Navigation Many existing navigation systems rely on the costly installation and maintenance of structures to guide equipment. Autonomous underground navigation based on one to several sensors, accompanied by mine maps or models, gives an alternative. Sensor-based guideless navigation is the main subject of ongoing research for autonomous underground navigation.
Many challenging problems remain.
Experience shows that one sensor alone is usually insufficient for autonomous navigation. Data from several sensors may decrease the uncertainty. Natural or artificial landmark recognition is needed to remove the uncertainty. Sensors may include odometry, gyroscopes, inclinometers, ranging lasers and sonar. Challenging problems abound.