Path Tracking for Wheeled Mobile Robot Using Non Linear Model Predictive Control in Indoor Environment

Abstract

Wheeled Mobile Robots (WMR) with the assistance of Information Communication Technology (ICT) can navigate and perform some tasks in an uncontrolled environment. They can experience some problems in task management if they can not localize themself in indoor/outdoor environments. Different algorithms can be exploited to evaluate the proper control law to track a default path. In this paper, a path-tracking algorithm for a WMR has been tested for an indoor environment, with a delimited area spanned by localization tags. The WMR must check some waypoints during its path until the last one, where the WMR re-start the simulation. In this work, the control law applied for the experiments is the Non-Linear Model Predictive Controller (NMPC). The control algorithm is tested using two experiments, the first one is based on the robot movements in a simulation environment using the Gazebo tools, and the second one is related to a real context where the mobile robot moves in an indoor environment.