Distributed Localization in Partially GPS Denied Environment

The goal of this project was to develop a technique for distributed absolute localization of robot swarms that inter-operate between GPS accessible and GPS denied environments. Such scenarios typically arise in search and rescue operations for disaster management tasks. Especially, in calamities such as earthquakes, where it is impossible for humans to reach victims trapped under collapsed debris and structures, an army of small robots that can crawl through tight spaces between the rubble to locate victims can be a life-saving tool. However, such robots would need to locate themselves reliably in an hostile GPS denied environment (such as a collapsed building). This problem can be approached by combining previous work on Simultaneous Localization And Mapping (SLAM) and Distributed Relative Localization of Swarms with Wireless Sensor Networks..