Safe navigation in uneven terrains is an important problem in robotic research. In this paper we propose a 2.5D navigation system which consists of elevation map building, path planning and local path following with obstacle avoidance. For local path following we use Model Predictive Path Integral (MPPI) control method. We propose novel cost-functions for MPPI in order to adapt it to elevation maps and motion through unevenness. We evaluate our system on multiple synthetic tests and in a simulated environment with different types of obstacles and rough surfaces.
DOI: 10.1016/j.ifacol.2023.01.137
Download PDF from ScienceDirect: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405896323001441
Download PDF from arXiv.org: https://arxiv.org/abs/2209.07252
Stepan Dergachev, Kirill Muravyev, Konstantin Yakovlev. 2.5D Mapping, Pathfinding and Path Following For Navigation Of A Differential Drive Robot In Uneven Terrain // IFAC-PapersOnLine, Volume 55, Issue 38, 2022, Pages 80-85.