Development of a Testbed for Laboratory Validation of Navigation, Estimation, and Sensing Algorithms

Abstract

Laboratory validation is an important step in the development of new navigation and estimation algorithms. The laboratory validation process often requires the simulation and/or emulation of vehicles, sensors, and operational environments. At Texas A&M University’s Land, Air, and Space Robotics (LASR) Laboratory, robotics is utilized to provide the necessary motion and sensing capabilities to meet this end. A new robotic platform - the Navigation, Estimation, and Sensing Testbed (NEST) - was developed for the LASR Laboratory to aid the algorithm testing and validation process. NEST combines a suite of sensors, powerful onboard computer, rechargeable battery, and supporting power electronics into a compact, modular chassis. The result is a versatile, reusable vehicle emulation and sensing platform that can be applied to a variety of projects and operated on its own or in conjunction with other robotic platforms and computing units. NEST’s hardware and software are discussed, along with typical utilization within the laboratory.