Magnetic tape and QR markers are gone. Here is how SLAM, 3D vision and sensor fusion let a robot deploy into an existing building in a single day.
Earlier generations of mobile robots followed magnetic strips or wire loops embedded in the floor. Changing a route meant re-cutting the floor.
Modern platforms use SLAM — simultaneous localisation and mapping. During a single guided walkthrough, LiDAR and depth cameras build a geometric map of the building. The robot then localises itself against that map continuously.
Sensor fusion combines LiDAR, RGB-D vision, IMU and wheel odometry, so the robot stays accurate even in featureless aisles or reflective lobbies where any single sensor would struggle.
On top of localisation sits obstacle avoidance: a 3D perception layer that classifies people, pallets, cables and spills, and decides whether to slow, steer around or stop.
The practical result is that a robot can be surveyed, mapped and productive in the same day, with no construction work.
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