Motion Planning With Dynamics by a Synergistic Combination of Layers of Planning

—To efficiently solve challenging motion-planning problems with dynamics, this paper proposes treating motion planning not just as a search problem in a continuous space but as a search problem in a hybrid space consisting of discrete and continuous components. A multi-layered framework is presented, Synergistic Combination of Layers of Planning (SyCLoP), which combines discrete search and sampling-based motion planning. Discrete search uses a workspace decomposition to compute leads, i.e., sequences of neighboring regions that guide sampling-based motion planning during the state-space exploration. In return, information gathered by motion planning, such as progress made, is fed back to the discrete search. This combination allows SyCLoP to identify new directions to lead the exploration toward the goal, making it possible to efficiently find solutions even when other planners get stuck. Simulation experiments with dynamical models of ground and flying vehicles demonstrate that ...

• Type: Journal
• Year: 2010
• Where: TROB
• Authors: Erion Plaku, Lydia E. Kavraki, Moshe Y. Vardi
• Keywords: Discrete Search, Planning, Sampling-based Motion, TROB 2010