A fuzzy algorithm for navigation of mobile robots in unknown environments

A fuzzy algorithm is proposed to navigate a mobile robot in a completely unknown environment. The mobile robot is equipped with an electronic compass and two optical encoders for dead-reckoning, and two ultrasonic modules for self-localization and environment recognition. From the readings of sensors at every sampling instant, the proposed fuzzy algorithm determines the priorities of thirteen possible heading directions. Then, the robot is driven to an intermediate configuration along the heading direction that has the highest priority. The navigation procedure is iterated until the final configuration is reached. To show the feasibility of the proposed method, experimental results are given.