Model predictive obstacle avoidance control for omni-directional mobile robots based on fuzzy potential method

In this paper, we propose an optimal obstacle avoidance control method with translational and rotational motion for omni-directional mobile robots based on model predictive control (MPC) modifying fuzzy potential method (FPM). The reference path is generated by FPM considering the shape and the size of the robot, but it might vary steeply because the vehicle dynamics is not considered explicitly. To resolve this issue, the robot tracks the path while modifying it by optimization using MPC which computes an optimal input under prediction based on the dynamics until finite-time future in order to achieve smooth and efficient obstacle avoidance. The performance of the method is verified through comparative simulations.