A Gaussian Model for Dead-Reckoning Mobile Sensor Position Error

The use of mobile nodes within a wireless sensor network are an asset since they can considerably extend the lifetime of that network. In order for mobile sensor nodes to be effective in most cases, their position must be known. Dead reckoning (DR) is a simple location method that is well suited to complexity constrained sensor nodes. The contribution of this paper is to present a Gaussian model for DR positioning error that is based on measurements collected using a popular robot chassis. The model is verified using Monte Carlo simulations that incorporate the empirical DR error.