FRRT*-Connect: A Bidirectional Sampling-Based Path Planner with Potential Field Guidance for Complex Obstacle Environments

This paper addresses the path planning problem in high-dimensional complex environments and proposes an improved FRRT*-Connect algorithm to enhance the efficiency, precision, and robustness of path generation. The algorithm first introduces a goal-directed attractive force control mechanism, integra...

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Main Authors: Wenshan Yan, Xiangrong Xu, Aleksandar Rodić, Petar B. Petrovich
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-04-01
Series:Sensors
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/25/9/2761
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author Wenshan Yan
Xiangrong Xu
Aleksandar Rodić
Petar B. Petrovich
author_facet Wenshan Yan
Xiangrong Xu
Aleksandar Rodić
Petar B. Petrovich
author_sort Wenshan Yan
collection DOAJ
description This paper addresses the path planning problem in high-dimensional complex environments and proposes an improved FRRT*-Connect algorithm to enhance the efficiency, precision, and robustness of path generation. The algorithm first introduces a goal-directed attractive force control mechanism, integrating artificial potential field methods to guide the tree expansion more effectively toward the goal, thereby reducing redundant sampling and significantly improving convergence speed. Secondly, an adaptive step-size strategy is proposed, dynamically adjusting the tree expansion step size based on the complexity of the environment, which enhances the algorithm’s adaptability in narrow passages and complex topological structures, effectively avoiding local minima. The results show that, compared to the RRT*-Connect algorithm, the proposed method exhibits significant advantages in path quality, convergence efficiency, and success rate: the average path length is reduced by 19.7%, convergence speed is improved by 58.4%, and the success rate reaches 98% in narrow passage scenarios. These improvements effectively overcome the issues of path redundancy, slow convergence, and local minima inherent in traditional RRT-based algorithms, demonstrating superior performance in challenging scenarios with complex obstacles and narrow passages.
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id doaj-art-5f45ba57faac4d8fb0c4727ef43f1e82
institution DOAJ
issn 1424-8220
language English
publishDate 2025-04-01
publisher MDPI AG
record_format Article
series Sensors
spelling doaj-art-5f45ba57faac4d8fb0c4727ef43f1e822025-08-20T02:58:44ZengMDPI AGSensors1424-82202025-04-01259276110.3390/s25092761FRRT*-Connect: A Bidirectional Sampling-Based Path Planner with Potential Field Guidance for Complex Obstacle EnvironmentsWenshan Yan0Xiangrong Xu1Aleksandar Rodić2Petar B. Petrovich3School of Mechanical Engineering, Anhui University of Technology, Ma’anshan 243032, ChinaSchool of Mechanical Engineering, Anhui University of Technology, Ma’anshan 243032, ChinaFaculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Belgrade, 11120 Belgrade, SerbiaFaculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Belgrade, 11120 Belgrade, SerbiaThis paper addresses the path planning problem in high-dimensional complex environments and proposes an improved FRRT*-Connect algorithm to enhance the efficiency, precision, and robustness of path generation. The algorithm first introduces a goal-directed attractive force control mechanism, integrating artificial potential field methods to guide the tree expansion more effectively toward the goal, thereby reducing redundant sampling and significantly improving convergence speed. Secondly, an adaptive step-size strategy is proposed, dynamically adjusting the tree expansion step size based on the complexity of the environment, which enhances the algorithm’s adaptability in narrow passages and complex topological structures, effectively avoiding local minima. The results show that, compared to the RRT*-Connect algorithm, the proposed method exhibits significant advantages in path quality, convergence efficiency, and success rate: the average path length is reduced by 19.7%, convergence speed is improved by 58.4%, and the success rate reaches 98% in narrow passage scenarios. These improvements effectively overcome the issues of path redundancy, slow convergence, and local minima inherent in traditional RRT-based algorithms, demonstrating superior performance in challenging scenarios with complex obstacles and narrow passages.https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/25/9/2761robot path planningrapid exploration of random treesRRT*-Connectartificial potential fieldspath optimization
spellingShingle Wenshan Yan
Xiangrong Xu
Aleksandar Rodić
Petar B. Petrovich
FRRT*-Connect: A Bidirectional Sampling-Based Path Planner with Potential Field Guidance for Complex Obstacle Environments
Sensors
robot path planning
rapid exploration of random trees
RRT*-Connect
artificial potential fields
path optimization
title FRRT*-Connect: A Bidirectional Sampling-Based Path Planner with Potential Field Guidance for Complex Obstacle Environments
title_full FRRT*-Connect: A Bidirectional Sampling-Based Path Planner with Potential Field Guidance for Complex Obstacle Environments
title_fullStr FRRT*-Connect: A Bidirectional Sampling-Based Path Planner with Potential Field Guidance for Complex Obstacle Environments
title_full_unstemmed FRRT*-Connect: A Bidirectional Sampling-Based Path Planner with Potential Field Guidance for Complex Obstacle Environments
title_short FRRT*-Connect: A Bidirectional Sampling-Based Path Planner with Potential Field Guidance for Complex Obstacle Environments
title_sort frrt connect a bidirectional sampling based path planner with potential field guidance for complex obstacle environments
topic robot path planning
rapid exploration of random trees
RRT*-Connect
artificial potential fields
path optimization
url https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/25/9/2761
work_keys_str_mv AT wenshanyan frrtconnectabidirectionalsamplingbasedpathplannerwithpotentialfieldguidanceforcomplexobstacleenvironments
AT xiangrongxu frrtconnectabidirectionalsamplingbasedpathplannerwithpotentialfieldguidanceforcomplexobstacleenvironments
AT aleksandarrodic frrtconnectabidirectionalsamplingbasedpathplannerwithpotentialfieldguidanceforcomplexobstacleenvironments
AT petarbpetrovich frrtconnectabidirectionalsamplingbasedpathplannerwithpotentialfieldguidanceforcomplexobstacleenvironments