EKF Localization

Key Insight

Mobile robots must track their positions using internal motion estimates combined with external sensor readings. An Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) localization algorithm handles nonlinear kinematics—such as wheel rotations translating to 2D coordinates—by linearizing the motion and measurement equations around the current state estimate. This allows the robot to fuse wheel odometry with landmark range and bearing measurements to limit the compounding drift of dead reckoning.