A heuristic approach for local path planning in 3D environments

Abstract

In this paper we describe a heuristic potential based technique for solving the problem of path planning based on local information for a free flying robot (FFR) in a 3D static environment. A path which maximizes the sum of three functions: (repulsion from obstacles, attraction towards the goal, and level attraction) is chosen. While the repulsive and goal-attraction potentials depend on how close is the FFR from obstacles and goal, respectively, the level-attraction potential maintains a certain altitude at which the FFR should navigate. Two additional heuristics are proposed to overcome the local minima problem and to improve the efficiency of the search process. Simulation results of the proposed technique are presented.