The role of target modeling in designing search strategies

Abstract

This paper studies the problem of searching for an unknown moving target in a bounded two-dimensional convex area with a mobile robot. A key component of designing a search strategy is the target motion model, which is often unknown in practical scenarios. When designing search strategies, researchers either (1) ignore the target motion and treat the target as a stationary object with unknown location, (2) treat the target as an adversary and model the search task as a game, or (3) use a stochastic model such as a random walk. For each of these models we analyze possible search paths with the objective of minimizing the expected capture time. Our intent is to investigate how the choice of the model influences the choice of the strategy and consequently how the capture time will depend on this choice. In addition to a theoretical analysis, we compare the strategies in simulation.