Obstacle Avoidance in a Collaborative Environment

This paper describes an obstacle avoidance algorithm which constructs an obstacle-free navigation path for a robot to move from one point to another in its workspace. The A* search algorithm has been employed to find the shortest possible path. The algorithm has been tested and validated on the robot soccer platform for different number of obstacles (other robots and boundary walls) placed in various formations. The processing is completed well within the real-time constraints of the system. Both simulation and actual test results are presented. The test results exemplify the suitability of the algorithm. The aim of the reported work is to allow a fast moving robot to freely navigate a terrain in the presence of obstacles.