Navigation integration of a mobile robot in dynamic environments

Abstract

This article presents a design and experimental study of navigation integration of an intelligent mobile robot in dynamic environments. The proposed integration architecture is based on the virtual-force concept, by which each navigation resource is assumed to exert a virtual force on the robot. The resultant force determines how the robot will move. Reactive behavior and proactive planning can both be handled in a simple and uniform manner using the proposed integration method. A real-time motion predictor is employed to enable the mobile robot to deal in advance with moving obstacles. A grid map is maintained using on-line sensory data for global path planning, and a bidirectional algorithm is proposed for planning the shortest path for the robot by using updated grid-map information. Therefore, the mobile robot has the capacity to both learn and adapt to variations. To implement the whole navigation system efficiently, a blackboard model is used to coordinate the computation on board the vehicle. Simulation and experimental results are presented to verify the proposed design and demonstrate smooth navigation behavior of the intelligent mobile robot in dynamic environments. ©1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.