Today robots move through all environments, but each type of environment needs specific sensors so that the robot knows where it is and where to go.
In the case of building interiors, it does not have a GPS signal and must do so through cameras and Lidar. But Lidar is expensive and consumes a lot of energy, so the robot loses autonomy and is more expensive.
Researchers at the University of San Diego (California) have developed a new robot guidance system using Wi-Fi signals from buildings. Today we have Wi-Fi signals in all buildings, which most of us use to receive information on our mobile devices, but can be used for other applications.
These researchers use Wi-Fi signal sensors placed on the robots, which are capable of determining the position of the robot when it moves connected to the Wi-Fi network.
The fact of moving based on the Wi-Fi signals received means that the robot can move without the need for light, which is very practical in some surveillance and security applications. And with a simple camera (which are cheap) they can have additional functions.
The important thing is that these robots do not need to use Lidar, which is a very expensive component (at least today) and consumes a lot of energy.
In the tests carried out by the researchers, they were able to verify that the movement of the robots with their sensors and programming was very similar to the same robots using cameras and Lidar. This demonstrated the viability of his proposal.
You can see a video at https://youtu.be/JjalvBHqC94
The cheaper and simpler a robot is, the more applications it can find.
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