Path planning for robotic vehicles using generalized Field D*

Abstract

Generalized Field D* is a novel graph-based planning algorithm developed to improve autonomous navigation of robotic vehicles. The advantages of this algorithm include the possibility to reduce the search space by using multi-resolution graphs, faster planning, and smoother trajectories. The algorithm works with a wide range of simple graphs that have positive edge costs - there is no requirement for the graph to be a grid. Trajectories generated with generalized Field D* are not guaranteed to be optimal, but, in practice, they are often better than those obtained with conventional graph planners.