Patent attributes
A domestic robotic system including a robot having a payload for carrying out a domestic task within a working area. The robot also includes a plurality of sensors, including one or more local environment sensors that are configured to receive signals from exterior sources local to the robot. The system further includes data storage, which is operable to store boundary information that defines the path of a predetermined boundary within which the robot is permitted to move. The robot is programmed to operate in at a reference trail recording mode and a navigation mode. In the reference trail recording mode, the robot moves along a reference trail while receiving sensor information from its sensors, with the path of the reference trail being calculated by the system based on the stored boundary information so as to be spaced apart from the path of the predetermined boundary. Also in the reference trail recording mode, the system stores reference trail information corresponding to a first plurality of points along the reference trail. This reference trail information is derived from the sensor information corresponding to the first plurality of points. In the navigation mode, the robot moves within the working area and navigates by: receiving current sensor information from its sensors; and, when it is in the vicinity of the reference trail, comparing the current sensor information with the reference trail information in order to determine its current position.