Evolution Robotics, the company providing the recognition software that helps Sony’s AIBO see and find its charging station, has developed a hardware/software solution that uses a small, inexpensive sensor (usually placed inside the robot) and an infrared, encrypted light device that plugs into a wall outlet to help a robot navigate from room to room, but also know which room it’s in.

The NorthStar infrared light projects two beams onto a ceiling. The sensor sees the lights and can figure out position information with regard to location inside the room as well as directional data, so it knows where it’s going. Each infrared light-emitting device includes a knob to change its ID. The sensor uses the ID to identify which room it’s in. It’s a kind of a GPS for indoors.

Even AIBO could not find a room on its own so far. But with NorthStar, if you’re on the road wondering whether you closed the bathroom window or not, you could use your mobile phone to connect to your home robot that knows how to navigate your home, identify the room, take a photo and wirelessly mail it to you.

Via PC Mag.