Robot navigation means the robot’s ability to determine its own position in its frame of reference and then to plan a path towards some goal location. In order to navigate in its environment, the robot or any other mobility device requires representation, a map of the environment and the ability to interpret that representation.
Navigation can be defined as the combination of the three fundamental competences: Self-localisation, path planning, map-building and map interpretation.
Some robot navigation systems use simultaneous localization and mapping to generate 3D reconstructions of their surroundings.