Implementing an Industry 4.0 UWB-Based Real-Time Locating System for Optimized Tracking

The Internet of Things (IoT) provides technical solutions for monitoring assets in facility layouts, and this is further strengthened by the development of sophisticated software tools for intralogistics operations. The present research provides a taxonomy for the existing tracking technologies and a comparison matrix for supporting decision making when selecting the most suitable technology for real-time tracking in indoor areas. Although numerous tracking technologies exist, ultra-wideband (UWB) technology has gained significant attention in recent years due to its exceptional positioning accuracy and its ability to operate effectively in challenging environments with numerous obstacles, even under non-line-of-sight (NLOS) conditions. Specifically, this research focuses on a real-time location system (RTLS) that is designed and implemented to monitor assets based on UWB technology. Additionally, a new algorithm is introduced to reduce localization errors by attempting to exclude NLOS measurements from the tag’s position calculations. The experiments showcased that the proposed algorithm improves the overall positioning error by 24%, reporting an RMSE of 0.124 m in comparison to the 0.163 m of the normal trilateration method. The experimental results highlight the efficiency of the proposed solution for fast and accurate localization and tracking in real-world environments.