Editing Autonomous robot (section)

=== Autonomous navigation ===

==== Indoor navigation ====

For a robot to associate behaviors with a place ([[robot localization|localization]]) requires it to know where it is and to be able to navigate point-to-point. Such navigation began with wire-guidance in the 1970s and progressed in the early 2000s to beacon-based [[triangulation]]. Current commercial robots autonomously navigate based on sensing natural features. The first commercial robots to achieve this were Pyxus' HelpMate hospital robot and the CyberMotion guard robot, both designed by robotics pioneers in the 1980s. These robots originally used manually created [[Computer-aided design|CAD]] floor plans, sonar sensing and wall-following variations to navigate buildings. The next generation, such as MobileRobots' [[PatrolBot]] and autonomous wheelchair,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/236882346 |title=Autonomous Wheelchair: Concept and Exploration |first1=Rafael |last1=Berkvens |first2=Wouter |last2=Rymenants |first3=Maarten |last3=Weyn |first4=Simon |last4=Sleutel |first5=Willy |last5=Loockx |work=AMBIENT 2012 : The Second International Conference on Ambient Computing, Applications, Services and Technologies |via=[[ResearchGate]]}}</ref> both introduced in 2004, have the ability to create their own laser-based [[robotic mapping|maps of a building]] and to navigate open areas as well as corridors. Their control system changes its path on the fly if something blocks the way.

At first, autonomous navigation was based on planar sensors, such as laser range-finders, that can only sense at one level. The most advanced systems now fuse information from various sensors for both localization (position) and navigation. Systems such as Motivity can rely on different sensors in different areas, depending upon which provides the most reliable data at the time, and can re-map a building autonomously.

Rather than climb stairs, which requires highly specialized hardware, most indoor robots navigate handicapped-accessible areas, controlling elevators and electronic doors.<ref>[http://www.ccsrobotics.com/speciminder.htm "Speci-Minder; see elevator and door access"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080102053209/http://www.ccsrobotics.com/speciminder.htm |date=January 2, 2008 }}</ref> With such electronic access-control interfaces, robots can now freely navigate indoors. Autonomously climbing stairs and opening doors manually are topics of research at the current time.

As these indoor techniques continue to develop, vacuuming robots will gain the ability to clean a specific user-specified room or a whole floor. Security robots will be able to cooperatively surround intruders and cut off exits. These advances also bring concomitant protections: robots' internal maps typically permit "forbidden areas" to be defined to prevent robots from autonomously entering certain regions.

==== Outdoor navigation ====

Outdoor autonomy is most easily achieved in the air, since obstacles are rare. [[Cruise missile]]s are rather dangerous highly autonomous robots. Pilotless drone aircraft are increasingly used for reconnaissance. Some of these [[unmanned aerial vehicle]]s (UAVs) are capable of flying their entire mission without any human interaction at all except possibly for the landing where a person intervenes using radio remote control. Some drones are capable of safe, automatic landings, however. [[SpaceX]] operates a number of [[autonomous spaceport drone ship]]s, used to safely land and recover [[Falcon 9]] rockets at sea.<ref name=nsf20141117>
{{cite news |last1=Bergin|first1=Chris |title=Pad 39A – SpaceX laying the groundwork for Falcon Heavy debut |url=http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2014/11/pad-39a-spacex-groundwork-falcon-heavy-debut/ |access-date=2014-11-17 |work=NASA Spaceflight |date=2014-11-18 }}</ref> Few countries like India started working on [https://www.skyeair.tech/ robotic deliveries] of food and other articles by [[Unmanned aerial vehicle|drone]].

Outdoor autonomy is the most difficult for ground vehicles, due to:
* Three-dimensional terrain
* Great disparities in surface density
* Weather exigencies
* Instability of the sensed environment