A comparison between reactive potential fields and Attractor Dynamics

We study four established reactive approaches that can be implemented on computationally weak hardware with the goal of minimizing oscillatory movements to reduce the energetic cost of robot navigation. In this regard, we examine the smoothness and variability of the control action in our analysis. Sensor noise, including the large variance of GPS estimates, is evaluated. Care is taken to make the techniques comparable. Statistical data were obtained in simulation in which environments were randomly varied. We show that the second order Attractor Dynamics Approach satisfies our requirements significantly better than Potential Field approaches.