How to keep track of (x,y) co-ordinates of a line-following bot?

Question

I am working on a bot that follows a certain line path based on some pre-determined algorithm. I would like to know what the (x,y) co-ordinates of my bot are as it traverses with respect to some pre-defined origin and scale.

I am very new to robotics, so I am not sure of the hardware requirements such a task would entail. I would be glad to provide any further information.

Answer 1

Keeping tracking of (x,y) location would fall under state estimation. One fundamental method of state estimation is odometry.