Indoor Industrial Machine Guidance Using Locata: A Pilot Study at BlueScope Steel

Abstract

Locata Corporation has invented a new positioning technology called Locata, for precision positioning both indoors and outside. Using a network of time- synchronised transceivers, point-positioning with cm- level precision can be achieved. In this paper the feasibility of Locata for industrial machine guidance is demonstrated through a trial at the BlueScope steelworks. In the trial the Locata technology is used to track a crane within the slab handling yard. By comparing Locata position solutions with .truth. positions derived using a total station (theodolite and electronic distance measurement) instrument, it is shown that cm-level positioning can be achieved in a severe multipath indoor environment.