New Bearing-Only Algorithm Solves Fermat-Weber Location for Wheeled Robots
Wheeled robots can now find optimal meeting points using only bearing angles, even from moving targets.
Deep Dive
Researchers Cheah, Deghat, and Guivant developed bearing-only control laws for the Fermat-Weber Location Problem (FWLP) with unicycle (wheeled) robots, accounting for nonholonomic constraints. Their solution handles stationary beacons, saturated control inputs, and moving beacons with constant velocities. Accepted for presentation at the 23rd IFAC World Congress, simulations and experiments demonstrate the effectiveness of enabling robots to converge to the Fermat-Weber point using only bearing measurements.
Key Points
- First bearing-only FWLP solution for unicycle robots with nonholonomic constraints
- Three control laws: stationary beacons, saturated inputs, and constant-velocity moving beacons
- Validated with both simulations and experiments; accepted at IFAC World Congress 2026
Why It Matters
Enables wheeled robots to optimally converge to a point using only directional sensors, ideal for GPS-denied environments.