A new moving target interception algorithm for mobile robots based on sub-goal forecasting and an improved scout ant algorithm

It is difficult to make a robot intercept a moving target, whose trajectory and speed are unknown and dynamically changing, in a comparatively short distance when the environment contains complex objects. This paper presents a new moving target interception algorithm in which the robot can intercept such a target by following many short straight line trajectories. In the algorithm, an intercept point is first forecasted assuming that the robot and the target both move along straight line trajectories. The robot rapidly plans a navigation path to this projected intercept point by using the new ant algorithm. The robot walks along the planned path while continuously monitoring the target. When the robot detects that the target has moved to a new grid it will re-forecast the intercept point and re-plan the navigation path. This process will be repeated until the robot has intercepted the moving target. The simulation results have shown that the algorithm is very effective and can successfully intercept a moving target while moving along a relatively short path no matter whether the environment has complex obstacles or not and the actual trajectory of the moving target is a straight line or a complex curve.

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► We present a moving target interception algorithm based on the new ant algorithm for robot path planning.
► An intercept point where the robot intercepts moving target can be forecasted dynamically.
► The arbitrary and dynamically changing trajectory of a moving target is approximated dynamically by many straight line trajectories.
► The robot can intercept a moving target while moving along a relatively short path in an environment with complex obstacles.