Real-time tracking control with obstacle avoidance of multiple mobile robots

In this paper, a new method for real time tracking control with obstacle avoidance of multiple mobile robots is presented. The design goal was to track the desired trajectory safely and efficiently in a completely unknown environment. A novel tracking controller is proposed by incorporating neural dynamics equations into a conventional non-time based controller. An obstacle avoidance algorithm for the controller is also presented. The robots are able to pass around the obstacles toward the target without waiting for the removal of obstacles or replanning of robot path as in a conventional non-time based approach. In addition, the method is more efficient and less sensitive to sensor misreading. The effectiveness of the proposed method is demonstrated by a series of simulation and comparison studies.