Impact of Multi-Level Path Planning on Unmanned Ground Vehicle Tactical Behavior

摘要

In February 2008, the Robotics Program Office of the U.S. Army Research Laboratory and General Dynamics Robotics Systems (GDRS) conducted an assessment of path planning technologies designed to improve Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) autonomous mobility. The purposes of this study were to determine the impact when perceptive and deliberative planners are integrated to enable a UGV to maneuver through terrain, and to further develop a methodology for assessing autonomous UGV tactical behavior. The assessment was conducted at Fort Indiantown Gap, PA over vegetated terrain using the experimental Unmanned Vehicle (XUV). The terrain and areas of operation over which the assessment was conducted required the UGV to select its course based on available a priori terrain data, new sensed information in the local environment, and required mission attributes. In this paper, we will share qualitative assessment data on performance of the technologies and recommendations for improving future technology assessments.