Heuristics for local path planning

The authors describe a heuristic technique for solving the problem of path planning based on local information for a mobile robot with acceleration constraints moving amidst a set of stationary obstacles. The concept of safety is introduced to design a planning strategy. A path which maximizes the product of safety based on local information and attraction towards the goal is chosen. The safety function depends on the acceleration bounds. The attraction toward the goal depends on the distance from the goal. Two additional heuristics are proposed to improve the efficiency of the search process and to enhance the ability of the robot to avoid obstacles. Some simulation examples of the algorithm corresponding to different navigational environments are discussed.>