The dynamic wave expansion neural network model for robot motion planning in time-varying environments

Recurrent Spiking Networks Solve Planning Tasks

A recurrent spiking neural network is proposed that implements planning as probabilistic inference for finite and infinite horizon tasks. The architecture splits this problem into two parts: The stochastic transient firing of the network embodies the dynamics of the planning task. With appropriate injected input this dynamics is shaped to generate high-reward state trajectories. A general class of reward-modulated plasticity rules for these afferent synapses is presented. The updates optimize the likelihood of getting a reward through a variant of an Expectation Maximization algorithm and learning is guaranteed to convergence to a local maximum. We find that the network dynamics are qualitatively similar to transient firing patterns during planning and foraging in the hippocampus of awake behaving rats. The model extends classical attractor models and provides a testable prediction on identifying modulating contextual information. In a real robot arm reaching and obstacle avoidance task the ability to represent multiple task solutions is investigated. The neural planning method with its local update rules provides the basis for future neuromorphic hardware implementations with promising potentials like large data processing abilities and early initiation of strategies to avoid dangerous situations in robot co-worker scenarios.

Motion planning for autonomous vehicle based on radial basis function neural network in unstructured environment

The autonomous vehicle is an automated system equipped with features like environment perception, decision-making, motion planning, and control and execution technology. Navigating in an unstructured and complex environment is a huge challenge for autonomous vehicles, due to the irregular shape of road, the requirement of real-time planning, and the nonholonomic constraints of vehicle. This paper presents a motion planning method, based on the Radial Basis Function (RBF) neural network, to guide the autonomous vehicle in unstructured environments. The proposed algorithm extracts the drivable region from the perception grid map based on the global path, which is available in the road network. The sample points are randomly selected in the drivable region, and a gradient descent method is used to train the RBF network. The parameters of the motion-planning algorithm are verified through the simulation and experiment. It is observed that the proposed approach produces a flexible, smooth, and safe path that can fit any road shape. The method is implemented on autonomous vehicle and verified against many outdoor scenes; furthermore, a comparison of proposed method with the existing well-known Rapidly-exploring Random Tree (RRT) method is presented. The experimental results show that the proposed method is highly effective in planning the vehicle path and offers better motion quality.

Neural network architecture for cognitive navigation in dynamic environments

Navigation in time-evolving environments with moving targets and obstacles requires cognitive abilities widely demonstrated by even simplest animals. However, it is a long-standing challenging problem for artificial agents. Cognitive autonomous robots coping with this problem must solve two essential tasks: 1) understand the environment in terms of what may happen and how I can deal with this and 2) learn successful experiences for their further use in an automatic subconscious way. The recently introduced concept of compact internal representation (CIR) provides the ground for both the tasks. CIR is a specific cognitive map that compacts time-evolving situations into static structures containing information necessary for navigation. It belongs to the class of global approaches, i.e., it finds trajectories to a target when they exist but also detects situations when no solution can be found. Here we extend the concept of situations with mobile targets. Then using CIR as a core, we propose a closed-loop neural network architecture consisting of conscious and subconscious pathways for efficient decision-making. The conscious pathway provides solutions to novel situations if the default subconscious pathway fails to guide the agent to a target. Employing experiments with roving robots and numerical simulations, we show that the proposed architecture provides the robot with cognitive abilities and enables reliable and flexible navigation in realistic time-evolving environments. We prove that the subconscious pathway is robust against uncertainty in the sensory information. Thus if a novel situation is similar but not identical to the previous experience (because of, e.g., noisy perception) then the subconscious pathway is able to provide an effective solution.

Rapid, parallel path planning by propagating wavefronts of spiking neural activity

Efficient path planning and navigation is critical for animals, robotics, logistics and transportation. We study a model in which spatial navigation problems can rapidly be solved in the brain by parallel mental exploration of alternative routes using propagating waves of neural activity. A wave of spiking activity propagates through a hippocampus-like network, altering the synaptic connectivity. The resulting vector field of synaptic change then guides a simulated animal to the appropriate selected target locations. We demonstrate that the navigation problem can be solved using realistic, local synaptic plasticity rules during a single passage of a wavefront. Our model can find optimal solutions for competing possible targets or learn and navigate in multiple environments. The model provides a hypothesis on the possible computational mechanisms for optimal path planning in the brain, at the same time it is useful for neuromorphic implementations, where the parallelism of information processing proposed here can fully be harnessed in hardware.

Real-time robot path planning via a distance-propagating dynamic system with obstacle clearance

An efficient grid-based distance-propagating dynamic system is proposed for real-time robot path planning in dynamic environments, which incorporates safety margins around obstacles using local penalty functions. The path through which the robot travels minimizes the sum of the current known distance to a target and the cumulative local penalty functions along the path. The algorithm is similar to D* but does not maintain a sorted queue of points to update. The resulting gain in computational speed is offset by the need to update all points in turn. Consequently, in situations where many obstacles and targets are moving at substantial distances from the current robot location, this algorithm is more efficient than D*. The properties of the algorithm are demonstrated through a number of simulations. A sufficient condition for capture of a target is provided.