The purpose of this research was to determine the feasibility of a laser-based
positioning system as a primary navigation method. The system developed for this
research consisted of an automated guided vehicle which navigated solely with the use of
the laser-based positioning system in real-time. To date, there are no systems which can
navigate a pre-defined path using such a positioning system. Some lessons were learned
by the researcher, however, concerning the viability of this system in an industrial
environment. The system should have had the following advantages over previous
systems: 1) Greater range, 2) no prior structuring of environment, 3) real-time navigation,
and 4) no reliance on dead-reckoning for navigation.
The results showed that goals two through four had been met and are advantages of
this system over current systems. The range of this system is limited, however, but it is
believed that the next generation system should have greater range than the system used in
this research.
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