An absolute positioning system for 100 euros

This paper describes an absolute positioning system, which provides accurate and reliable measurements using low-cost equipment that is easy to set up. The system uses a number of fixed web-cameras to track a distinctly coloured object. In order to calculate the (x,y) position of this object, estimates calculated by triangulation from each combination of two cameras are combined, resulting in centimeter-level accuracy. Example applications, including tracking of mobile robots and persons, are described. An extended set-up is also introduced, which allows determination of the heading ν of a two coloured object from single images.