Sensor-based robot motion generation in unknown, dynamic and troublesome scenarios

A sensor-based motion control system was designed to autonomously drive vehicles free of collisions in unknown, troublesome and dynamic scenarios. The system was developed based on a hybrid architecture with three layers (modeling, planning and reaction). The interaction of the modules was based on a synchronous planner–reactor configuration where the planner computes tactical information to direct the reactivity. Our system differs from previous ones in terms of the choice of the techniques implemented in the modules and in the integration architecture. It can achieve robust and reliable navigation in difficult scenarios that are troublesome for many existing methods. Experiments carried out in these scenarios with a real vehicle confirm the effectiveness of this technique. © 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.