Application of time dependent probabilistic collision state checkers in highly dynamic environments

PLoS One. 2015 Mar 23;10(3):e0119930. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0119930. eCollection 2015.

Abstract

When computing the trajectory of an autonomous vehicle, inevitable collision states must be avoided at all costs, so no harm comes to the device or pedestrians around it. In dynamic environments, considering collisions as binary events is risky and inefficient, as the future position of moving obstacles is unknown. We introduce a time-dependent probabilistic collision state checker system, which traces a safe route with a minimum collision probability for a robot. We apply a sequential Bayesian model to calculate approximate predictions of the movement patterns of the obstacles, and define a time-dependent variation of the Dijkstra algorithm to compute statistically safe trajectories through a crowded area. We prove the efficiency of our methods through experimentation, using a self-guided robotic device.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Accidents, Traffic / prevention & control*
  • Algorithms*
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Bayes Theorem*
  • Environment*
  • Humans
  • Models, Theoretical*
  • Probability
  • Robotics / instrumentation*
  • Robotics / methods*
  • Time Factors

Grants and funding

The authors gratefully acknowledge the contribution of the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (www.mineco.gob.es) under Project STIRPE DPI2013-46897-C2-1-R. JHA’s research was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (www.micinn.es), under the "Formación de Profesorado Universitario" grant FPU2012-3568. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.