Real-Time Randomized Motion Planning for Multiple Domains

Motion planning is a critical component for autonomous mobile robots, requiring a solution which is fast enough to serve as a building block, yet easy enough to extend that it can be adapted to new platforms without starting from scratch. This paper presents an algorithm based on randomized planning approaches, which uses a minimal interface between the platform and planner to aid in implementation reuse. Two domains to which the planner has been applied are described. The first is a 2D domain for small-size robot navigation, where the planner has been used successfully in various versions for five years. The second is a true 3D planner for autonomous fixed-wing aircraft with kinematic constraints. Despite large differences between these two platforms, the core planning code is shared across domains, and this flexibility comes with only a small efficiency penalty.