Energy Optimized Path Planning and Decision Making for Multiple Robots in Rescue Operations

Abstract

Path planning strategies exist today for producing trajectories in Unmanned ground vehicles (UGV) that incorporate various navigation concerns, such as 3D navigation, obstacle avoidance, and path re-planning. These path generators mostly depend on the dynamics of the UGV's position and orientation. However, one significant issue with these methods is that it ignores the relationship between the path planning task and the energy consumption associated with battery performance. This paper presents a path planning algorithm for multiple unmanned robots that take into account battery performance. Subsequently, using the optimal trajectory of each robot within a multi-robot system and monitoring the battery state of each robot, an algorithm for determining the suitable robot for the instantaneous task during rescue operations is proposed. The simulation results show that the proposed energy optimization algorithm can be used to predict the energy consumption of the mobile robot maneuvering processes, in addition, to efficiently supporting to make decisions for mobile robots in rescue operations.