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Dynamic Motion Planning for Mobile Robots Using Potential Field Method

Authors:

Ge S.S., National University of Singapore, Singapore

Cui Y.J., National University of Singapore, Singapore

ABSTRACT

The potential field method is widely used for autonomous mobile robot path planning due to its elegant mathematical analysis and simplicity. However, most researches were focused on solving the motion planning problem in a stationary environment, where both targets and obstacles are stationary. This paper proposes a new potential field method for motion planning of mobile robots in a dynamic environment where the target and obstacles are moving. Firstly, the new potential function and the corresponding virtual force are defined. Then, an on-line motion planning algorithm based on the new potential field method is presented. Finally, computer simulation is used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the dynamic motion planning scheme based on the new potential field method.

Keywords: Potential Fields, Motion Planning, Moving Obstacle Avoidance

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Experimental comparison of control laws for unicycle - type mobile robots.

Authors:

Kim B., Georgia Institute of Technology, USA

Tsiotras P., Georgia Institute of Technology, USA

ABSTRACT

Mobile robots offer a typical example of a system with a nonholonomic constraint. Many control laws have been developed for stabilizing these systems. One of the main issues with these controllers is that they are usually based on kinematic relations only and do not include the dynamics. Moreover, additional factors like quantization, noise and delay may be present that make stabilization more difficult. Comparing the characteristics and the performance of these controllers using an experimental testbed is therefore of great interest. In this paper, we use a Khepera robot to perform these experiments and compare several controller proposed in the literature.

Key Words. Nonholonomic systems, nonlinear control, mobile robots.

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Experiments with a Team of Miniature Robots

Authors:

Papanikolopoulos N., University of Minnesota, USA

Stoeter A.S., University of Minnesota, USA

Rybski P., University of Minnesota, USA

Gini M., University of Minnesota, USA

Hougen F.D., University of Minnesota, USA

Erickson M., University of Minnesota, USA

ABSTRACT

This paper presents several experiments with a large team of heterogeneous robots. The team consists of two types of robotic agents. The first type is a larger, heavy-duty robotic platform, called the \ranger." Rangers are used to transport, deploy, and supervise a number of small, mobile sensor platforms called \scouts," the second type of robotic agent. In an example scenario, the scouts are deployed into an office/lab environment, navigate towards dark areas, and position themselves to detect moving objects using their cameras. A ranger communicates with each of the scouts and determines whether there are objects of potential interest within the observed area. The paper also includes experimental results for individual scout and ranger-scout activities. Key Words. Distributed robotics, miniature robots, robotic teams.

Key Words. Distributed robotics, miniature robots, robotic teams.

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Trajectory Planning and Control for Mobile Manipulator Systems

Authors:

Papadopoulos E., National Technical University of Athens, Greece

Poulakakis J., National Technical University of Athens, Greece

ABSTRACT

Mobile manipulator systems, comprised of a mobile platform with one or more manipulators, are of great interest in a number of applications. This paper presents a methodology for computing actuator commands for such systems that allow them to follow desired end-effector and platform trajectories without violating the nonholonomic constraints. Based on a reduction of the system dynamics, a model-based controller is designed to eliminate tracking errors without requiring large gains. The validity of the methodology is demonstrated using differential-drive and car-like mobile manipulator systems.

Key Words. Mobile manipulators, path planning, nonholonomic systems, crack sealing.

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