The Implementation of RRTs for a Remote-Controlled Mobile Robot

The original RRT is iteratively expanded by applying control inputs that drive the system slightly toward randomly-selected states, as opposed to requiring point-to-point convergence, as in the probabilistic roadmap approach. It is generally known that the performance of RRTs can be improved depending on the selection of the metrics in choosing the nearest vertex and bias techniques in choosing random states. We designed a path planning algorithm based on the RRT method for a remote-controlled mobile robot. First, we considered a bias technique that is goal-biased Gaussian random distribution along the command directions. Secondly, we selected the metric based on a weighted Euclidean distance of random states and a weighted distance from the goal region. It can save the effort to explore the unnecessary regions and help the mobile robot to find a feasible trajectory as fast as possible. Finally, the constraints of the actuator should be considered to apply the algorithm to physical mobile robots, so we select control inputs distributed with commanded inputs and constrained by the maximum rate of input change instead of random inputs. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm is significantly more efficient for planning than a basic RRT planner. It reduces the computational time needed to find a feasible trajectory and can be practically implemented in a remote-controlled mobile robot.