A scanner (10, 30) for characterizing a refractory lining in a container, the scanner (10, 30) comprising: a frame; a laser scanning system mounted on the frame, said laser scanning system having a laser, a scanner, optics, a photodetector, and receiver electronics, said laser scanning system being configured to measure distances from the laser scanning system to a plurality of points on a surface of the refractory lining; a robotic vehicle (18, 43, 60, 70) attached to the frame, said robotic vehicle (18, 43, 60, 70) having a controller and a drive system comprising wheels (42, 52, 62) or tracks, said robotic vehicle (18, 43, 60, 70) being configured for motion on a floor to propel the scanner autonomously in an area adjacent to the container from a first position to a second position along the floor; and a control system comprising hardware and software to control the scanner (10, 30), said control system being communicatively connected to said laser scanning system, said controller, and said drive system, wherein the refractory lining is characterized by comparing the plurality of distances measured by the laser scanning system to a reference surface of the refractory lining, the scanner (10, 30) further comprising a range finder mounted on the frame and communicatively connected to said control system, said range finder being configured to measure a position of the autonomous scanner (10, 30) relative to a position of the container using a rotating laser beacon and each positional angle between the rotating laser beacon and at least three reflectors placed in a surrounding of the scanner (10, 30), wherein said control system is configured to avoid obstacles in a path of the scanner (10, 30) using range measurements made by the range finder. a frame; a laser scanning system mounted on the frame, said laser scanning system having a laser, a scanner, optics, a photodetector, and receiver electronics, said laser scanning system being configured to measure distances from the laser scanning system to a plurality of points on a surface of the refractory lining; a robotic vehicle (18, 43, 60, 70) attached to the frame, said robotic vehicle (18, 43, 60, 70) having a controller and a drive system comprising wheels (42, 52, 62) or tracks, said robotic vehicle (18, 43, 60, 70) being configured for motion on a floor to propel the scanner autonomously in an area adjacent to the container from a first position to a second position along the floor; and a control system comprising hardware and software to control the scanner (10, 30), said control system being communicatively connected to said laser scanning system, said controller, and said drive system, wherein the refractory lining is characterized by comparing the plurality of distances measured by the laser scanning system to a reference surface of the refractory lining, the scanner (10, 30) further comprising a range finder mounted on the frame and communicatively connected to said control system, said range finder being configured to measure a position of the autonomous scanner (10, 30) relative to a position of the container using a rotating laser beacon and each positional angle between the rotating laser beacon and at least three reflectors placed in a surrounding of the scanner (10, 30), wherein said control system is configured to avoid obstacles in a path of the scanner (10, 30) using range measurements made by the range finder.