An improved A* algorithm for UAV path planning

The main task of path planning is to provide a safe and feasible path for robot navigation. Although conventional A* algorithm can provide a distance-optimized path, there are some collision hazards when UAV cannot follow path perfectly. The proposed algorithm adds the obstacle information to the evaluation function of A* algorithm to avoid obstacle-dense area for planning. Besides, in order to compensate computing time increased by the improved evaluation function, an extended search step size is added to the A*, which performs better in the obstacle-sparse area. And simulation results also prove the above advantages.