An integrated mobile robot path (re)planner and localizer for personal robots

• Published in: Proceedings - IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation Vol. 4; pp. 3789 - 3794 vol.4
• Main Authors: Jinsuck Kim, Amato, N.M., Sooyong Lee
• Format: Conference Proceeding Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: IEEE 2001
• Subjects: Application software; Computer science; Error correction; Indoor environments; Mobile robots; Navigation; Path planning; Road safety; Robot kinematics; Robustness
• ISBN: 0780365763; 9780780365766
• ISSN: 1050-4729; 2577-087X
• DOI: 10.1109/ROBOT.2001.933208

We describe a method for navigation in a known indoor environment, such as a home or office, that requires only inexpensive range sensors. Our framework includes a high-level planner which integrates and coordinates path planning and localization modules with the aid of a module for computing regions which are expected, with high probability, to contain the robot at any given time. The localization method is based on simple geometric properties of the environment which are computed during a preprocessing stage. The roadmap-based path planner enables one to select routes, and subgoals along those routes, that will facilitate localization and other optimization criteria. In addition, our framework enables one to quickly plan new routes, dynamically, based on the current position as computed by intermediate localization operations. We present simulation and hardware experimental results that illustrate the practicality and potential of our approach.