Inertial Odometry
Inertial odometry is a technique for estimating the position and orientation (pose) of a device or vehicle by integrating data from inertial sensors, such as accelerometers and gyroscopes. It calculates changes in motion over time to track movement without relying on external references like GPS or visual landmarks. This method is commonly used in robotics, autonomous vehicles, and augmented/virtual reality systems for dead reckoning navigation.
Developers should learn inertial odometry when building applications that require robust, self-contained navigation in environments where GPS is unavailable or unreliable, such as indoors, underground, or in dense urban areas. It's essential for robotics, drones, and AR/VR systems that need real-time motion tracking, but it's prone to drift errors over time, so it's often combined with other sensors (e.g., cameras or lidar) in sensor fusion setups.