Local minimum solution for the potential field method in multiple robot motion planning task

Abstract

This work presents a new approach to solve the problem of local minimum which happens usually in the case of multiple robots navigation. The multi-robot path planning based on artificial potential field is among of the most popular method for trajectory planning. However, in some spatial-temporal coordinates, the algebraic sum of all the potentials generated by all the torques/forces is null. In such case, all the robots in the working area stopped and their speeds become null too. Purposely, this work solved the problem of local minimum in a multi-robot system which is validated by Matlab/Simulink simulation.