The potential field method and the nonlinear attractor dynamics approach: what are the differences?

One of the most popular approaches to path planning and control is the potential field method. This method is particularly attractive because it is suitable for on-line feedback control. In this approach the gradient of a potential field is used to generate the robot's trajectory. Thus, the pat...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Silva, Eliana Oliveira Costa (author)
Other Authors: Bicho, Estela (author), Erlhagen, Wolfram (author)
Format: conferencePaper
Language:eng
Published: 2006
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/1822/38991
Country:Portugal
Oai:oai:repositorium.sdum.uminho.pt:1822/38991
Description
Summary:One of the most popular approaches to path planning and control is the potential field method. This method is particularly attractive because it is suitable for on-line feedback control. In this approach the gradient of a potential field is used to generate the robot's trajectory. Thus, the path is generated by the transient solutions of a dynamical system. On the other hand, in the nonlinear attractor dynamic approach the path is generated by a sequence of attractor solutions. This way the transient solutions of the potential field method are replaced by a sequence of attractor solutions (i.e., asymptotically stable states) of a dynamical system. We discuss at a theoretical level some of the main differences of these two approaches.