Unified intelligent motion planning for omni-directional vehicles

We demonstrate that an omni-directional vehicle (ODV) with an intelligent motion planning (IMP) scheme and a combination of Ackerman & parallel steering capabilities can readily maneuver in constricted areas. A virtual simulation environment (VSE) has been developed to model the ODV motion, a suite of navigation sensors, surrounding objects and the IMP scheme. The IMP unifies the navigation sensors to enhance manual, semi-autonomous and autonomous operations. The VSE is used to demonstrate that the ODV with IMP can navigate tight areas around obstacles, saving energy and time. Metrics for performance of Ackerman versus parallel steering capabilities are also evaluated.