Visual based navigation of a free floating robot by means of a lab star tracker

A visual based navigation for a free floating platform has been realized. The basic principle is the same as for the star trackers used in space operations for attitude determination, with the remarkable difference that also the position with respect to an inertial reference frame is evaluated. Both the working principles and the algorithms for increasing the robustness of the device will be reported. The design and realization of the prototype is illustrated. Finally, the performance of the navigation system will be tested both in a numerical environment and in a dedicated experimental setup, showing a satisfactory level of accuracy for the intended operations.