Identification of absolute orientation using inertial measurement unit

Abstract: Because of the limitation of GPS indoors there is a demand for alternative methods to accurately determine both position and orientation. Previous attempts at positional tracking has required an infrastructure of hardware and sensors to provide the path of an object or person. This is not a mobile solution to a mobile problem. This project aims to answer the question if it is possible to use an Inertial measurement unit sensor for this application. It will also create a prototype device that will demonstrate the capabilities of the proposed method. The goal of the project is to reach an accuracy of ±20 cm for position and ±5 degrees for rotation. A Kalman filter will be used to filter the output from the sensor in order to get more stable and accurate readings. The results show that it is possible to determine position of ±20 cm up to 100 cm with the proposed method. An inertial measurement unit is capable of measuring rotation accuracy of ±5 degrees and a prototype has been designed and manufactured to demonstrate the method.