"Our biggest challenges were developing an algorithm which optimally combines the data from GPS and the other sensors, and overcoming the issues of using such low-cost sensors in a system without any absolute location reference, " said Smithson.
Shaped like a game controller, it's designed to be used out of the box without extra parts since it comes with many sensors and actuators already on it.
It maps its own environment and uses an array of sophisticated sensors to autonomously move about a busy space without interfering with people or other objects.
Smaller, less invasive, sensors could be especially useful for monitoring premature babies or for studying patients with sleep apnoea without them wearing wires through the night, researchers say.