Path Planning and Navigation for Mobile Robots in a Hybrid Sensor Network without Prior Location Information

In a hybrid wireless sensor network with mobile and static nodes, which have no prior geographical knowledge, successful navigation for mobile robots is one of the main challenges. In this paper, we propose two novel navigation algorithms for outdoor environments, which permit robots to travel from...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Zheng Zhang, Zhenbo Li, Dawei Zhang, Jiapin Chen
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SAGE Publishing 2013-03-01
Series:International Journal of Advanced Robotic Systems
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.5772/55790
Description
Summary:In a hybrid wireless sensor network with mobile and static nodes, which have no prior geographical knowledge, successful navigation for mobile robots is one of the main challenges. In this paper, we propose two novel navigation algorithms for outdoor environments, which permit robots to travel from one static node to another along a planned path in the sensor field, namely the RAC and the IMAP algorithms. Using this, the robot can navigate without the help of a map, GPS or extra sensor modules, only using the received signal strength indication (RSSI) and odometry. Therefore, our algorithms have the advantage of being cost-effective. In addition, a path planning algorithm to schedule mobile robots' travelling paths is presented, which focuses on shorter distances and robust paths for robots by considering the RSSI-Distance characteristics. The simulations and experiments conducted with an autonomous mobile robot show the effectiveness of the proposed algorithms in an outdoor environment.
ISSN:1729-8814