Mapless Path Planning for Mobile Robot Based on Improved Deep Deterministic Policy Gradient Algorithm

• Published in: Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 24; no. 17; p. 5667
• Main Authors: Zhang, Shuzhen, Tang, Wei, Li, Panpan, Zha, Fusheng
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 30.08.2024
• Subjects: Algorithms; artificial potential field; Decision making; deep deterministic policy gradient; Efficiency; mapless path planning; mobile robot; multi-step update; Robots; deep deterministic policy gradient; mobile robot; artificial potential field; mapless path planning; multi-step update
• ISSN: 1424-8220; 1424-8220
• DOI: 10.3390/s24175667

In the traditional Deep Deterministic Policy Gradient (DDPG) algorithm, path planning for mobile robots in mapless environments still encounters challenges regarding learning efficiency and navigation performance, particularly adaptability and robustness to static and dynamic obstacles. To address these issues, in this study, an improved algorithm frame was proposed that designs the state and action spaces, and introduces a multi-step update strategy and a dual-noise mechanism to improve the reward function. These improvements significantly enhance the algorithm's learning efficiency and navigation performance, rendering it more adaptable and robust in complex mapless environments. Compared to the traditional DDPG algorithm, the improved algorithm shows a 20% increase in the stability of the navigation success rate with static obstacles along with a 25% reduction in pathfinding steps for smoother paths. In environments with dynamic obstacles, there is a remarkable 45% improvement in success rate. Real-world mobile robot tests further validated the feasibility and effectiveness of the algorithm in true mapless environments.