Path planning for unmanned naval surface vehicles
This paper presents novel approaches for fixed and moving obstacle avoidance for unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) using a combination of global and local path planners. The global planner integrates Grassfire, a modified Grassfire, and a new variant of Probabilistic Roadmap. The local planner employs high-level decision logic based on the obstacle's motion direction relative to the USV's path, systematically routing the vehicle behind the obstacle. Simulations validate the method against the D* algorithm.
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[Submitted on 2 Jul 2026]
Title:Path planning for unmanned naval surface vehicles
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Abstract:There nowadays is a myriad of approaches to real-time avoidance of fixed obstacles for unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) and, to a lesser extent, also the task of avoiding moving obstacles such as boats, ships, swimmers, and other USVs, but both topics still present challenges. This paper offers novel approaches to both of these problems. It uses a combination of a global path planner, which finds a path from a start point to a goal point that avoids fixed obstacles (given that their locations are known in advance), and a local path planner, which can circumnavigate a moving obstacle (as well as any previously unknown fixed obstacles). The global planner is novel in that it employs a combination of three path planners, one known in the literature as Grassfire, one that is a new modification of Grassfire, and one that is a new, and arguably more intuitive, version of the well-known Probabilistic Roadmap. The local planner is novel in that it employs a higher-level decision logic based on its observations regarding the direction of movement of the obstacle relative to the USVs global path. This logic enables the USV to determine the best strategy for avoiding the obstacle by systematically routing the vehicle behind the obstacle rather than running parallel to it until the opportunity to pass appears. Simulations are provided that validate these claims. For comparison with other systems, the simulations include an implementation of the well-known D* algorithm, and the discussion covers additional dynamic path planning systems, which, like D*, do not necessarily route the vehicle behind the moving obstacle.
Subjects:
Robotics (cs.RO)
Cite as: arXiv:2607.01631 [cs.RO]
(or arXiv:2607.01631v1 [cs.RO] for this version)
https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2607.01631
arXiv-issued DOI via DataCite (pending registration)
Journal reference: AI Insights, Article 939, 1(1), 2025, 31 pages
Related DOI:
https://doi.org/10.62617/aii939
DOI(s) linking to related resources
Submission history
From: Daniel Schwartz [view email] [v1] Thu, 2 Jul 2026 02:59:13 UTC (1,553 KB)
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