Avoidance of Convex and Concave Obstacles With Convergence Ensured Through Contraction
This letter presents a closed form approach to obstacle avoidance for multiple moving convex and star shaped concave obstacles. The method takes inspiration in harmonic potential fields. It inherits the convergence properties of harmonic potentials. We prove impenetrability of the obstacles hull and asymptotic stability at a final goal location, using contraction theory. We validate the approach in a simulated co worker industrial environment, with one KUKA arm engaged in a pick and place grocery task, avoiding in real time humans moving in its vicinity and in simulation to drive wheel chair robot in the presence of moving obstacles.
IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters