Motion planning

About: Motion planning is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 32846 publications have been published within this topic receiving 553548 citations.

Evaluating efficiency of self-reconfiguration in a class of modular robots

Abstract: In this article we examine the problem of dynamic self-reconfiguration of a class of modular robotic systems referred to as metamorphic systems. A metamorphic robotic system is a collection of mechatronic modules, each of which has the ability to connect, disconnect, and climb over adjacent modules. A change in the macroscopic morphology results from the locomotion of each module over its neighbors. Metamorphic systems can therefore be viewed as a large swarm of physically connected robotic modules that collectively act as a single entity. What distinguishes metamorphic systems from other reconfigurable robots is that they possess all of the following properties: (1) a large number of homogeneous modules; (2) a geometry such that modules fit within a regular lattice; (3) self-reconfigurability without outside help; (4) physical constraints which ensure contact between modules. In this article, the kinematic constraints governing metamorphic robot self-reconfiguration are addressed, and lower and upper bounds are established for the minimal number of moves needed to change such systems from any initial to any final specified configuration. These bounds are functions of initial and final configuration geometry and can be computed very quickly, while it appears that solving for the precise number of minimal moves cannot be done in polynomial time. It is then shown how the bounds developed here are useful in evaluating the performance of heuristic motion planning/reconfiguration algorithms for metamorphic systems. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

A hierarchical strategy for path planning among moving obstacles (mobile robot)

Abstract: A method is presented for planning a path in the presence of moving obstacles. Given a set of polygonal moving obstacles, the authors focus on generating a path for a mobile robot that navigates in the two-dimensional plane. Their methodology is to include time as one of the dimensions of the model world. This enables the authors to regard the moving obstacles as being stationary in the extended world. For a solution to be feasible, the robot must not collide with any other moving obstacles, and, also, it must navigate without exceeding the predetermined range of velocity, acceleration, and centrifugal force. The authors investigate an appropriate model to represent the extend world for the path-planning task, and give a time-optimal solution using this model. >

A two level fuzzy PRM for manipulation planning

Abstract: This paper presents an algorithm which extends the probabilistic roadmap (PRM) framework to handle manipulation planning. This is done by using a two level approach, a PRM of PRMs. The first level builds a manipulation graph, whose nodes represent stable placements of the manipulated objects while the edges represent transfer and transit actions. The actual motion planning for the transfer and transit paths is done by PRM planners at the second level. The approach is made possible by the introduction of a new kind of roadmap, called the fuzzy roadmap. The fuzzy roadmap contains edges which are not verified by a local planner during construction. Instead, each edge is assigned a number which represents the probability that it is feasible. Later, if the edge is part of a solution path, the edge is checked for collisions. The overall effect is that our roadmaps evolve iteratively until they contain a solution. The use of fuzzy roadmaps in both levels of our manipulation planner offers many advantages. At the first level, a fuzzy roadmap represents the manipulation graph and addresses the problem of having probabilistically complete planners at the second level. At the second level, fuzzy roadmaps drastically reduce the number of collision checks. The paper contains experimental results demonstrating the feasibility and efficiency of our scheme.

Estimation, planning, and mapping for autonomous flight using an RGB-D camera in GPS-denied environments

Abstract: RGB-D cameras provide both color images and per-pixel depth estimates. The richness of this data and the recent development of low-cost sensors have combined to present an attractive opportunity for mobile robotics research. In this paper, we describe a system for visual odometry and mapping using an RGB-D camera, and its application to autonomous flight. By leveraging results from recent state-of-the-art algorithms and hardware, our system enables 3D flight in cluttered environments using only onboard sensor data. All computation and sensing required for local position control are performed onboard the vehicle, reducing the dependence on an unreliable wireless link to a ground station. However, even with accurate 3D sensing and position estimation, some parts of the environment have more perceptual structure than others, leading to state estimates that vary in accuracy across the environment. If the vehicle plans a path without regard to how well it can localize itself along that path, it runs the risk of becoming lost or worse. We show how the belief roadmap algorithm prentice2009belief, a belief space extension of the probabilistic roadmap algorithm, can be used to plan vehicle trajectories that incorporate the sensing model of the RGB-D camera. We evaluate the effectiveness of our system for controlling a quadrotor micro air vehicle, demonstrate its use for constructing detailed 3D maps of an indoor environment, and discuss its limitations.

Planning optimal paths for multiple robots on graphs

Abstract: In this paper, we study the problem of optimal multi-robot path planning (MPP) on graphs. We propose two multiflow based integer linear programming (ILP) models that compute minimum last arrival time and minimum total distance solutions for our MPP formulation, respectively. The resulting algorithms from these ILP models are complete and guaranteed to yield true optimal solutions. In addition, our flexible framework can easily accommodate other variants of the MPP problem. Focusing on the time optimal algorithm, we evaluate its performance, both as a stand alone algorithm and as a generic heuristic for quickly solving large problem instances. Computational results confirm the effectiveness of our method.