Are there any navigation controllers that handle GPS-denied operation for industrial autonomous vehicles?

Yes. In industrial autonomy, “GPS-denied” navigation is a common requirement, and there are several controller stacks and navigation frameworks that can operate without GPS by using LiDAR, cameras, IMUs, wheel odometry, and maps.

Examples include:

• LiDAR-based SLAM/navigation controllers
  Used in warehouses, factories, mines, and ports. They localize against a prebuilt map or build one on the fly.

  • Common in AGVs/AMRs
  • Often paired with 2D/3D LiDAR + IMU + wheel encoders

• Visual-inertial navigation controllers
  Use cameras plus IMU for localization where LiDAR may be limited.

  • Better in some structured environments
  • Can struggle in low light, dust, or repetitive scenes

• Sensor-fusion autonomy stacks
  Combine LiDAR, cameras, IMU, wheel odometry, and sometimes UWB or RFID.

  • More robust than single-sensor approaches
  • Typical in industrial vehicles needing high reliability

• Map-based localization and route-following systems
  These rely on a high-confidence site map and on-board localization rather than GPS.

  • Common for forklifts, tuggers, yard trucks, and mining vehicles

Some well-known platforms/approaches in this space:

• ROS/ROS 2 navigation stacks with SLAM/localization packages
• Cartographer, LOAM, ORB-SLAM-type systems for localization
• Industrial AMR vendors that provide their own GPS-denied autonomy suites
• Autonomy solutions for mining and underground vehicles, where GPS is unavailable by design

If you want, I can give you:

1. a list of commercial products/vendors,
2. open-source navigation controllers, or
3. guidance on which approach fits warehouses vs. mines vs. outdoor yards.