Fast Path-Planning Algorithm for Mobile Robots via Straight Strategy

Abstract

RRT*, which augments the RRT with the ChooseParent and Rewire steps, is a widely used algorithm for path planning. RRT*-based algorithms are effective for improving the quality of paths in the Rewire step. However, as the expansion continues, there are more nodes to be inspected, which can slow down the path search. In addition, due to the parameters set in the rewire step, a trade-off issue between path quality and planning time arises. In this paper, we propose Straight-RRT to improve upon these limitations. Straight-RRT applies the Straight strategy to rapidly obtain an initial path and then returns a refined path using the MoveParent strategies. Accordingly, Straight-RRT adopts the following mechanisms. (1) The Straight strategy is applied for rapidly finding an initial path. This procedure quickly finds a feasible initial path. (2) MoveParent is a strategy inspired by parametric equations for path optimization. This complements the weaknesses of the Straight strategy and the limitations of the triangle inequality. The MoveParent strategy is applied bidirectionally. These procedures progressively refine the path and improve efficiency. We propose an algorithm that is faster than other algorithms using these strategies and minimizes the trade-off caused by parameter settings. In the experimental comparison results across most environments, our approach achieved shorter planning times than the compared baseline algorithms and produced paths of comparable quality.