Monte-Carlo Localization for Aerial Robots using 3D LiDAR and UWB sensing

The relevance of unmanned aerial robots in industrial applications has increased with the prevalence of such systems in recent years. Moreover, their use in indoor environments, or where GNSS signals are degraded, is growing. This manuscript presents a solution for robust localization of aerial robots without the need for GNSS signals. In order to truly use them for added-value cases in such scenarios, high levels of robustness are required. Our proposed method is based on a probabilistic approach that makes use of a 3D LiDAR, UWB sensors and a previously built map of environment, to obtain aerial robot pose estimations. Experimental results show the feasibility of the approach, both in accuracy and computational efficiency, being all computations carried out onboard the aerial platform. A video of the results can be accessed at https://youtu.be/Dn6LxH-WLRA.