Obstacle’s Velocity-Informed Ring Univector Field Method for Mobile Robot Navigation in Dynamic Environments with Moving Obstacles in Robot Soccer Game

Most existing approaches for dynamic obstacle avoidance in mobile robot navigation are built upon static obstacle avoidance methods combined with optimization algorithms. While such hybrid approaches can achieve acceptable performance in some scenarios, they lack a fundamental understanding of dynamic environments, leading to limitations in speed, adaptability, and real time responsiveness.
To address this gap, this paper proposes an improved Ring Univector Field (RUF) method for mobile robot navigation in dynamic environments with moving obstacles, specifically targeting robot soccer game scenarios. Rather than simply extending static methods, we focus on the foundational problem of path generation for dynamic obstacle avoidance. To enhance the conventional RUF method, we define several new variables that reflect the spatial relationships among the robot, obstacles, and target point. A novel repulsive vector generation formula is introduced to enable successful target reaching while avoiding dynamic obstacles in arbitrary environments. Unlike previous approaches, the proposed method incorporates the obstacle’s velocity vector and relative influence factors directly into the avoidance decision, prioritizing high speed and proactive response.
Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed Obstacle’s Velocity-Informed RUF (OV-RUF) method allows the mobile robot to adaptively adjust its avoidance path in real time as obstacle positions change, significantly improving success rate and reducing collisions compared to conventional methods, thereby reaching the target point effectively even in highly dynamic conditions.