Smooth motion planning method for mobile robots in dynamic environments

Abstract

Smooth motion planning methods are essential for efficient, safe, and real-time navigation of nonholonomic mobile robots in dynamic and complex environments while avoiding obstacles. This paper presents a novel smooth motion planning method, combining two main parts: a path planner integrating the Two Way D${}^{\ast }$ algorithm and clothoids, and a trajectory planner. Our proposed method generates continuous, collision-free, and near time-optimal trajectories for nonholonomic mobile robots. It is capable of working in real-time because of algorithmic simplicity and the ability to rapidly determine new replanned paths in the presence of unknown obstacles. Simulation results demonstrate that our method, compared to similar methods, can achieve a shorter trajectory length, shorter traveling time, and shorter path planning time. We have validated the efficiency of our method through experiments conducted on a Husky mobile robot.