3D Path Planning Based on Probabilistic Foam for UAV Indoor Applications

Luís B. P. Nascimento; Vitor G. Santos; Diego S. Pereira; Pablo J. Alsina

doi:10.20906/sbai.v1i1.2628

Luís B. P. Nascimento Federal Institute of Rio Grande do Norte, Parnamirim/Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal
Vitor G. Santos Federal Institute of Rio Grande do Norte, Parnamirim/Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal
Diego S. Pereira Federal Institute of Rio Grande do Norte, Parnamirim/Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal
Pablo J. Alsina Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal

DOI: https://doi.org/10.20906/sbai.v1i1.2628

Keywords: Probabilistic Foam, Path Planning, Bubble of Free Space, V-REP

Abstract

The recent growth of the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) industry stimulated research development to solve different problems, such as inspection in hard-to-reach places, mapping, and search and rescue. Frequently, these applications require navigation in indoor environments, so searching for safe paths for the UAVs to fly is essential for the mission accomplishment. In this context, we propose in this paper the employment of the Goal-Biased Probabilistic Foam (GBPF) method to perform the path planning for a UAV in indoor missions. The GBPF method ensures a fast search of a path with a safe region provided by a structure called bubble that will be modeled for the UAV. The bubble represents a free-space region that allows safe UAV maneuvers, decreasing the probability of obstacles collision. To validate the proposed methodology, we used the Virtual Robot Experimentation Platform (V-REP) to simulate an UAV flight in an indoor environment using the path generated by the GBPF.