Local Path Planning of a Mobile Robot Using a Novel Grid-Based Potential Method

This paper proposes the local path planning of a mobile robot using a novel grid-based potential method. The proposed method can be easily applied to a robotic system in a real environment because it is designed based on actual sensors. This method solves the local minimum problems that occur frequently in the potential field. A new repulsive field is created between adjacent obstacles that a mobile robot cannot pass through by calculating the distance between the robot and the obstacles. The generated repulsion field causes a mobile robot to escape from the local minimum. MATLAB simulations are used to compare the proposed and conventional potential field methods.