<title>Heuristic search approach for mobile robot trap recovery</title>

Abstract

Trap recovery is required for autonomous mobile robots that sense and avoid local obstacles as they maneuver along a goal-oriented path. We have developed a heuristic search-based recovery algorithm that is invoked immediately whenever a potential trap situation is identified. This algorithm generates intermediate short distance target points (via points) that are used as temporary goals to guide the robot out of the trap situation and allow it to reach a final destination without " stopping-then-thinking" whenever traps are encountered. Real-time navigation is achieved by reacting quickly to the local sensor-detected feedback information and employing on-line reasoning and planning to provide trap recovery. I.