Bee colony algorithm for real-time optimal path planning of mobile robots

Abstract

This paper presents a novel method to solve the problem of path planning for mobile robots based on bee colony algorithm. The method is inspired by collective behavior of honeybees to find food sources around the hive. The proposed method includes two steps. The first step is to use a simple rule to establish an initial collision-free path from the starting point to the target and the second step is utilizing bee colony algorithm to optimize the initial path. The results of computer simulations show that the proposed method is effective and can be used in the real-time path planning of mobile robots.