Path and sensing point planning for mobile robot navigation to minimize the risk of collision

A path planning algorithm for mobile robotics is proposed. When a mobile robot is navigating, the error in estimated position of the robot increases in proportion to the traveling distance. Because of this error, the robot has a greater risk of collision with objects in the environment. To reduce this error, a robot should obtain environmental information by using its environment sensors, and modify its estimated position accordingly. The authors propose a cost function for the mobile robot´s path which minimizes the risk of collision and an algorithm to find the optimal path and sensing points. They have implemented the proposed algorithm on a real robot system and conducted several experiments to verify it