Distance transform based visibility measures for covert path planning in known but dynamic environments

Abstract

The notion of visibility evaluation in known, initially unknown and dynamic obstacle strewn environments is relevant for many robot navigation scenarios and is particularly relevant in covert robot operations where the robot should try and remain hidden from nominated ‘sentry ’ points whilst simultaneously finding an efficient path to a goal. This paper presents an elegant way of measuring visibility in cluttered spaces using the Distance Transform and shows its application in covert path planning in known but dynamic environments. Emphasis is placed on simplicity and generality.