Sensor based obstacle avoidance and mapping for fast mobile robots

This paper describes one aspect of a project whose goal is to move a robot in an unknown environment and find pipes to decommission. While moving through the environment a low level map, in the form of an occupancy grid, along with detailed location of pipes in the environment are obtained. This paper deals only with the low level “reflex” of obstacle avoidance that is performed while the robot moves along its path as well as some of the higher level tasks involved in path planning and robot motion in order to negotiate through a hazardous environment. The overall high level interaction with the system is made as simple and user friendly as possible using a graphical interface to control high level tasks. All low level communications and processing are transparent. The robot used for experimentation is a wheeled mobile platform equipped with many different sensors including ultrasonic range sensors and cameras. A quick and efficient obstacle avoidance algorithm has been developed using sixteen ultrasonic range sensor and one infrared proximity sensor