A fuzzy logic approach for safety and collision avoidance in robotic systems

Abstract

Abstract A major factor that has limited the application of robots in industrial and human service applications has been the lack of robust sensing and control algorithms for detection and prevention of collision conditions. This paper discusses an approach to the collision avoidance control of robots using a fuzzy logic methodology for the integration of sensory input data from the robot's environment. The paper presents a formulation of the collision avoidance problem using the occupancy grid formulation, and discusses the use of a combination of Dempster‐Shafer inference and fuzzy logic in fusing the sensory information and making robot movement decisions. This hybrid approach utilizes the strengths of both systems to provide an effective and computationally tractable result. @ 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.