A Path-Planner for a non-holonomic Mobile Robot with Generic Shape using Multilayered CA

In this paper we present a Path-Planning Algorithm for a non-holonomic mobile robot with a generic shape. The robot we considered has to move using smoothed trajectories respecting a minimum steering radius constraint. We have developed an algorithm based on a directional (anisotropic) propagation of attracting potential values on a Multilayered Cellular Automata Model. The algorithm finds all the optimal collision-free trajectories following the minimum valley of a potential hypersurface embedded in a 4D space. Our approach turn out to be distributed and reactive to environmental dynamics. It is also flexible, because it is applicable on a wide class of vehicles with generic shapes, even concave, and with different kinematics.