the environment is used as course instructions to a goal. The robot automatically follows paths using the ultrasonic rangefinders until a tag is found and then refers the next movement to the topological map for a decision. Our proposed technique would be useful for real-world robotic applications such as intelligent navigation for motorized wheelchairs.