An Application of Laser-Based Autonomous Navigation for Data-Center Monitoring

Data-center monitoring has been a critical subject of research in recent years. Mobile robots have been successfully employed in the industrial field to efficiently perform common tasks. In this paper, we report some preliminary results on the study and development of a robotic system, in which a mobile robot equipped with a laser range sensor and an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) is able to autonomously navigate in a data-center room for accurate monitoring of critical measurements, such as servers’ external temperature, humidity and other physical quantities. The robot is able to autonomously create a map of a previously unknown room, localize therein and execute a list of measurements at different locations, which are provided by the user via a web graphical user interface (GUI). The robot is able to find the best trajectory to reach the given locations, while avoiding static and moving obstacles. The particular characteristics of the data-center scenario introduce specific problems related to map creation and localization using laser-based techniques (e.g., irregular surfaces as metal grids and high symmetry of the environment), which must be properly taken into account and are discussed throughout the paper. Preliminary experimental results show that the system is able to create a consistent map of the environment, to correctly localize itself therein and to follow a given path.