FORWARD THINKING

To take this project further, you could develop a client/server relationship in which the localization for all the robots would be performed on the server. The server could provide a host for other valuable functions to which client programs could subscribe in order to use the system. Robot control and message routing would be among these functions. The clients shouldn’t have to handle any of them.

A low-power ZigBee radio is an inexpensive base for an autonomous robot team. By using inexpensive mobile robotics platforms with this kind of functionality, you can implement powerful higher-level applications such as the robot team we described at the beginning of this article.

There are other potential applications to consider as well. You can use robot localization for search-and-rescue missions, terrestrial exploration, and natural resource extraction. Using robots to move in potentially hazardous areas can save lives.

The world of gaming could be revolutionized too. Imagine physical embodiments of real-time strategy games that act out the commands that gamers send them.

This technology has the potential to change our lives. In the near future, autonomous robots may finally fulfill the promise of removing humans from dangerous situations. ZigBee technology can empower robot developers to create inexpensive, task-specific robots that may one day autonomously navigate through and perform work in highly dynamic, real-world situations.