Collision-Free Path Planning of Tensegrity Structures

Path planning is a crucial step in shape control of tensegrity structures. A mathematical model for the path planning problem of tensegrities is proposed. Both external collision and internal collision are considered. A procedure combining trajectory tracking with collision checking is established and used as a local planner. An algorithm based on rapidly-exploring random trees (RRT), called RRT-Connect, is adopted as the global planner for the problem. The RRT-Connect algorithm integrated with the local planner is used to search collision-free paths for shape control of tensegrity structures. Typical examples are carried out. The proposed scheme is verified by the results of the examples.