A method for localizing an object moving in an unknown environment. The method includes providing k position marks at undetermined positions p1, p2, . . . , pk that are spaced apart from one another, where {p1, . . . , pk}ε, where k is a natural number greater than or equal to 3, and repeatedly measuring the distances between the object and each of the position marks independently of one another at uncontrolled instants, such that distance values {r1, . . . , rn}ε are present at instants {t1, . . . , tn}ε. The method further includes determining a motion curve x(t)ε according to x ⁡ ( t ) = ∑ i = 1 n ⁢ α i ⁢ k ⁡ ( t , t i ) , where n represents a number of distance measurements used and each function k(t, ti) is a positively defined kernel function, and where {α1, . . . , αn}ε are coefficient vectors that are estimated using smoothness conditions based on a regularization term formed with the kernel functions.