Path planning using the Newtonian potential

Potential functions are used to represent the topological structure of free space in solving path planning problems because of the simplicity in the free space representation and the guidance provided by the negative gradient of the potential field in the form of repulsive forces. In this thesis, a Newtonian potential function is used to represent planar polygonal objects and obstacles. The closed-form expression of this potential field as well as some other gradient-related quantities are derived. Such results not only eliminate the problems associated with the discretization of the object and obstacles in evaluating the likelihood of collision, but also make the search for the optimal object configurations efficient. The object path is constrained geometrically according to a simple topological plan which is specified in terms of object skeleton and free space bottlenecks. It is shown that the planned path is safe and smooth. The corresponding planning algorithms for three-dimensional space and for articulated objects are also given. The skeleton of an object can also be obtained by using potential functions in place of the distance function. The skeleton thus defined has been generalized easily to three dimensions.U of I OnlyETDs are only available to UIUC Users without author permissio