Research and Simulation of Motion Planning for Underwater Hexapod Robot Based on Improved Artificial Potential Method

The obstacle avoidance method and its effect of underwater hexapod robot is one of the important aspects of whether the underwater hexapod robot can work smoothly. As a simple and real-time obstacle avoidance method, artificial potential method has been widely concerned. Based on the improved artificial potential method, the motion planning of underwater hexapod robot is studied in this paper. The three-dimensional information of obstacles in the working area is detected by scanning sonar with orthogonal arrangement, and the obstacles are abstracted into a circle to facilitate the construction of obstacle avoidance model. The improved physical model of artificial potential method is established by optimizing the functional equations of gravitational potential field and repulsive potential field, and the real-time crawling path of the underwater hexapod robot is obtained. On this basis, the realtime crawling path of the underwater hexapod robot is constructed for the realization of obstacle avoidance. Finally, the motion planning effect of the underwater hexapod robot is verified by simulation. The simulation results show that the motion planning of the underwater hexapod robot based on the improved artificial potential method can avoid obstacles well. The path generated is smooth and the crawling efficiency is more efficient. It can make the underwater hexapod robot maintain a safe crawling distance and avoid obstacles to reach the end point smoothly, which has good practical application value.