A simulation study of simple local path planning and control for unmanned surface vehicles

The present study provides a fundamental but necessary review and implementation of collision avoidance and path planning techniques based on 2D plane kinematics of a small test vessel. The developed path planning logics first consider a single obstacle avoidance scenario, and then move on to tackle multiple obstacle avoidance based on more realistic obstacle and environment representations using multiple overlapping circles of various sizes and positions. The manuscript elaborates the development process step by step with all codes provided in order to introduce the path planning and simulation workflow as a laid tutorial for learners and researchers entering the field.