Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs) in Mobile Robots over the Last Five Years: A Review

Abstract

Robots and especially mobile robots have experienced rapid growth, making them part of everyday life. An inertial measurement unit (IMU), which is a set of sensors, plays an important role in mobile robots’ navigation. Data collected by the IMU sensors on a robot are properly converted and useful information is calculated concerning, i.e., position, orientation, and acceleration. With the advancement of technology, IMUs have been transformed from large and complex devices into small, flexible, and efficient ones. The main sensors included in an IMU are the gyroscope, the accelerometer, and the magnetometer. Additionally, there are other sensors such as a barometer, a temperature sensor, a pressure sensor, or even an attitude sensor. The components that an IMU consists of are many and the main differences concern the technology they integrate, the designer purpose, and the specifications set by the manufacturer. The purpose of this review is a comparative presentation of 42 IMU models from 7 different manufacturers over the last five years comparing main features such as structure details, connectivity, and communication protocols. Moreover, statistical results are quantitatively and qualitatively presented providing a future user the possibility to select the proper IMU.