Multi-Tag UWB-based Indoor Positioning System for Objects Tracking

The work environment in automated laboratories requires indoor positioning systems to track the motion of samples, mobile robots, and workers while implementing their daily tasks. The need for position detection systems lies in achieving maximum levels of early response in case of any emergencies, such as collision accidents or leakage of chemical or biological samples while being transported by robots. The process of tracking objects and determining their precise location is a complex task of great importance in the field of automation. The recent developments in communications and electronics technologies have made this task possible. In this paper, the testing and evaluation of a low-cost indoor positioning system for tracking the movement of mobile objects is presented. The system consists of several commercial ultra-wideband modules that can be used as tags or anchors based on the hosted processor programming. It can be used to track any moving object, such as labware, robots, humans, and other objects by connecting a tracking unit (tag) to the moving object. Practical results strongly suggest that the system is capable of tracking the required targets and displaying their live data with high accuracy and an error rate of less than 50 cm in line-of-sight conditions.