Indoor Localization using Optical Flow

In some indoor condition where human are not suitable to get in (e.g. battlefield or house on fire), insect-size airrobot or ground vehicle are nimble and rapid tools to figure out the situation inside. The accurate localization and safe navigation in indoor environment plays a significant role when making use of these vehicles. But insect-size robot’s indoor localization is restricted by weight and environment. Traditionally Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) + GPS are used for outdoor vehicles, but miniature IMU has poor accuracy, meanwhile GPS has no access in most indoor environment. Laser radar is also too big for insect-size robot. Millimeter size optical flow sensor has been designed and tested for more than 10 years [1], which could be easily embedded in many indoor vehicles.