  This paper presents the implementation of a perceptual system for a mobile
robot. The system is designed and installed with modern sensors and multi-point
communication channels. The goal is to equip the robot with a high level of
perception to support a wide range of navigating applications including
Internet-based telecontrol, semi-autonomy, and autonomy. Due to uncertainties
of acquiring data, a sensor fusion model is developed, in which heterogeneous
measured data including odometry, compass heading and laser range is combined
to get an optimal estimate in a statistical sense. The combination is carried
out by an extended Kalman filter. Experimental results indicate that based on
the system, the robot localization is enhanced and sufficient for navigation
tasks.
