Navigating a mobile robot to avoid moving obstacles using virtual source/sink force field

This paper proposes a novel navigation strategy for a unicycle mobile robot in a cluttered area with moving obstacles based on the virtual field force algorithm. We consider each obstacle as a virtual source and each obstacle free area between every two obstacles as a virtual sink, which exert repulsive and attractive field forces on the robot. The mathematical proof of the navigation law is provided, and the validity of the proposed method is confirmed using computer simulation.