A Gaussian process-based RRT planner for the exploration of an unknown and cluttered environment with a UAV

A new framework which adopts a rapidly-exploring random tree (RRT) path planner with a Gaussian process (GP) occupancy map is developed for the navigation and exploration of an unknown but cluttered environment. The GP map outputs the probability of occupancy given any selected query point in the continuous space and thus makes it possible to explore the full space when used in conjunction with a continuous path planner. Furthermore, the GP map-generated path is embedded with the probability of collision along the path which lends itself to obstacle avoidance. Finally, the GP map-building algorithm is extended to include an exploration mission considering the differential constraints of a rotary unmanned aerial vehicle and the limitation arising from the environment. Using mutual information as an information-theoretic measure, an informative path which reduces the uncertainty of the environment is generated. Simulation results show that GP map combined with RRT planner can achieve the 3D navigation and exploration task successfully in unknown and complex environments.