Harmony search based algorithm for mobile robot global path planning

The global path planning problem is very challenging NP-complete problem in the domain of robotics. An NP-complete problem would be explained as a type of problem that can´t be solved in real-time by using naïve deterministic techniques. Many metaheuristic approaches have been developed up to date, to provide an optimal solution to this problem. In this work we present a novel Quad-Harmony Search (QHS) algorithm based on Quad-tree free space decomposition methodology and Harmony Search optimization. The developed algorithm has been evaluated on various grid based environments with different percentage of obstacle coverage. The results have demonstrated that it is superior in terms of time and optimality of the solution compared to other known metaheuristic algorithms and promised to always find the optimal solution.