Cooperative path planning and navigation based on distributed sensing

In this paper, path planning for robots of distributed autonomous robotic system (DARS) in unknown or partially known environment is described based on the distributed sensing. We believe that the basic problem of optimality for motion planning and replanning in unknown or partially known environment is related to the environmental information sensed by robot. Particularly the key to enhance the efficiency of path replanning is to strengthen robot's sensing ability to environment. Considering the characteristics of sensing information in DARS-distributed in time-space-function, we propose that it is practical for each robot in DARS to use (integrate) sensing information of other robots so as to compensate the lack of single robot's sensing ability. Through our simulation experiments, the fact that the efficiency of path planning and replanning for robots of DARS in unknown or partially known environment is evidently raised based on distributed sensing is showed. Approach for planning and replanning in considering the uncertainty of environmental information is also described.